It’s also why we value knowledgeable experts like Frank Lipman, M.D., an internationally recognized expert in the field of integrative medicine and the author of multiple best-selling books. To help optimize digestion now and always, we asked Dr. Lipman to share his best tips: This includes a good-quality probiotic supplement along with regular intake of fermented foods, such as kimchi, sauerkraut, unsweetened kefir, yogurt, and pickled vegetables. I also recommend prebiotics, which serve as food for the probiotics. These occur naturally in garlic, onions, leeks, jicama, and Jerusalem artichoke, or you can find them in supplement form as well. Another group of common troublemakers is artificial sweeteners and diet soda. If you have not quit these products yet, I’d recommend kicking the habit. Your entire body will thank you, and you’ll enjoy your food a lot more. After his initial medical training in his native South Africa, Lipman spent 18 months working at clinics in the bush. He became familiar with the local traditional healers, called sangomas, which kindled his interest in non-Western healing modalities In 1984, Lipman immigrated to the United States, where he became the chief medical resident at Lincoln Hospital in Bronx, NY. While there, he became fascinated by the hospital’s addiction clinic, which used acupuncture and Chinese medicine making him even more aware of the potential of implementing non-Western medicine to promote holistic wellbeing. He began studying nutrition, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, herbal medicine, functional medicine, biofeedback, meditation, and yoga. Lipman founded the Eleven Eleven Wellness Center in 1992, where he combines the best of Western medicine and cutting edge nutritional science with age-old healing techniques from the East. As his patient, chef Seamus Mullen, told The New York Times, “If antibiotics are right, he’ll try it. If it’s an anti-inflammatory diet, he’ll do that. He’s looking at the body as a system rather than looking at isolated things.” In addition to his practice, he is also an instructor in mbg’s Functional Nutrition Program.
