Dr. Josh Shields

Dr. Josh Shields Integrative Wellness Centers, located at 38777 Six Mile Road Suite 401, is Michigan's premier functional and naturopathic health destination.
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TRANSFORMATION → through Better Thoughts | Better Behaviors | Better Biology
Helping you heal from the inside out by addressing the root cause through a systems-based approach. Our expert team of holistic health professionals offers personalized care to help you achieve optimal wellness by addressing the root causes of your health concerns. As a leading wellness center near you, we specialize in integrative approaches that blend the best of conventional and natural medicine. Discover how our holistic health center can support your journey towards renewed vitality and well-being. Experience the difference with Michigan's best in functional medicine and start your path to healthier living today.

The "you ate too much fat" explanation for gallstones is one of the most persistently repeated medical myths — and it le...
03/06/2026

The "you ate too much fat" explanation for gallstones is one of the most persistently repeated medical myths — and it leads to harmful dietary advice.

Here's the physiology: bile is produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. Bile salts are the molecules that keep cholesterol dissolved in bile. When bile salt concentration drops relative to cholesterol, bile becomes supersaturated, cholesterol crystallizes, and stones form.

The irony: low-fat diets are a documented risk factor for gallstones. When dietary fat is absent, there's no stimulus for gallbladder contraction. Bile sits stagnant. Sludge forms first. Stones follow.

Birth control pills and synthetic estrogens increase biliary cholesterol excretion while reducing bile salt synthesis — a dual mechanism explaining the elevated gallstone risk in women on hormonal contraceptives.

Cortisol impairs bile acid synthesis directly. Chronic stress chronically suppresses bile flow. This is almost never discussed in standard gallbladder conversations.

Gut health matters significantly: intestinal bacteria in the terminal ileum recycle bile salts back to the liver. Dysbiosis and ileal dysfunction impair this recycling, reducing the total bile salt pool.

Supporting bile health: eat fat with meals to stimulate bile secretion, include bitter greens and beets, consider taurine and ox bile therapeutically if bile production is already compromised, and address gut dysbiosis.

Struggling with digestive issues, bloating, or hormonal imbalances? Get my Free Balance Toolkit — comment BALANCE.

Research: Portincasa P, et al. "Cholesterol gallstone disease." Lancet. 2006;368(9531):230-239. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(06)69044-2

This isn't anti-birth control. This is pro-informed consent.Most women are put on the pill as teenagers for acne, cramps...
03/06/2026

This isn't anti-birth control. This is pro-informed consent.

Most women are put on the pill as teenagers for acne, cramps, or irregular periods. They're told it will "regulate" their hormones. That's not what happens.

The pill shuts down your hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis. You stop ovulating. Your body stops producing its own estrogen and progesterone. The "period" you get on the pill isn't a real period — it's a withdrawal bleed from the synthetic hormones.

Meanwhile, the pill depletes critical nutrients — B6, B12, folate, zinc, magnesium, selenium, vitamin C, and vitamin E. These are the same nutrients your body needs for hormone production, methylation, immune function, and neurotransmitter synthesis.

It increases SHBG, which binds up free testosterone — often permanently elevated even years after stopping. This is why women come off the pill with no libido, flat mood, and difficulty building muscle.

And it disrupts the gut microbiome, which can trigger histamine intolerance, autoimmune conditions, and estrogen metabolism problems downstream.

The original problem — acne, painful periods, irregular cycles — was never actually treated. It was masked. And now there are additional problems layered on top.
You deserve to know what's actually happening in your body.

Struggling with balancing your hormones? Get my Free Balance Toolkit — comment BALANCE.

Research: Palmery M, et al. "Oral contraceptives and changes in nutritional requirements." Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2013;17(13):1804-13.

Read that again.No single medication on earth can improve energy, sleep, digestion, brain function, mood, AND reduce inf...
03/05/2026

Read that again.

No single medication on earth can improve energy, sleep, digestion, brain function, mood, AND reduce inflammation simultaneously. Because medications target ONE pathway.

But when you address the ROOT CAUSES — nervous system dysregulation, gut dysfunction, nutrient deficiencies, hormone imbalance, and toxic burden — the entire system responds.

These aren't cherry-picked success stories. These are 50 randomly selected patients from our practice who had been under care for an average of five months.
98% improved overall health. Not 50%. Not 70%. Ninety-eight percent.

Why? Because we don't guess. We test comprehensively — gut microbiome analysis, advanced hormone panels, nutrient status, inflammatory markers, toxicity assessments — and then we address what we find. Systematically. All five pillars. Together.

The medical model treats disease. We address dis-ease — the biological dysfunction happening BEFORE a diagnosis. And when you catch it there, the body has an incredible capacity to heal.

If you're tired of being told you're "fine" while feeling terrible — there's another way.

Struggling with fatigue, achiness, troubles sleeping, brain fog, hormonal swings or mood changes? Get my Free Balance Toolkit — comment BALANCE.

Your immune system didn't just randomly decide to attack you.In 2011, Dr. Alessio Fasano published landmark research ide...
03/04/2026

Your immune system didn't just randomly decide to attack you.

In 2011, Dr. Alessio Fasano published landmark research identifying the three factors required for autoimmune disease to develop: genetic susceptibility, an environmental trigger, and increased intestinal permeability.

The key insight? You can have the genes and the trigger — but without gut dysfunction in the form of leaky gut, overabundance of bad bacteria (dysbiosis) or a deficiency of good bacteria, autoimmune disease doesn't cause as much chaos. And here's what makes this revolutionary: gut health IS modifiable.

When your gut lining breaks down — from stress, infections, gluten, medications, toxins — large proteins, bacterial fragments, and toxins enter your bloodstream. Your immune system, seeing these foreign invaders, goes into attack mode. If those foreign proteins resemble your own tissues (molecular mimicry), your immune system starts attacking YOU.

Hashimoto's. Rheumatoid arthritis. Lupus. MS. Type 1 diabetes. Celiac. The common thread is poor gut health and intestinal permeability.

Yet conventional rheumatology rarely investigates gut health. They go straight to immunosuppressants — shutting down the immune response without asking what's DRIVING it.

What if you could calm the autoimmune attack by healing the gut barrier, removing the environmental triggers, and reducing the immune stimulus?

This is what we do.

Struggling to regulate your immune system? Get my Free Balance Toolkit — comment BALANCE.

Research: Fasano A. "Leaky gut and autoimmune diseases." Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2012;42(1):71-78. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12016-011-8291-x

You're eating 1200 calories. Exercising 5 days a week. And the scale won't budge. Or worse — it's going UP.You're not br...
03/04/2026

You're eating 1200 calories. Exercising 5 days a week. And the scale won't budge. Or worse — it's going UP.

You're not broken. Your metabolism is doing exactly what it's designed to do when it detects danger.

Your body doesn't distinguish between a bear chasing you and chronic stress, gut infections, mold exposure, or blood sugar instability. All of it registers as THREAT. And when your body perceives threat, it does the opposite of what you want: it slows metabolism, increases fat storage (especially belly fat), and ramps up hunger hormones.

This is adaptive physiology. Your body is trying to SURVIVE — and in survival mode, releasing stored energy (fat) is the last thing it wants to do.

Cutting more calories makes it WORSE. Your body reads caloric restriction during a perceived threat as famine — and doubles down on conservation. This is why women who chronically under-eat gain weight, lose muscle, and crash their thyroid function.

The solution isn't eating less and exercising more. The solution is removing the THREATS so your body shifts from survival mode to growth and repair mode. That means healing the gut, reducing toxic burden, stabilizing blood sugar, regulating the nervous system, and correcting nutrient deficiencies.

When your body feels safe, it lets go of fat effortlessly.

Struggling to find balance? Get my Free Balance Toolkit — comment BALANCE.

Research: Tomiyama AJ. "Stress and dieting." Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2019;108:103-114.

If I could only recommend ONE supplement to every patient, it would be magnesium. And it's not even close.Magnesium is a...
03/03/2026

If I could only recommend ONE supplement to every patient, it would be magnesium. And it's not even close.

Magnesium is a cofactor in over 300 enzymatic reactions in your body. It's essential for energy production, nervous system regulation, muscle relaxation, blood sugar management, blood pressure control, and hormone production. When it's deficient, EVERYTHING suffers.

The problem? Standard serum magnesium tests only measure the 1% that circulates in blood. Your body tightly regulates serum levels — pulling from bones and tissues to keep blood levels stable. By the time serum magnesium drops below range, you're severely depleted at the cellular level.

This means millions of people with "normal" magnesium bloodwork are functionally deficient. They're being given anxiety meds for what is actually magnesium deficiency. Sleep meds for magnesium deficiency. Muscle relaxants for magnesium deficiency. Blood pressure medication for magnesium deficiency.

And modern agriculture has depleted soil magnesium by nearly 40% over the past century — so even a "healthy" diet may not provide enough.

The form matters too. Magnesium glycinate for anxiety and sleep. Magnesium threonate for brain fog and cognition. Magnesium citrate for constipation. Not magnesium oxide — which your body barely absorbs.

Looking to optimize your health? Get my Free Balance Toolkit — comment BALANCE.

Research: DiNicolantonio JJ, et al. "Subclinical magnesium deficiency: a principal driver of cardiovascular disease." Open Heart. 2018;5(1):e000668.

https://doi.org/10.1136/openhrt-2017-000668

You've been sick for years. Every test is "normal." Nobody can figure it out.Have you ever considered mold?Approximately...
03/03/2026

You've been sick for years. Every test is "normal." Nobody can figure it out.
Have you ever considered mold?

Approximately 25% of the population carries HLA-DR genes that make them unable to properly identify and clear mycotoxins — the toxic metabolites produced by mold. For these people, mold exposure doesn't just cause sneezing. It triggers a full-body inflammatory response that can mimic virtually every chronic illness.

Mycotoxins are immunosuppressive, neurotoxic, and endocrine-disrupting. They damage mitochondria, trigger mast cell activation, increase intestinal permeability, and drive chronic inflammation. And because conventional testing doesn't look for mycotoxins, these patients get diagnosed with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, anxiety, IBS, and autoimmune conditions — without ever identifying the CAUSE.

Here's what makes this insidious: you don't need to see mold to be exposed.

Water-damaged buildings — including your home, your office, your car — can harbor mold behind walls, under flooring, and in HVAC systems. The exposure is invisible but the damage is real.

If you've been sick with no explanation, multiple chemical sensitivities, histamine reactions, and you feel worse in certain buildings — this deserves investigation.

Struggling with fatigue, achiness, troubles sleeping, brain fog, hormonal swings or mood changes? Get my Free Balance Toolkit — comment BALANCE.

Research: Shoemaker RC, House DE. "Sick building syndrome and exposure to water-damaged buildings." Neurotoxicol Teratol. 2006;28(5):573-88.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ntt.2006.07.003

Vitamin D is the most misunderstood molecule in medicine.It's not a vitamin. It's a secosteroid hormone that regulates o...
03/02/2026

Vitamin D is the most misunderstood molecule in medicine.

It's not a vitamin. It's a secosteroid hormone that regulates over 200 genes in your body. It controls immune function, modulates inflammation, supports neurotransmitter production, influences insulin sensitivity, and directly impacts thyroid and s*x hormone pathways.

Research links vitamin D deficiency to autoimmune disease, depression, cardiovascular disease, cancer risk, chronic pain, and metabolic dysfunction. Yet most conventional doctors don't test it. And when they do, they consider 30 ng/mL "sufficient."

Functional research shows the sweet spot is 60-80 ng/mL. Below 40, immune dysregulation begins. Below 30, autoimmune risk escalates significantly.

Here's what makes it worse: if you're overweight, vitamin D gets sequestered in fat tissue — making it unavailable to your cells. If your gut is inflamed, you absorb it poorly. If you're magnesium deficient, you can't convert it to its active form.

So taking a vitamin D supplement without addressing absorption, magnesium status, and body composition is like pouring water into a bucket with holes.

We test. We optimize. We make sure the cofactors are in place for it to actually work.

Want to learn more about how to balance your body and create optimal health? Comment BALANCE for my free toolkit.

Research: Aranow C. "Vitamin D and the immune system." J Investig Med. 2011;59(6):881-886.

https://doi.org/10.2310/JIM.0b013e31821b8755

You've been on Synthroid or levothyroxine for years. Your TSH looks "better." But you still feel exhausted, foggy, cold,...
03/02/2026

You've been on Synthroid or levothyroxine for years. Your TSH looks "better." But you still feel exhausted, foggy, cold, and gaining weight.

Sound familiar? Here's what your doctor isn't telling you.

Levothyroxine is T4 — the INACTIVE form of thyroid hormone. Your body must convert it to T3 — the ACTIVE form — for it to actually work. This conversion happens primarily in your liver and gut. And it requires selenium, zinc, iron, and adequate cortisol to function properly.

If any of these are missing — and for most chronically ill people, multiple are missing — you're taking a medication that your body can't properly activate. Your TSH may normalize because the pituitary sees T4 in the blood, but your cells are still starving for T3.

This is why you feel terrible despite "normal" labs.

Worse: chronic inflammation increases Reverse T3 — which blocks T3 from entering your cells. You could have adequate T3 in your blood but it's being locked out of your tissues.

The answer isn't increasing your dose. It's investigating WHY the conversion is failing and fixing those upstream problems.

Struggling with thyroid issues? Get my Free Balance Toolkit — comment BALANCE.

Research: Bianco AC, Kim BW. "Deiodinases: implications of the local control of thyroid hormone action." J Clin Invest. 2006;116(10):2571-2579.

https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI29812

Want to know the fastest way to destroy your hormones? Ride the blood sugar roller coaster.Every time your blood sugar c...
03/01/2026

Want to know the fastest way to destroy your hormones? Ride the blood sugar roller coaster.

Every time your blood sugar crashes — from skipping meals, eating high-carb without protein, or running on coffee — your body triggers cortisol and adrenaline to bring glucose back up. That's an emergency stress response happening multiple times per DAY.

Over time, this chronic cortisol output steals pregnenolone from progesterone and testosterone production. Insulin surges drive your ovaries to produce excess androgens (hello, PCOS). Inflammation from blood sugar swings disrupts thyroid conversion. And your liver gets so busy managing glucose that estrogen metabolism falls behind.

This is why the woman eating salads and skipping breakfast can't lose weight, has terrible PMS, and feels anxious by 3pm. Her blood sugar is crashing, her cortisol is surging, and her hormones are paying the price.

The fix is foundational: protein and fat at every meal. 30+ grams of protein. Stop eating naked carbs. Stop fasting if your body isn't metabolically stable enough to handle it.

This isn't a diet tip. It's hormone therapy through nutrition.

Struggling with fatigue, thyroid issues, troubles sleeping, brain fog, hormonal swings or mood changes? Get my Free Balance Toolkit — comment BALANCE.

Research: Ranabir S, Reetu K. "Stress and hormones." Indian J Endocrinol Metab. 2011;15(1):18-22. https://doi.org/10.4103/2230-8210.77573

Nobody talks about testosterone in women. And it's a massive blind spot.Women produce testosterone in their ovaries and ...
03/01/2026

Nobody talks about testosterone in women. And it's a massive blind spot.

Women produce testosterone in their ovaries and adrenal glands. Not as much as men — but it's absolutely critical for energy, mood, motivation, muscle maintenance, bone density, and yes — libido.

Here's the problem: testosterone in women starts declining around age 30. By the time you hit 40, you may have lost 50% of your peak levels. And nobody is checking.

Birth control pills are one of the biggest testosterone killers. The pill increases s*x hormone binding globulin (SHBG), which binds up free testosterone and makes it unavailable. Women come off the pill after years and wonder why they feel flat, unmotivated, and have zero s*x drive. This is why.

Chronic stress does the same thing through the pregnenolone steal — your body diverts resources to cortisol instead of testosterone. Poor sleep tanks it further. And zinc deficiency — incredibly common — directly impairs testosterone production.
If you're a woman feeling like you've lost your edge, your drive, your spark — this might be the missing piece no one thought to look for.
The answer isn't "just get more rest." It's test, identify, and address the root cause.
Struggling with fatigue, joint pain, insomnia, brain fog, hormonal issues or mood swings? Get my Free Balance Toolkit — comment BALANCE.

Research: Davis SR, Wahlin-Jacobsen S. "Testosterone in women." J S*x Med. 2015;12(8):1667-77. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsm.12898

Your brain fog isn't because you're "getting older."It's because your gut is on fire — and the flames are reaching your ...
02/28/2026

Your brain fog isn't because you're "getting older."

It's because your gut is on fire — and the flames are reaching your brain.

Here's the mechanism most doctors never explain: your gut lining and your blood-brain barrier are made of similar tight junction proteins. When the gut lining becomes permeable (leaky gut), the same inflammatory cascade that damages your intestinal wall also degrades your blood-brain barrier.

Now bacterial endotoxins (lipopolysaccharides), undigested food particles, and inflammatory cytokines that should NEVER reach your brain are crossing freely. Your microglia — the immune cells of your brain — activate. Neuroinflammation begins.

This is the gut-brain axis in action. Not a theory. Published, peer-reviewed science.
The result? Brain fog. Anxiety. Depression. Memory issues. Poor concentration.

And it all started with gut permeability that no one tested for or addressed.

You can take all the nootropics and brain supplements you want. If your gut is permeable and driving systemic inflammation, your brain will stay inflamed.
Heal the gut. Calm the immune system. The brain clears.

This is what we investigate and treat.

Struggling with anxiety, insomnia, brain fog or mood swings? Get my Free Balance Toolkit — comment BALANCE.

Research: Obrenovich MEM. "Leaky Gut, Leaky Brain?" Microorganisms. 2018;6(4):107. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms6040107

Address

38777 Six Mile Road, Suite 401
Livonia, MI
48152

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 12pm
2pm - 6pm
Tuesday 2pm - 6pm
Wednesday 9am - 12pm
2pm - 6pm
Thursday 9am - 12pm
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Welcome To Integrative Wellness Centers

We believe your body is an interconnected system that works in harmony to create health. Therefore, we don’t treat your individual symptoms or use medications to cover up your symptoms. Instead, we use a patient-centered Whole Systems Approach, called Functional Medicine, that uncovers and treats the root cause of your symptoms to restore harmony and balance to your health.

Whether you want to live your life to the highest potential or need to take back control over your health, we are here to help. If traditional medicine has let you down and you’re frustrated, you have found your answer. We have helped over a thousand patients get well. Are you going to be the next one?

Click the following link to request an appointment or to learn more: https://www.iwcenters.com/request-for-a-consultation/