To book an appointment with Dr. Lafferty, please call the Wellness and Integrative Practices Clinic at 954-262-4550 and press 0.
Rural Beginnings
I grew up in a small town outside of Buffalo, New York. Surrounded by farms and a vast terrain, the air was always clean, the water pristine, and everything was farm to table. My grandmother owned 150-acre farm, while my Italian grandparents, who lived in the next town always had a beautiful garden. In the 1960s, the term “organic” was unnecessary, as most family farms, including hers, abstained from chemical pesticides and fertilizers.
Her agricultural practices, now recognized as permaculture, involved cultivating plants strategically to encourage mutual support. Research shows, plants and trees communicate through chemical messengers to aid each other. She skillfully planted deterrents for unwanted bugs and paired deep-rooted plants with shallow-rooted ones to ensure water supply during droughts. Her farm relied on a deep well with clean water, supported by an innovative irrigation system.
Despite the technological advancements, my grandmother shunned electricity, even when my father, a prominent electrical engineer, attempted to introduce it. Her intuitive stance aligns with modern findings we explore at the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, highlighting individuals intolerant to electric lines and wireless EMF.
Grandmother shared her wisdom during walks in the woods, introducing us to herbal wildflowers and mushrooms — a practice known as forest bathing or Shinrin-yoku, proven to reduce stress chemicals in the body. Unbeknownst to me then, the beauty of turkey tail mushrooms, later studied for cancer benefits, fascinated me.
She served as the local medicine woman, relying on natural remedies. Remarkably, she abstained from synthetic medicine until a car accident at 80 resulted in a broken hip. Despite doctors’ grim predictions, she defied odds, living another 13 years, tending to her garden and canning her harvest.
On the other side, my other grandmother, despite growing up on a farm, distanced herself from farming due to its demanding nature. She, however, imparted a deep love for cooking and spirituality.
Today, we are fortunate to embrace integrative medicine, incorporating mind, body, and soul into health practices. This approach harmonizes healing plants, animal tissues, spiritual and mind practices, and life-saving medications. Armed with knowledge, we can selectively choose interventions for optimal patient outcomes.
Journey to Becoming A Body Detective
In New York, the high school curriculum proved more demanding compared to most states. Students were required to undergo rigorous regent’s exams, necessitating a comprehensive understanding of subjects for successful completion. While this facilitated a relatively smooth transition into my initial years of college, entering pharmacy school marked a distinct shift in experience.
Pharmacy school introduced the study of intricate sciences, emphasizing their relevance to the biochemistry and physiology of the human body. Topics included the mechanisms of action of drugs and herbs, as well as their roles in absorption, distribution, and excretion within the body.
On the inaugural day of pharmacy school, a stern message resonated: “Look to the right, look to the left, one of you will be gone before school is over.” This cautionary statement proved accurate, with approximately 30% of students facing challenges in the physiology course. Dr. Becky Bunce, our esteemed professor, instilled a profound understanding that the body follows a programmed design, where one system intricately influences others, and symptoms may manifest across various areas.
Dr. Bunce’s teachings illuminated connections are often overlooked today, such as the impact of adrenal glands on heart rhythm. Inspired by her guidance, I embraced the role of a “Body Detective” and am eager to impart this knowledge to others.