Ryan Bradley, ND, Breaks Ground as Diabetes and Cardiovascular Expert

Physicians at Bastyr Center for Natural Health are often the type of people who are not satisfied with the status quo. They are interested in discovering more effective treatments for health conditions by drawing parallels that other doctors may miss. Clinical faculty member Ryan Bradley, ND (’03) is exactly this type of physician, having already established himself as a leader in his chosen niche.

Dr. Bradley is committed to pursuing research and treatment approaches for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In fact, he is so interested in these conditions that he has created the Diabetes and Cardiovascular Wellness Program at Bastyr Center. This program has a twofold purpose: It provides patients with integrative treatment, which may include exercise, food and diet recommendations, nutritional supplements, stress reduction and botanical medicines; it also trains Bastyr student clinicians to become experts on both the conventional and natural approaches to managing these conditions.

Although it can seem difficult at first glance to determine how these two conditions are related to each other, Dr. Bradley explains one major thing they have in common: inflammation in the body, specifically in the cardiovascular system. “Most people with diabetes die of heart disease,” he explains. “There is a very strong oxidative stress component with diabetes that stimulates the inflammation pathways.” Dr. Bradley’s passion stems from the fact that he knows that a naturopathic approach works. “I have seen patients get so much better using naturopathic medicine,” says Dr. Bradley. “I believe diabetes and cardiovascular disease are the perfect areas for naturopathic medicine, because nutrition, exercise and botanical medicine are very effective for them.”

Dr. Bradley has also noticed that a standard approach to these conditions often falls short of ideal. “Studies show that 80 percent of diabetes care is delivered by primary care physicians,” explains Bradley, “and that only about 35-40 percent of patients with diabetes and cardiovascular disease receive advice about diet and exercise.”

Find out more about our innovative Diabetes and Cardiovascular Wellness Program or call 206.834.4100 to schedule an appointment.

Author: Sydney Maupin, staff writer
Date: November 2007