Michael Sharp MD
Medical Director
Dr. Sharp is a specialist in Functional Medicine, nurturing patients’ health by seeking to understand and address root causes of unwellness. His particular focus is on helping patients with chronic conditions that don’t respond well to conventional drug-based therapies. He was the Medical Director of Plum Spring Clinic for seven years, a member of the faculty of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine for 24 years and is a graduate of Harvard Medical School. Dr. Sharp is a student of nutrition and metabolism, biochemistry, Traditional Chinese Medicine, social support, doctor-patient communication, and spiritual aspects of healing. He draws from all these perspectives to create customized treatment programs that address his patients’ individual health challenges.
Kathleen Williams
Integrative Health Coach
As clinic director of the Plum Spring Clinic, Kathleen oversaw the development of a collaborative and multidisciplinary functional medicine practice. In the process, she engaged her personal journey of healing with the principles of holistic, wellness-based care, and came to believe that medical care at its best supports the healing force innate to each patient. She saw that an approach focused on controlling or eliminating symptoms missed out on the power of the body to both express its needs through symptoms, and to resolve those when provided responsive help.
In 2009 Kathleen trained as lifestyle educator for a program of therapeutic lifestyle change involving food choices, exercise, and wise stress management as the basis for a positive response to health risks. Recently she completed the Duke Integrative Medicine program in Integrative Health Coaching, a process for partnering with clients to design and follow a path to their optimal health. The organizing principle for her work as both lifestyle educator and integrative health coach is that each patient can develop the power to bring about their own robust health and vigor through lifestyle practices over which they have complete control. She provides coaching and structure for patients to envision their optimal health, identify habits that don’t support that vision, and build new ones that do.
Kathleen and Dr. Sharp have seen that as patients really come to understand the power of their choices, the management of cholesterol, blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, excess weight, chronic pain syndromes, mood problems, and other elements of good health, with minimal or no prescription medication, is completely within reach.
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