LifeTime WeightLoss

Jim Lavalle, R.PH., C.C.N., M.S.

James LaValle, is a nationally recognized clinical pharmacist, author, board certified clinical nutritionist, naturopathic doctorate, founder of LaValle Metabolic Institute, an interdisciplinary medicine facility in Cincinnati where he has served thousands of patients using his metabolic model for health. He also founded Integrative Health Resources 15 years ago, which is focused as a natural products industry consulting company. James has 27 years experience integrating natural therapies into various medical and business models. James is probably best known for his expertise in natural therapeutics application and drug/nutrient depletion issues and uncovering the underlying metabolic issues that keep people from feeling healthy and vital. As such he has written hundreds of articles for a variety of industry journals and publications, and has lectured for thousands of healthcare professionals and consumer audiences globally on these topics. He was a founding author of the NHI on Demand database and spearheaded the Lexi Comp databases relating to natural therapeutics.

He is author of 16 e books and 17 books including, Cracking the Metabolic Code, Smart Medicine for Healthier Living, Nutritional Cost of Drugs, The Cox 2 Connection, and the soon to be released book “Your Blood Doesn’t Lie”. He was named one of the “50 Most Influential Pharmacists” by American Druggist magazine and was one of only nine Americans selected to participate in the inaugural Dietary Supplement Education Alliance & Dietary Supplement Information Bureau. LaValle served as the nutrition correspondent for Body Shaping, the number one fitness show on ESPN II in the late 1990’s. Jim is a favorite interviewee for the media related to natural care, as he has done well over 500 media appearances in T.V. and radio.

LaValle also served as an adjunct associate professor at Cincinnati College of Pharmacy for over 14 years and currently serves as Adjunct Professor in Metabolic Medicine at the University of South Florida Medical School. He currently is an instructor for the Fellowship for Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine Fellowship, which trains physicians and other health care professionals on the application of natural therapies into their contemporary practices.

Industry Highlights include: Most recently in 2010, his company IHR entered into a venture with Life Time Fitness, the largest publicly traded fitness company in the US (NASDAQ: LTM), providing nutrition and metabolism expertise and developing Life Time’s national nutrition education, protocol design and product development initiatives related to weight loss and prevention. This entails educating close to 2000 fitness trainers, 100 dieticians and reaching some 1.2 million Life Time fitness members. Another recent development is the IHR joint venture with Thorne Research to launch Health Elements, with the goal to provide information and education platforms to health care provider specialty groups and consumers to enhance education, compliance and health outcomes related to natural products. This project is estimated to reach over a million consumers through their health care networks.

Andrew Heyman, MD, MHSA

Dr. Heyman, 36, is on faculty at the University of Michigan Department of Family Medicine as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Integrative Medicine. He was instrumental in the creation of the Program in Integrative Medicine at the University of Michigan in 1998, responsible for overseeing research trials, clinic design and implementation, and medical student and resident education. The Program is considered a premier program of integrative medicine in an academic medical setting. He is very involved nationally and is the national clinical chair for the Consortium. His research interests include health outcomes measures for integrative therapies, Chinese medicine, and whole-systems evaluation. Andy also is owner of the Virginia Health and Wellness Center in Aldi, VA. He first became involved in integrative medicine through receiving formal training in Five Element Shiatsu from the Meridian Institute in Pennsylvania 20 years ago. His early work also included collaborating with Jim Gordon, MD, at the Center for Mind- Body Medicine in Washington DC exploring the intersection between public health, at risk groups, and alternative therapies. Dr. Heyman eventually went on to receive a Masters in Health Services Administration (MHSA) at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and, upon graduation, became the administrator for the University of Michigan Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research Center. He received his MD from the University of Michigan Medical School, and was the first resident to complete a combined family medicine and Integrative/Functional Medicine residency through the Department of Family Medicine. Dr. Heyman has been an invited speaker around the country on integrative medical topics, notably to the CDC, Martha Stewart Living Magazine, Natural Health Magazine, newspapers, Health Minutes, and other media. He is also on faculty in the nationally recognized Anti-Aging Fellowship, teaching physicians the business related aspects of integrative medicine.