insights

Physician. Nutritionist. Survivor. Educator.

These four terms aptly describe Elizabeth Boham, MD, MS, RD, an IFM educator who draws upon her personal and professional experience to teach patients how to support their bodies so they can heal. After being diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 30, Dr. Boham learned first-hand how difficult it can be to navigate through the US healthcare system. She was drawn to the Functional Medicine model because it enables clinicians to uncover and address the underlying causes of dysfunction, as opposed to symptom suppression.

This, combined with Dr. Boham’s training in nutrition, has contributed to her success in helping patients with insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, heart health, digestive health, autoimmune conditions, celiac disease, and cancer, as well as those seeking to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

In the following IFM video, Dr. Boham talks about how she combined an undergraduate degree in nutritional chemistry with a degree in family medicine and Functional Medicine certification so that she could help patients navigate chronic disease.

One of the most powerful tools I have to help someone heal is food,

says Dr. Boham, who is also a registered dietitian. “We all know that what we eat impacts our weight, but what about our risk for breast cancer, whether or not we have acne, how easy it is for us to get pregnant, whether or not we get dementia when we get older?”

As an IFM educator, Dr. Boham is working to develop and improve the nutrition education that physicians receive in medical school and beyond so that all physicians can appreciate the power of food. “We can harness the power of nutrition to heal our body, balance our energy, and thrive,” she says.

Dr. Boham joined Dr. Mark Hyman and the UltraWellness Center team, in Lenox, MA, in 2007 and is currently the medical director. Previously, she practiced integrative medicine at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, MA, and was a partner with Albany Clinical Nutrition Specialists.