Evergreen Naturopathic

03/15/2026

Have a listen to our very own Dr. Alycia Policani who was a guest on "What's Right With Healthcare" hosted by. Dr. Laura Fralich, MD.

Podcast Episode · What's Right With Healthcare · March 15 · 42m

03/12/2026

🌟 Now accepting new patients!
Dr. Policani has 3 new patient openings available during the week of the 17th. Please contact our Reception team to express your interest and secure your spot.
Call or text! 509-755-5100.

.AlyciaPolicani

03/11/2026

03/11/2026

Established patients: Dr. Policani has telemedicine appointments available Friday, the 20th. If you've been meaning to schedule, now is a great time as spots are limited. Contact our office to book yours today. Call or text 509-755-5100.
.AlyciaPolicani

03/07/2026

🍃If you've been following along this week, here's the core message:

Persistent symptoms in the setting of normal basic labs are not imaginary.
They may reflect a level of dysfunction that conventional panels simply are not designed to detect, early cardiometabolic shifts, subclinical inflammation, metabolic resistance, immune dysregulation.

The advanced markers we've covered this week — hs-CRP, fasting insulin, ApoB, Lp(a), homocysteine, and ferritin — are not exotic or experimental. They are evidence-informed tools that help us look earlier, more precisely, and more completely.

👉Precision begins with looking more carefully.

If you're tired of being told everything looks fine while you continue to struggle, a comprehensive, naturopathic evaluation may help you find the answers you've been missing.

📖 Read the full article: https://www.evergreennaturopathic.com/blog/advanced-markers-for-cardiometabolic-and-inflammatory-risk

☎ Ready to dig deeper? Call or text 509-755-5100

03/06/2026

The Inflammation-Metabolism Connection 📶

Chronic inflammation and metabolic dysfunction don't exist in isolation — they fuel each other. ⛽

Here's the cycle:
🔁 Inflammation promotes insulin resistance
🔁 Insulin resistance amplifies inflammatory cytokines
🔁 Together, they contribute to endothelial dysfunction, immune dysregulation, and — over time — permissive environments for both vascular disease and tumor progression

This is why an integrative approach to lab interpretation matters so much. When we assess hs-CRP alongside fasting insulin, ApoB, homocysteine, and ferritin together, patterns emerge that no single marker could reveal alone.

Advanced markers don't replace foundational lifestyle medicine. They refine it — helping determine whether a patient's inflammation is primarily metabolic, infectious, toxic, or immune-mediated, or (most commonly) a layered combination of all of these.

📖 Read the full article: https://www.evergreennaturopathic.com/blog/advanced-markers-for-cardiometabolic-and-inflammatory-risk

03/05/2026

Fasting Insulin ⚠The Early Warning Sign Most Doctors Miss

"Your blood sugar looks fine." This is one of the most common things patients hear, right before they're eventually diagnosed with insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes years later.
Here's why: fasting insulin levels can become elevated years before glucose or A1c values rise. By the time those numbers shift, significant metabolic dysfunction may already be underway.

Elevated fasting insulin (hyperinsulinemia) is associated with:
🔹 Endothelial dysfunction
🔹 Increased sympathetic nervous system activity
🔹 Visceral fat accumulation
🔹 Altered IGF-1 signaling — linked to both cardiovascular disease and certain cancers

Catching this early opens the door to targeted interventions that go beyond "eat less, move more." It's about restoring metabolic flexibility and addressing the inflammatory drivers underneath.

📖 Read the full article: https://www.evergreennaturopathic.com/blog/advanced-markers-for-cardiometabolic-and-inflammatory-risk

03/04/2026

hs-CRP 👉 Your Inflammation Fingerprint

Did you know you can have a completely acceptable LDL cholesterol level and still be at significantly elevated risk for heart attack or stroke?

High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP) is one of the most well-validated markers of systemic inflammation and cardiovascular risk. Elevated levels can reflect:
🔹 Adipose-driven inflammation
🔹 Chronic or hidden infection
🔹 Periodontal (gum) disease
🔹 Autoimmune activation
🔹 Environmental exposures

hs-CRP isn't a diagnosis on its own, it's a signal. It tells us there's a pro-inflammatory terrain in the body that deserves further investigation.
If your standard cardiac workup was "normal" but you have persistent symptoms, it may be worth asking about hs-CRP.

📖 Read the full blog post: https://www.evergreennaturopathic.com/blog/advanced-markers-for-cardiometabolic-and-inflammatory-risk

03/04/2026

Homocysteine & Ferritin 🔖Two Markers Worth a Closer Look

Two more markers we routinely assess that often go unchecked in conventional workups:
👉Homocysteine - Elevated homocysteine is linked to endothelial injury, oxidative stress, and increased clotting risk. It can reflect suboptimal methylation, B-vitamin insufficiency, renal impairment, or chronic inflammatory stress. It offers a window into vascular health that standard panels simply don't provide.

👉Ferritin - Most people know ferritin as a measure of iron stores. What's less commonly understood is that ferritin is also an acute-phase reactant, meaning it rises with inflammation, liver dysfunction, metabolic syndrome, and chronic infection. Elevated ferritin needs to be interpreted in context: alongside CRP, transferrin saturation, and the full clinical picture.

Neither of these is a standalone diagnostic. Together with the rest of the panel, they help build a more complete and actionable picture of your health.

📖 Read the full blog post: https://www.evergreennaturopathic.com/blog/advanced-markers-for-cardiometabolic-and-inflammatory-risk

03/04/2026

The Gap Between "Normal" and Well

Your labs came back "normal." So why do you still feel terrible?

Standard laboratory panels are designed to detect overt disease, not early cardiometabolic dysfunction, low-grade systemic inflammation, or immune dysregulation. For patients with complex, chronic symptoms, "normal" labs may simply mean "not yet diagnosable."

This week, we're breaking down the advanced markers we use in practice to look deeper, and why they matter for your long-term health.

Follow along all week as we walk through each marker, what it measures, and what it can reveal that a standard panel misses.

📖 Read the full blog post: https://www.evergreennaturopathic.com/blog/advanced-markers-for-cardiometabolic-and-inflammatory-risk

📅 Interested in scheduling? Call or text > 509-755-5100

02/13/2026

Evergreen Naturopathic🌲 is turning 25 on May 1st🥳
Keep your eyes peeled to see how you can celebrate with us🎉

02/13/2026

⚡ APPOINTMENT ALERT ⚡

Need to be seen soon? Dr. Michael Lehman has acute care openings available:

✓ Tuesday-Friday
✓ 4:30 PM & 5:00 PM

Quick scheduling: Text or call 509-755-5100

Same-week care when you need it most.