This week Debbie talks with Mark Drangsholt, a triathlete and the Chairman of the Department of Oral Medicine at the University of Washington. Mark started racing in dental school, but he stopped when he and his wife had a family. Not long after he was told that he had high blood pressure, and that he needed to start training again.

He lost the weight he’d gained while he wasn’t racing, but he developed an atrial fibrilation. In trying to manage this condition, Mark started getting tested for a variety of conditions. Through testing, he developed an understanding of how he should be eating and training. He’s also recognized that diet needs to be impacted by genetics.

In the past couple of years, Mark has been a participant in the Arivale program, which uses extensive laboratory testing. They collect the data that they will need, and then assign you a coach to make sure you understand what their data indicates about how you should be eating and exercising. The Powerpoint presentation by Mark that he and Debbie discuss is available here.

Because of her recent experiences with adrenal fatigue, Debbie recognizes the importance of laboratory testing for health. As she notes, you might be at top form as an athlete, and feeling great, but underlying problems are just waiting to come to the surface.

You can get lab testing and a consultation with Christopher Kelly at Nourish, Balance, Thrive to make sure that what you’re eating and how you are training is appropriate for you. Enter the code “shutthefrontdoor” for a discount.

Mark Drangsholt D.D.S., M.P.H., Ph.D., is Professor and Chair of the Department of Oral Medicine, School of Dentistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.  Dr. Drangsholt graduated with honors from University of Washington School of Dentistry in 1984, completed a residency at Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago in 1985, and began a private dental practice in Kent, WA, which he continued half to full time for 10 years.  He subsequently completed an MPH in Epidemiology in 1992, a residency in Graduate Oral Medicine in 1995, and a PhD in Epidemiology in 2004, all from the University of Washington.  For the past 20 years, he has provided patient care in the Oral Medicine Clinical Service and now at the Center for Pain Relief, both at the University of Washington.  His clinical practice focuses on the diagnosis and management of orofacial pain, oral mucosal lesions, and other oral-facial disorders.  He is the secretary and a director of the American Board of Oral Medicine, author of over 80 peer-reviewed scientific articles, 10 book chapters, over 120 published abstracts and has given over 130 presentations worldwide. His current research projects include developing new methods to diagnose orofacial conditions, developing “N of 1” research methodologies to evaluate health and wellness, and applying epidemiologic methods to pain and other health problems.