Berkson In-Depth
Berkson has a 360-degree unique background that provides her a larger perspective on hormones and health care.
- Berkson has been a peer-review published researcher (with The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Free Radical Biology & Medicine, 2013 May;58:46-51),
- A best-selling author with many thousands of books sold,
- An educator teaching physicians as well as the public,
- A leader in nutritional gastroenterology with her original book Healthy Digestion the Natural Way being presented used to train physicians by the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, the largest training body of integrative MDs reaching 120 countries. This book was one of the first books to highlight the role of the gut in the body, mind, spirit and medicine realms.
- A thought leader in nutritional protocols for clinical practice. Her many books on hormones introduces nutritional endocrinology and that hormones, lean on nutrients, which then lean on digestion and all three levels have to be working optimally for hormonal signaling to be healthy.
- And a formulator and inventor of nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals.
And, most importantly of all, Berkson has been a patient.
Berkson’s mother was prescribed the most powerful estrogenic drug ever manufactured—DES, diethylstilbestrol—when pregnant with Berkson. This drug was given to millions of pregnant women for over 30 years. Secondary to this toxic exposure in the womb, Berkson has had 15 surgeries, lost 7-½ organs and 18 lymph nodes, and has had to battle numerous hormonal illnesses, such as breast cancer.
So besides having an active career in health care, Berkson had to learn how to hack her own health back out of a complex hormonal mess. And she has done so successfully. This gives her a true perspective of illness, and a deep sense of compassion for the patient.
Berkson is now healthier in the second half of her life than she was in the first half. Much of this well-earned health is from learning and applying strategic use of hormonal therapies (like the end metabolite of estrogen, 2-methyoxyestradiol, which has no estrogenic activity but blocks inappropriate “growth out of control”, along with the cutting-edge application of nutritional endocrinology.
- Berkson began her clinical practice in the late 1970’s and her lecture career in training physicians of all modalities at the same time.
- She is recognized as one of the pioneers of functional medicine.
- She has taught, written, and researched the role of nutrition in health care, with an emphasis on digestion, hormones, and female health.
- She is respected for connecting the dots of diverse research as well as participating in original research published in peer review journals.
And she is appreciated for combining “smart” plus “heart.”
- Berkson designed the first natural nutraceutical for menopause, FEM ESTRO, and the first line of natural products for physicians to nutritionally support diverse female conditions, FEM LINE by Metagenics.
- Berkson worked in the first multi-disciplinary clinic in the US—The Center for Orthomolecular Medicine—in Palo Alto, in the early 1980’s.
Berkson emphasizes the “functional” approach to health care.
- This focuses on identifying and addressing the root cause of illness as contrasted to the “allopathic” perspective that often emphasizes medications for symptom management.
- Berkson supports the “integrative” approach—emphasizing collaboration—where doctors work together as a team to help the patient get off meds (if possible), get well, and stay well. Today, it takes a “village” to keep us well.