The Root Cause Medicine Podcast

In this episode of the Root Cause Medicine Podcast, Dr. Kate Kresge is joined by Dr. Eric Viegas, a leader in supplement safety at Fullscript, for a timely and evidence-informed discussion on lead exposure in protein powders and nutritional supplements. Amid rising media attention and consumer concern, the conversation unpacks how and why trace amounts of lead can appear in supplements, how different regulatory thresholds (Prop 65 vs. USP/ICH) should be interpreted clinically, and what toxicologically relevant exposure actually means. Clinicians will gain practical insight into cumulative lead exposure, patient risk stratification, and how Fullscript is advancing supplement quality through enhanced testing, transparency, and practitioner-facing safeguards.

In this “Health or Hype” rapid-fire episode, Dr. Kate Kresge teams up with Dr. Chris Sands, DPT, OCS, and Dr. Gabe Kresge, DPT, to sort running fact from fiction. They break down why strength training rarely “bulks up” runners and more often boosts efficiency, why single-leg strength better reflects the true demands of running than squats alone, and why minimalist shoes (and cushioning) should be chosen based on individual capacity and a gradual transition. They also address joint health—explaining why moderate, well-programmed running isn’t automatically “wear and tear”—and close with a practical prevention message: running assessments can catch issues before pain starts, and most injuries trace back to training load and under-recovery more than biomechanics.

This episode of the Root Cause Medicine Podcast explores the Modern Running Assessment, an evidence-informed, data-driven framework for evaluating runners’ biomechanics, load tolerance, and performance capacity. Host Dr. Kate Kresge interviews Dr. Chris Sands, DPT, OCS, and Dr. Gabe Kresge, DPT, from Kinetic Physical Therapy to examine how modern tools—dynamometry, force plate testing, slow-motion gait analysis, cadence and vertical oscillation metrics, and single-leg endurance testing—provide objective information that visual observation alone may miss. These measurable insights help clinicians better understand strength-to-body-weight ratios, inter-limb asymmetries, foot-strike loading patterns, and fatigue-related movement changes, offering a clearer picture of the factors that may influence running efficiency, durability, and injury risk.

We’re launching a new series that brings the insights that Fullscript Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jeff Gladd normally shares only with our internal team—now open to the entire integrative and functional medicine community. This month, Dr. Gladd breaks down three emerging clinical priorities with immediate relevance to whole-person care. He covers why the American College of Cardiology is now recommending high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) for universal cardiovascular screening, how grip strength paired with BMI is outperforming traditional biomarkers in predicting metabolic decline and all-cause mortality risk, and what new evidence tells us about saffron as supportive care for patients experiencing SSRI-related sexual side effects.

This episode features Dr. Neda Gioia, OD, CNS®, IFMCP, a pioneer in integrative eye care who blends optometry, clinical nutrition, and functional medicine to advance preventive vision strategies. Clinicians will learn how gut-eye axis mechanisms, AI-driven oculomics, sex-hormone transitions, and nutrient patterns influence ocular inflammation, retinal biomarkers, and whole-system health. Dr. Gioia illustrates how modern imaging (including emerging AI models), stool and hormone testing, and nutrient evaluation can support earlier identification of risk patterns and more personalized, prevention-forward care for patients across the lifespan.