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4 Better Health

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Hopkinton, MA
4 Better Health

Add vitality, energy, immunity, & longevity. Reduce burdens & prioritize balance 4 Better Health

Dr Patti Zub has practiced as a medical and Functional Medical MD for over 15 years and studies and teaches Full Spectrum Healing. Lisa Vasile, NP is a Functional Medicine Nurse Practitioner with a Post Master’s Certification in Nutrition and Holistic Health Coaching. Sophia DaRosa-Spillane, NP has 28 years of experience as a nurse and Nurse Practitioner and 10 years working in the Functional Medicine arena
4 Better Health is the 'bridge' filling the black hole between traditional medicine and holistic health helping people to find the pieces to the puzzle for a healthy and vibrant life.

**Social Media Disclaimer**
We welcome and encourage open discussion on 4 Better Health’s social media sites - including but not limited to our blogs, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube pages and online story-sharing forums - and look forward to any comments, stories and experiences you want to share. We make reasonable efforts to monitor participation to ensure that you stay on topic, are courteous and avoid making offensive comments. Please remember that information posted on any of our social media platforms shouldn't be considered medical advice and shouldn't replace a consultation with a health care professional. Be nice to other community members and don’t break any laws, including copyright or intellectual property laws. Click here to read our full social media disclaimerhttps://www.4betterhealthmedicine.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/social-media-disclaimer.pdf

02/22/2026

STORM CLOSING — Monday 2/23
Due to the storm, our office will be closed in person.
The IV infusion suite will be closed and all scheduled appointments will be held via telehealth.

Snowstorm days can either spike stress or become built-in recovery time.
When everything slows down outside, it’s an opportunity to intentionally calm the nervous system, lower inflammatory load, and protect energy and mood.
Cold, darkness, and disrupted routines can elevate cortisol and drive more screen time and comfort eating. Choosing a few peaceful, grounding activities helps shift the body back toward parasympathetic balance.

Step outside briefly for fresh air and daylight if conditions are safe. Even a few minutes supports circadian rhythm and mood.

Gentle movement such as stretching, yoga, or light strength work keeps circulation and lymph moving and reduces winter stiffness.

Warm, protein-rich meals, soups, herbal tea, and electrolytes help maintain blood sugar and hydration.

Consider a low-noise window by turning off news and social media for part of the day to reduce sympathetic overload.

Journaling, reading, puzzles, or quiet creative work allow the brain to downshift.

Connection matters as well; a phone call or shared meal can buffer stress chemistry. Use the evening to wind down early and protect sleep.

Snowstorms force a pause.
Using that pause intentionally can support immune resilience, mood, and overall recovery. Stay safe and warm.

02/16/2026

Whether it’s politics, natural disasters, ICE videos, Epstein files or your friends’ social posts … Your nervous system is feeling it more than you are.
Your body can care deeply about the world without living in a constant state of alarm. Protecting your nervous system isn’t avoidance, it’s how we stay resilient, healthy, clear-headed, and protected.

02/12/2026

Muscle is the only metabolic organ you can actively build and control.

Traditional medicine still focuses on Wt & Ht to calculate BMI. Two metrics that tell us very little about metabolic health, bone health, or longevity.

That’s where a comprehensive body composition scan changes everything.

You can have a “perfect” BMI and still have: high body fat, low muscle, low bone mass and poor or declining metabolic health.

Example 1: Metabolically fragile
BMI: 21.2 and Visceral fat 7 (both optimal)
Skeletal muscle mass 48.9 (low)
Body Fat mass: 37.1 lb
Body fat: 29% (elevated)
Fat-free mass: +8.8 lb needed →significant red flag for low muscle & bone density
Normal weight. Low lean mass. Lower bone density. This pattern is incredibly common. Especially in women. Low bone mass is typically not discovered until a DEXA in the late 50s or 60s… which is far too late.

Example 2: Metabolically excellent
BMI: 25.9 (“overweight” by BMI)- BMI alone would misclassify this person.
Visceral fat 5 (optimal)
Skeletal muscle 76.5 (optimal)
Body fat mass 27.5, Body fat %: 16.8 %, BFM and FFM 0.0 (all optimal)
Fat-free mass (FFM) matters

FFM includes: skeletal muscle, bone mineral, body water, connective tissue. When a scan shows a need for ~9 lb more FFM in someone with normal weight, it often signals: low muscle mass, reduced mechanical load on bone, lower osteoblast (building bone) stimulation and early decline in bone density. Less muscle → less bone stimulation → higher fracture risk over time.

We only build peak bone mass until our 30s. During perimenopause we lose up to 20% of bone density. The steepest drop is typically the 2–3y before the final menstrual period. After menopause, rebuilding is much harder. It is far easier to build muscle and protect bone now than to try to rebuild later.

We recommend yearly body scan starting at 25y more often if working on muscle gain, fat or weight loss. For patients using GLP-1 medications, tracking body composition isn’t optional; it’s essential. These medications can be very effective for weight loss, but studies show that up to ~30–40% of the weight lost can come from lean mass.

✨Call to schedule your InBody scan today✨

02/11/2026

February in New England:
When “getting fresh air” means opening the door, seeing a 5-foot snowbank, and quietly closing it again.

But it’s so beautiful and peaceful ❄️

Current wellness routine includes:
• layering 10 items of clothing just to check the mailbox
• throwing salt and sand like confetti so I don’t wipe out on black ice
• shivering in the car while it warms up for the length of a short documentary
• taking vitamin D like it’s a controlled substance I’m micro-dosing to remember joy
• negotiating with the sun for its annual 11 minutes of scheduled appearance every 3-4days.

We’re all just trying to stay healthy in arctic conditions, on pitch-black roads, with energy reserves that peak somewhere between “make soup” and “take another hot shower instead.”

Honestly, February in New England feels like an unofficial Winter Olympics:
• driveway figure skating (no skates, no grace, high risk)
• competitive snowbank climbing
• speed layering
• synchronized car-defrosting
• and the biathlon: shovel the driveway, then sprint back inside before you find yourself hurrying to undress before your bladder says “nope time to pee” 🙈

Raw salads? Absolutely not.
Meal prep? Only if it involves a crockpot and emotional support carbs.
Exercise? I did shovel my car out and survived the driveway luge, so…counts as a gold medal performance.

Vitamin D status: somewhere between “hibernating bear” and “Victorian child in a foggy novel.”

Reminder: if you’re moving your body, drinking water, taking your vitamin D, and not wiping out on the way to the mailbox—you’re thriving.

Spring is coming. Probably. Maybe. We’ve heard rumors. After it snows again tonight and tomorrow

❄️ ☀️

02/07/2026

What are your beliefs on bone density and osteoporosis?

02/01/2026

✨ New month. Sunday energy. A clean reset.

It’s the 1st of the month and it falls on a Sunday. A rare pause point to reflect before momentum kicks in 🗓️

Ask yourself honestly: What health or personal habit have you been putting off?
What feels heavy or unresolved right now?
Where do you feel stuck tired inflamed overwhelmed unmotivated?

What is one small thing you could start today?
Something realistic enough to carry through the shortest month of the year.

Maybe it’s 10 minutes of walking?
prrhaps more protein or going to bed 20 minutes earlier?? Maybe writing one page or drinking more water?
Maybe a cheduling the appointment you’ve been avoiding or letting go of one thing that’s draining you?

What would you love to add?
What would you love to take away?
(Even if it feels almost too small to matter)

Small actions change physiology and consistency changes outcomes.

Let today be the gentle push that gets you started. Not later. Not Monday. Today 💛

Tell us…What are you starting or what are you finally letting go of?

01/30/2026

Your brain lights up differently when you write by hand and science reveals that handwriting matters.

A Feb 2025 study in Life showed that handwriting engages more brain regions involved in memory, motor control, sensory processing, and learning than typing EVER does. When you form letters by hand, brain connectivity increases across networks that support encoding, retention, and deep processing — something typing and dictation don’t replicate.

That’s not just neat trivia. A study in the Journal of Gerontology found that people who kept personal journals had about a 50% lower risk of later-life dementia compared with those who didn’t write regularly.

And it doesn’t require big time blocks.

Just 10–15 minutes a day with pen and paper can:

• deepen memory encoding and recall

• stimulate widespread neural networks

• reduce stress and boost mood

• support emotional processing

• build cognitive resilience over time

Typing and voice tools are fast and useful — but they don’t give your brain the same multisensory workout. The act of slowing down, of coordinating your eyes, motor skills, and thoughts in real time, is where the neurologic magic happens. When was the last time you wrote something by hand? Does this inspire you to buy a journal and start writing?? ✍️ 🧠

01/26/2026

“Thank you for saving me. I honestly NEVER thought I’d see this day.”

If you have not slept well in months or years, you know this pain: Lying in bed exhausted but wired. Waking at 2 or 3 am with your mind racing. Waking in the morning already depleted, foggy, irritable, and behind before the day even starts.

And perhaps you’ve been told
“It’s normal.” or “it’s part of aging” and “Its the new normal”

Hormone changes are real. But chronic sleep deprivation should not be normalized. Research now clearly shows what women have been living for years: poor sleep accelerates inflammation, worsens insulin resistance, impacts brain health, and increases long-term risk for cognitive decline and cardiometabolic disease. Sleep is not a luxury. It is foundational to longevity.

When sleep is off, everything else starts to unravel: Mood is shorter, Patience is thinner. Thinking feels harder. Motivation to exercise disappears. The immune system feels weaker & overall resilience drops.

We recently had a peri-menopausal patient send us this sleep score picture with the message “Thank you for saving me. I honestly NEVER thought I’d see this day!”

Before working with us, both her P*P and gynecologist told her her symptoms were normal. One offered an antidepressant. She didn’t feel depressed. She felt hormonally depleted and chronically stressed. We looked at her hormones, her stress response, and her nervous system. She had a good life. She also had real, ongoing stress and a physiology that could no longer compensate.

We supported her evening nervous system with magnesium, supported cortisol regulation with Cortisol Manager (this supplement contains ashwagandha, magnolia and phosphatidylserine).
We discussed HRT - she agreed she wanted to trial bio-identical micronized progesterone to support sleep depth and brain calmingand bio-identical estradiol patches to support sleep regulation and hormone balancing.

If you know a peri or postmenopausal woman who is suffering with sleep and being told this is just part of aging, please share this with her. She deserves better care.

01/25/2026

Health Is More Than Numbers. It Is Connection.

At 4 Better Health, we look at labs, data, and patterns every day. They matter. They guide us. They help us support the body. But what we have learned over and over again is that health is not just “normal” labs alone.

Decades of research including the Harvard Study of Adult Development show something beautifully simple. The data revealed the quality of our relationships is one of the strongest predictors of longevity, vitality, and overall well being.

People who feel connected live longer.
People who feel supported heal better.
People who laugh often regulate stress more easily. People who hug and are hugged experience lower inflammation and stronger immune resilience.

We see this in practice every day.
Patients with complex diagnoses who thrive because they feel loved, supported, and seen. Patients with excellent labs who struggle because they are lonely, overwhelmed, or disconnected.

The body responds to safety. The nervous system responds to belonging. Healing happens more fully when we are not doing it alone.

From a functional medicine perspective
connection is powerful medicine
laughter is restorative, friendship is protective, and love supports the heart, the brain, and the immune system

We care deeply about optimizing labs and physiology. And we care just as deeply about helping people build lives filled with meaning, connection, and joy. Because true longevity is not just about living longer. It is about living better.

How does this resonate with you?
Have you seen this be true in your own life or in someone you love?
How might you work on adding more connection in your life?
We’d love to hear your comments below. ⬇️

01/19/2026

Recovering from Flu or a Cold?

Post-viral recovery can linger well beyond the acute infection. Fatigue, brain fog, low exercise tolerance, and autonomic stress are common—even after the fever and body aches resolve.

Last week, we saw a patient who was struggling to rebound to his normal baseline 1 week after suffering from the flu. Despite rest and supportive care, his energy and mental clarity had not returned.

He elected to come in for an Immunity/Recovery Infusion.
• He tracks heart rate and HRV daily using a WHOOP device
• Within 24 hours of the infusion, his recovery metrics returned to baseline
• Subjectively, he reported restored energy, clear cognition, and full symptom resolution

This is a clear example of how targeted nutrient support—when appropriately timed—can help the body complete the recovery phase, not just “get through” the illness.

Immune recovery matters
• Viral infections significantly stress the nervous and immune systems
• Incomplete recovery can prolong inflammation and delay return to normal physiology
• Objective data (like HRV) often confirms what patients feel clinically

If you feel “stuck” after a flu or cold, immune support may help bridge the gap back to full resilience.

01/13/2026

The Nutrition Guidelines Are Changing and It’s About Time
For decades, we were taught to build our diets on grains, avoid fats, and treat protein as an afterthought. That approach has not improved metabolic health, inflammation, or chronic disease rates. In fact, it may be the driver for the current state of health for many.

The new paradigm flips the food pyramid upside down and prioritizes real food.
✨Protein is prioritized- Protein is foundational for muscle, metabolic health, blood sugar stability, hormone signaling, immune function, and healthy aging. We recommend 100g as a minimum, and for those older than 35; we recommend 1.2g of protein per ideal body weight as a minimum to maintain muscle, bone and brain health. As we’ve posted many times; Muscle is a metabolic organ and helps to stabilize blood sugar. More protein - less muscle loss (sarcopenia) as we age. This does NOT mean you will get bulky. Proteins can come from legumes, nuts, seeds, poultry, beef, fish, dairy (if tolerated) and eggs.

✨Healthy fats are back: Fats from whole food sources support brain health, hormones, satiety, and inflammation balance. Fat is not the enemy. They help to support brain health and allow us to optimally absorb fat soluble vitamins.

✨Ultra-processed foods are recognized as harmful: These foods disrupt appetite signaling, gut health, insulin response, blood sugar regulation, blood pressure and long-term metabolic resilience. In the end, reducing vitality and longevity.

✨Added sugars are minimized or removed:
Added sugars drive insulin resistance, inflammation, fatty liver disease, and cardiovascular risk all without providing true nourishment. Sugar also causes energy crashes and brain fog. Beverages and “healthy” yogurts can be the biggest offenders.

✨Whole grains are reduced; Instead of 6–10 servings daily to 2–4 servings, emphasizing quality (work at getting whole grains vs less processed such as pastas, breads, crackers, cereals, etc) and metabolic health.

We have been recommending this type of lower inflammatory, higher nutrient dense and lower glycemic eating for years in our practice. We also pair that with recommending a CGM

01/12/2026

Dairy vs Lactose Why this difference matters

If dairy does not agree with you it is important to know why. Lactose intolerance and dairy sensitivity are not the same thing and they affect the body very differently.

Lactose intolerance:
Lactose is the sugar in milk. About 65% of people worldwide have difficulty digesting it. Symptoms are usually digestive and include gas bloating, cramping and loose stools. A lactase enzyme like Lactaid or choosing lactose free dairy can be very helpful.

Dairy sensitivity:
This is a reaction to dairy proteins such as casein or whey. An estimated 20 to 30% of adults have some level of dairy sensitivity. Symptoms can go beyond digestion and include IBS symptoms, headaches, brain fog, sinus issues, skin flares, joint pain and fatigue. This reflects immune system activation not just digestion.

A broader enzyme like Enzymedica Lacto may help reduce symptoms by supporting digestion of both lactose and dairy proteins.

Important reminder ** Eggs are not dairy.

You do not have to eliminate dairy completely to start feeling better. Many people begin by using enzymes reducing portions or choosing lactose free options. Over time this can calm immune system overactivation and help prevent future inflammation and autoimmune type symptoms.

We offer food allergy and food sensitivity testing and help patients create realistic dairy alternative or dairy modified plans that support long term health.

If dairy might be contributing to how you feel we are here to help you figure it out and build a plan that works for your life.

Address

85 Main Street
Hopkinton, MA
01748

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 4pm
Tuesday	9am - 4pm
Wednesday	9am - 4pm
Thursday	9am - 4pm

Website

http://4betterhealthmedicine.com/

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Our Story

Lisa & Dr Zub are the 'bridge' filling the black hole between traditional medicine and Integrative health. Any and all symptoms are your body’s way of talking to you and we help interpret what it’s telling you. We listen, we educate, we empower our patients 4 Better Health. Dr Patti Zub has practiced as a medical and Functional medicine MD for over 16 years. She also practices and teaches Full Spectrum Healing energy work. Lisa has worked and taught in medicine for over 25 years. She is a Functional Medicine Nurse Practitioner with a Post Master’s Certification in Nutrition, Gluten and Holistic Health Coaching.