D.C., C.C.N., D.A.C.B.N.
Chicago
(630) 836-9900
drtom@theDr.com
www.DrToBryan.meta-ehealth.com
www.TheDr.com
Functional Medicine, Metabolic disorders and chronic disease

Services

Describe your services:
Dr. O’Bryan is a uniquely skilled practitioner with over 25 years of experience. His expertise in uncovering the reason for your symptoms, and his skill in applying nutritional therapies to resolve them is outstanding. He is sometimes called the “Sherlock Holmes” for chronic disease and metabolic disorders, as he is a teacher of Healthcare Practitioners in this area. Dr. O’Bryan currently serves on the Faculty of the Institute for Functional Medicine, training licensed practitioners and their staff. Perhaps you are one of those who has visited 5, 10, 20 or more physicians or practitioners, and you have still not found the answers you need to move forward, to heal and return to health. Dr. O’Bryan uses state-of-the-art diagnostic tests and an extensive knowledge of medical literature and clinical practice to assist in identifying the causative dysfunction that manifests in your frustrating symptoms now. He takes time to talk with each patient individually, teaching why?, how?, and what to do to turn your health around with diet, nutrition as the central focus of restoration, and (if needed and hopefully temporary) medications. This conversation helps us learn what is helping you maintain health now, and identifies where blocks might be hindering your healing. By getting to know you and your individual systems, Dr. O’Bryan considers your health history, the influence of your family, your eating behaviors, your potential genetic vulnerabilities, nutritional concerns, your thought patterns, and even environmental factors. These all play a role in achieving optimal health. You can expect to come away from each session with clear recommendations regarding your next steps.

How does your healing modality work?
By identifying biochemical and physiologic imbalances, the underlying mechanisms that cause your symptoms become evident. A personalized action plan is then developed to assist you in achieving restored good health. Using diet and nutrition whenever possible along with educating you about how your body works, you begin to put your new understanding into practice. Your body begins to strengthen and heal. We recommend continuing medically-prescribed drugs and modalities for as long as necessary while monitoring the lessening of symptoms and side effects. I bring a hand-picked team of experienced allied health professionals to enrich your understanding of yourself and your body. For example, I may prescribe that you take time to learn to eat a new way, how to select foods when you are eating out, how to shop and prepare food —you may receive a recommendation to work with an exercise specialist, nutritionist, food coach or chef to gain the knowledge and tools you need to establish a new way to approach diet and/or exercise.

How do you see your services evolving over the next three years?
As more and more information becomes available, some of the approaches we take now as “out-of-the-box” and unusual, will likely become more accepted. In the meantime, I see that my focus will be geared towards serving patients who have had difficulty in finding relief for troublesome symptoms. I will continue to study the latest research and apply the principles from that research to give my patients the most comprehensive, cost-effective healthcare addressing their health concerns.
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Benefits

What are the benefits/results people see?
Patients who work with us come to understand the underlying mechanisms that cause their confusing symptoms and poor health. Most individuals show improvement or elimination of symptoms, and return to normal, energized function and activities of daily living. For example, patients with previous gastric distress and depression can eat meals with family and friends and have energy for managing a daily routine. Patients with low energy may discover the underlying hormonal, toxic, dietary, neurophysiologic or endocrine reasons for internal imbalances that sap their energy, and can implement a step-by-step strategy to regain vitality and zest for life. Kids with behavioral problems may stabilize as food-related or neurotransmitter balance is restored.

Why do people come to see you?
Some patients see us to begin a life (to resolve difficulties in getting pregnant); some to address confusing health concerns in their kids (such as learning difficulties coupled with food allergies or growth and development issues), some for improving quality of life (to get rid of GI concerns, improve mental function, vitality, hormone or neurotransmitter balance, to improve physical fitness), to address the concerns of aging (such as osteoporosis or a poor nutritional status), or to address a fuzzy sense that “something is wrong and my doctor says I am fine.” Others see us as a last resort or because they have confounding symptoms that don’t fit into a single disease category. They may have tried everything and are caught in a confusing whirl of conflicting information, depression and a very sick body. We help patients zero-in on the problem, then follow through with a plan (which can take some time) to create the lifestyle and dietary changes that will support them after their work with me is done. Most patients see Dr. O’Bryan just 5-6 visits.

Who is an ideal client?
An ideal client is ready to face the real issues regarding his/her health which means someone who not only wants to know what is wrong; an ideal patient is one who is ready to take active steps for change.

What makes you different/good at what you do?
Dr. Tom O’Bryan is a Board-Certified Nutritionist with thousands of hours of additional training in Functional Medicine: He understands the complex causes of dis-ease, as well as the amazing simple nature of working with the body to heal itself. This is why we use nutrition to restore internal balance and normal function, and, yes, nutrition to heal damages tissues. This is also why he is on the Teaching Faculty of the institute for Functional Medicine. We work with your body’s ability to heal itself! We gather information from you regarding your observations about your body, gather, review, recommend and/or assess clinical and/or lab tests to make careful analysis of where the problem(s) lies.
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Philosophy/Approach

Describe your healing philosophy:
Our bodies are meant to be healthy. If we are experiencing dis-ease, healing and restored function return by identifying and removing the obstacles to health. Dr.O’Bryan examines and reviews the way your body works on a cellular and a behavioral level by applying appropriate tests and measures relative to “normal”. This helps us identify where your body has fallen out of health. Our work with you then is educational and supportive, both instructing and motivating you to take charge of your health from a place of knowledge. Within a couple of visits, you have learned why, how and what to do to restore health to your body.

Describe your style or approach:
My approach is personal, educational and specific to your concerns. I work with you to achieve good health given your body, your lifestyle and your genetics, and provide a means to stay healthy for a lifetime.

Why do you do what you do?
When I was in my 20’s and a chiropractic intern, my wife and I were trying to get pregnant. We had difficulty, so I began to seek help from experts. I called the 7 most famous holistic physicians in the country and asked what they would do for infertility. They all told me what they would do. I put a program together that focused on diet and toxicity (specifically based on the symptoms we were having). Addressing my identified zinc deficiency (zinc is crucial to sperm quality and quantity) and my wife’s liver toxicity, we became pregnant in 6 weeks. Friends and neighbors heard about our story and asked if I’d work with them, too. Even women who had been artificially inseminated and still had difficulty getting pregnant, within six months, seemed to benefit from the approach.

As a result of my personal experience with understanding the health of my wife from a functional medicine approach, I felt great passion for educating and guiding people using these tools. I had learned that the body is not system-specific when there is a problem; for example, if there are reproductive problems, liver toxicity may be the problem. And that’s the way the body works. My training over the years has allowed me to learn the metabolic mechanisms of disease and the markers for determining where the break-down in health are occurring.

Health issues are usually multi-system problems, so a healer must be able to look at the function of systems on the surface that sometimes do not even show disease.

Where do we start, then? We begin with a detailed questionnaire and in-office evaluation (this usually takes a couple of hours—–before any other testing is even recommended).
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Education/Background

Education/Training:
Graduate ‘Applied Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice ‘, Institute for Functional Medicine, (1999, Gig Harbor , Washington)
Diplomat of American Clinical Nutrition Board (D.A.C.B.N.,1996)
American Board of Clinical Nutrition
Certified Clinical Nutritionist (C.C.N., 1996)
International and American Association of Clinical Nutritionists
National College of Chiropractic (1981, Chicago IL ), Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.)
University of Michigan (1974, Ann Arbor ), Bachelor of General Science

Years Professionally Practicing:
25+ years

Contributions/Publications:
Adjunct Faculty, Dept of Nutrition, National University of Life Sciences, Lombard , IL
Visiting Instructor, 2004, Northeastern Illinois University, M.S., Exercise Science, “Applied Nutrition in Health and Performance”
* Designs For Health Physicians Teleconference: The Neurological Complications of Gluten Sensitivity
* Parent University : Your Child’s Brain-How Food Can Inhibit or Enhance the Thinking Process
* Parent University : What Doctor’s Won’t Tell You About Ritalin
* Northeastern University T.E.A.M. Conference: The Runaway Childhood Epidemic: Obesity and Diabetes
* Nutrition For Optimal Health Association: How Wheat Harms Your Brain
* Parent University : Maximize Your Child’s Brain Power
* International and American Association of Clinical Nutritionists Annual Symposium (Nutritional Advancements in Adolescent and Pediatric Care): The Neurological and Cognitive Complications of Wheat/Gluten Sensitivity
* Northeastern University T.E.A.M. Conference: The Neurological and Cognitive Complications of Wheat Sensitivity
* Common Ground: Saving your Brain: Keeping What You’ve Got And Rebuilding What’s Been Lost
* Earthly Goods: Staying Young While Growing Older
* Earthly Goods: Your Cardiac Blueprint: The Heart Test That Could Save Your Life
* Earthly Goods: Maximizing Your Child’s Brain Power
* Earthly Goods: Saving Your Brain: Maximizing What You’ve Got Left
* Libertyville Civic Center: Is It Hot in Here Or Is It Just Me – The Peri-menopausal Years
* Northeastern University T.E.A.M. Conference: Brain Function: Keeping What You’ve Got and Rebuilding What’s Been Lost
* ‘Immune Responses to Dietary Proteins, Gliadin and Cerebellar Peptides in Children with Autism’ Nutritional Neurosciences, Vol. 7, no. 3, 151-161, 2004
* Are Oats Harmless in Celiac Disease, Celiac.com Guide to A Scott-Free Life Without Gluten, Fall, 2005, Vol.4, Number 4
* How Much Gluten is Safe?, Celiac.com Guide To A Scott-Free life Without Gluten, Summer 2005, Vol.4, Number 3
* Wheat: Staff of Life or Unsuspected Cause of Illness, Pioneer Press, Feb. 2004
*The Immunology of Immediate and Delayed Hypersensitivity to Gluten, European Journal of Inflammation, Vol. 6 no. 2;1-9, 2008
*The Immunology of Gluten Sensitivity Beyond the Intestinal Tract, European Journal of Inflammation, 2008, Vol. 6 no. 3; 1-8

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What to expect

Describe a typical session:
Prior to your first visit, you are asked to complete a thorough questionnaire about your health and family history, lifestyle, medications & supplements, environmental exposures, and dietary choices. During the first portion of your New Patient visit, a review and exam is conducted to check physical symptoms, physiological age, nerve function and presenting biochemical status (this is an opportunity not only for us to get to know you as a person, but to get an overview of your current health status). Then, we spend approximately one hour digging a little deeper. I assess your functional state, looking at your genetics, the mitigating circumstances and the trigger for your disease.

How long is a typical session?
First visit: 1 ½ -2 hours in length. Wear comfortable clothing. Drink plenty of water prior to your visit. If you are out of town and have scheduled a telephone consultation, please allow 1 ½ hours.

Follow-up visits vary in length, depending on the patient concern. For visits where lab tests are reviewed and further instruction is needed regarding nutrition, lifestyle, sleep or activity, or other recommendations, typical visits are 50-minutes in length.

Most patients see Dr. O’Bryan for 2-5 visits to resolve primary concerns; when several health concerns need to be addressed, an additional 2-4 sessions may be required.

Describe your office or treatment room:
Our office is located in downtown Chicago, just across from Millennium Park—south of the river and just north of the art museum— with ample underground parking in the Grant Park Underground garage. Wheelchair access is from the Washington Street entrance.

How should someone prepare for a session?
Call 630-836-9900 to schedule an appointment.

Download our New Patient Packet (including patient information and consent forms) at: www.drtobryan.meta-ehealth.com

If you are unable to download the form online, please call the number above to have a packet sent to you. There is a $5 charge for mailing the packet to you. It usually takes an hour to complete the questionnaire. Most patients come to the first visit prepared for a urinalysis. Please check in with our Office Manager to learn if you should be prepared for a blood draw (which may require a 12-hour fast) or other tests.
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Logistics

Office hours/days of the week:
Office hours (for in-person consultations) are limited to Wednesdays, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm

Fee Range
New Patient Consultation is $425 for evaluation and management. Due to the limited number of patients we are able to see each week, a credit card is required to hold your reserved appointment time. You will leave the visit with recommendations and next steps.

Lab tests, if recommended, will be specific to your condition and will range in cost. Please see page 27 in our New Patient Packet for typical charges on selected tests.

During the few follow-up visits, detailed discussion includes detailed results, recommendations and next steps; most follow-up visits last approximately one hour, and are billed at $225 per 50 minute visit.

For existing patients, Dr. O’Bryan is available for consultation regarding health matters as they arise. These consultations may be scheduled as email, in-person or as telephone consultations, at the discretion of Dr. O’Bryan. Visits of this nature are billed at $75/quarter hour. Email consultations are generally not available for individuals who are not current patients.

Take Insurance?
No, we do not take insurance. We recommend that new patients call their insurance provider PRIOR to the new patient visit to learn if they are eligible for insurance reimbursement. We provide a detailed Physician Statement at each patient visit that includes diagnosis and diagnosis codes, procedural codes (CPT codes), detail regarding Evaluation, Management, Lab test and lab Recommendations, fees and/or charges, and Nutrition recommendations and/or charges. It is each patient’s responsibility to learn and understand their insurance reimbursement policies and procedures. We do not assist with filing insurance claims.

Cancellation Policy?

We require 48 hours advance notice to cancel or re-schedule an appointment.

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Closing Comments

What else might someone want to know about you?
Over the years I have been a diligent learner, ever curious about the WHY’S of illness. I bring my insatiable desire to learn the mechanism of disease, and how to blend the ever-unfolding details that are discovered through research with my understanding of clinical, nutritional and biochemical pathways. I walk my talk and follow my own advice with healthy living.
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