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Thrive Carolinas / Blog
Couple embracing under a sunset, symbolizing connection, intimacy, and whole-body wellness

A Valentine’s Aphrodisiac That Lasts: How Whole-Body Health Supports Desire

January 27, 2026
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Blog, Functional and Integrative Medicine, Health, Health Hints, Healthy Eating, Healthy Life, Lifestyle, Nutrition

Valentine’s Day tends to focus on grand gestures, flowers, chocolates, and reservations made weeks in advance. But if we’re honest, romance doesn’t start with what’s on the table. It starts with how you feel in your body. Energy. Mood. Hormonal balance. Confidence. These are the real aphrodisiacs, and February is a perfect time to focus on them. As we head into Valentine’s Day 2026, consider this your reminder: supporting intimacy is really about supporting health. Desire Is a Whole-Body Conversation Libido isn’t controlled by a single switch. It’s influenced by ongoing conversations among hormones, metabolism, stress levels, sleep quality, and nutrition. When one piece is out of sync, chronic stress, poor sleep, blood sugar swings, and nutrient deficiencies often take a back seat. That’s why quick fixes rarely work. Sustainable intimacy comes...

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Colorful Mediterranean meal with olive oil, vegetables, legumes, fish, and whole foods arranged on a shared table.

The New Food Pyramid & the Mediterranean Diet: A Return to Real Food

January 20, 2026
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Blog, Dr NP, Health, Healthy Eating, Healthy Life, Lifestyle, Lifestyle Medicine, Uncategorized

By Nancy A. Palermo, MD The newly released 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines represent one of the most meaningful shifts in federal nutrition policy we’ve seen in decades. For the first time in a long while, national guidance is beginning to align with what science and common sense have been telling us all along: real, whole foods support health, while highly processed foods drive disease. From a Functional Medicine perspective, this change is long overdue. The updated guidelines are illustrated using an upside-down food pyramid, emphasizing whole, nutrient-dense foods at the foundation, particularly protein, healthy fats, and lower-glycemic carbohydrates. While the recommendations are not perfect, they signal an important shift toward prevention, metabolic health, and longevity. At its core, this new pyramid closely mirrors the principles of the Mediterranean diet, one...

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Cozy winter scene with warm tea and journal, symbolizing intention-setting and a fresh start to the new year.

A Fresh Start to 2026: Simple, Mindful Steps Toward a Healthier You

December 30, 2025
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Blog, Health Hints, Healthy Life, Lifestyle

The holidays have come and gone, the celebrations, travel, rich meals, disrupted routines, and joyful chaos of November and December are officially behind us. As we enter 2026, many of us are craving a reset: more structure, clearer intention, steadier energy, and a return to habits that actually help us feel our best. January is a natural invitation to pause, reflect, and realign. Not with drastic resolutions or unsustainable rules, but with small, meaningful shifts that support both body and mind as we step into a new year. Here’s how to begin your 2026 feeling grounded, nourished, and in control again. Step 1: Release the Pressure: Perfection Isn’t the Goal After weeks of holiday indulgence, it’s tempting to swing hard in the opposite direction. But extreme restriction is a...

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Finding a Functional Medicine Practitioner

November 4, 2025
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Blog, Dr NP, Functional and Integrative Medicine, Health Hints, Healthy Life, Lifestyle, Lifestyle Medicine, Nancy's articles, Uncategorized

By Nancy A. Palermo, MD Why Now is the Best Time for Functional Medicine Recent studies show a growing dissatisfaction with the conventional healthcare experience. In fact, trust in physicians has dropped from 71% to just 40% as of early 2024. Many patients are seeking a different kind of care, one that prioritizes empathy, collaboration, and prevention over prescriptions and procedures. This shift has led to rising interest in Functional Medicine, an approach that examines the root causes of illness and emphasizes long-term wellness rather than just symptom management. [mkdf_button size="" type="" text="Learn More About Our Functional Medicine Program" custom_class="" icon_pack="font_awesome" fa_icon="" link="https://thrivecarolinas.com/functional_intergrative_medicine/" target="_self" color="" hover_color="" background_color="" hover_background_color="" border_color="" hover_border_color="" font_size="" font_weight="" margin=""] What Is Functional Medicine? Functional Medicine is a patient-centered, systems-based model that views the body as an integrated whole. Practitioners focus on...

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Nancy talks about the benefits of limiting processed foods in your diet

Elevating Everyday Meals to Optimize Health

October 28, 2025
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Blog, Dr NP, Healthy Eating, Healthy Life, Lifestyle, Lifestyle Medicine

By Nancy A. Palermo, MD Many Americans fall into a routine when it comes to cooking. We make the same few meals each week, often relying on chicken and salad, and wonder why we’re uninspired or tempted by takeout. Unfortunately, this complacency in the kitchen often mirrors the decline in our overall health. Eating out may feel easier, but it often comes with hidden costs: excess calories, sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats, along with a lack of nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables. Finding joy and creativity in your home cooking not only saves your health, but it can also reshape your waistline and your microbiome. Why Variety Matters Research shows that rotating foods and eating a wider variety of plant ingredients helps cultivate diverse gut bacteria, a key factor in...

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Building Better Bones: Understanding Osteoporosis and the Science Behind Strong Bones

October 7, 2025
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Blog, Functional and Integrative Medicine, Healthy Life, Lifestyle, Lifestyle Medicine

The Silent Epidemic of Bone Loss Osteoporosis affects over 10 million Americans, and another 44 million are at risk due to declining bone density. Women account for more than 80% of those affected, primarily due to hormonal changes during menopause. Every year, this disease causes 2 million fractures and costs the U.S. nearly $19 billion. But the true impact is personal: fractures, reduced mobility, and diminished quality of life. [mkdf_button size="" type="" text="Motivation: The Osteoporosis Solution: Integrating Eastern & Western Medicine" custom_class="" icon_pack="font_awesome" fa_icon="" link="https://thrivecarolinas.com/motivation-the-osteoporosis-solution-integrating-eastern-western-medicine/" target="_self" color="" hover_color="" background_color="" hover_background_color="" border_color="" hover_border_color="" font_size="" font_weight="" margin=""] Bone Is Alive and Always Changing Contrary to popular belief, bone is not a rigid structure; it’s a living, vascular, and dynamic tissue that constantly breaks down and rebuilds itself. Think of it like a financial...

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Yoga & Learn September: Non-Negotiable Habits for Longevity

September 2, 2025
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Blog, Dr NP, Exercise, Health Hints, Healthy Life, Lifestyle, Lifestyle Medicine, Yoga

By Nancy A. Palermo, MD Edited by Thrive Carolinas When it comes to longevity, the latest biotech buzzwords, telomeres, senolytics, miracle pills, and Silicon Valley “hacks” can be tempting distractions. But the truth is simple: the fundamentals matter most. Research consistently shows that practicing core habits every day, such as regular movement, adequate rest, whole foods, and meaningful connections, can add 7–10 years of healthy life. Healthspan and lifespan don’t come from shortcuts. They grow from small, consistent actions. Why Fundamentals Beat Fads The global wellness industry is now a $4.2 trillion market, growing nearly twice as fast as the global economy. Yet, as a population, we aren’t getting healthier; we’re getting more confused, overwhelmed, and frustrated. Each week brings a new “best” diet or lifestyle trend. With so many competing voices,...

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Boosting Your Brain with Creatine

August 19, 2025
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Blog, Dr AF-Functional Medicine, Functional and Integrative Medicine, Health Hints, Healthy Life, Lifestyle, Lifestyle Medicine

Written by: Dr. Amy Fletcher Edited by: Thrive Carolinas At Thrive, one of the most common questions we hear is: “What supplements should I take to support both brain and body health?” While nothing replaces the foundations of wellness, nutritious food, exercise, sleep, and stress management, research is shining a spotlight on creatine as a powerful addition to your routine. Once known mainly as a performance booster for athletes in the 1980s, creatine is now being recognized for its potential to enhance cognitive function, mental clarity, and long-term brain health. What Is Creatine? Creatine is a naturally occurring compound that helps your cells make and recycle ATP the body’s main energy source. In the brain, this is especially important when demands on focus, memory, or problem-solving run high. Beyond energy production,...

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Why 10,000 Steps a Day Isn’t the Magic Number

August 4, 2025
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Blog, Dr NP, Exercise, Fitness, Group Fitness, Health, Health Hints, Healthy Life, Lifestyle, Lifestyle Medicine

By Nancy A. Palermo, MD You’ve probably heard the popular health advice: “Get 10,000 steps a day.” But is this daily step goal rooted in science? The Origin of the 10,000-Step Myth Surprisingly, the 10,000-step recommendation didn’t come from medical research; it originated from a Japanese pedometer marketing campaign in the 1960s. Since then, it’s been widely adopted by health apps, fitness trackers, and wellness guidelines—despite lacking clinical evidence. What the Research Really Says A 2023 meta-analysis published in The Lancet reviewed multiple studies from 2014 onward, analyzing the impact of daily step counts on chronic health conditions. The researchers found that significant health benefits occur at much lower step counts than 10,000. In fact, just 7,000 steps per day was associated with the following risk reductions (compared to 2,000 steps/day): ...

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Functional Medicine: The Future of Healthcare Transformation

June 3, 2025
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Blog, Dr NP, Functional and Integrative Medicine, Healthy Life, Lifestyle Medicine, Nancy's articles, Traditional Medical Care

By Dr. Nancy A. Palermo This year’s International Conference for the Institute of Functional Medicine (IFM) brought together over 1,500 forward-thinking healthcare professionals from around the world, all focused on a powerful theme: Transformation. As someone deeply committed to the principles of Functional Medicine, I was inspired by the conversations and research presented, ranging from AI in healthcare and cognitive decline reversal to regenerative agriculture, mitochondrial health, and muscle-centric medicine. These topics share a common goal: to redefine the way we approach health and healing. Why Functional Medicine Matters Now More Than Ever The data is overwhelming—new medical research is doubling every 76 days, yet conventional medicine continues to fall behind. Despite spending 17–30% of our GDP on healthcare, the U.S. ranks among the sickest nations in the developed...

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THRIVE is a collaborative platform of conventional, integrative, & functional medicine practitioners coming together in one setting to provide personalized healthcare to clients.


Mon - Th 8a - 5p, Fr 8a - 4p, Sa 10a - 1p, Su Closed

(704)-390-7150

6401 Carnegie Blvd, Suite 2A, Charlotte, NC 28211

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