Protocol development in integrative medicine is not typically a simple process. Individuals require individualized care, and what works for one patient may not work for another.

To establish these protocols, we first developed a Rating Scale that could be used to discern the rigor of evidence supporting a specific nutrient’s therapeutic effect.

The following protocols were developed using only A through C-quality evidence.

Class
Qualifying studies
Minimum requirements
A
Systematic review or meta-analysis of human trials
 
B
RDBPC human trials
2+ studies and/or 1 study with 50 + subjects
C
RDBPC human trials
1 study

Between the holiday festivities, shorter days, and cold weather, for many, winter often brings with it a number of health challenges. Restore whole-body fortitude and prepare for spring with the evidence-based ingredients found in this Spring Health 2023 protocol.

While there are many ingredients that may be considered part of a wellness protocol, the Fullscript Medical Advisory Team has selected these based on general safety, effectiveness, broad applicability, and availability to the adult population.

Probiotics

~10 billion CFU per day, for 8 weeks, depending on the patient’s individual needs (Zhang 2016)

  • Digestive health: Probiotics may reduce the risk and severity of unwanted digestive symptoms, including pain, bloating, and gas, by 21%. (Ford 2014)(Didari 2015) The positive effects may be seen with doses lower than 10 billion CFU within 8 weeks, but higher doses and duration are also beneficial. (Zhang 2016)
  • Allergies: Probiotics may be moderately helpful for reducing allergy symptoms and may help improve quality of life, possibly by supporting a healthy helper T cell immune response. (Luo 2022)
Probiotics in the Fullscript catalog

L-theanine & GABA

200–400 mg of L-theanine (Hidese 2019)(Williams 2020) & 100–300 mg of GABA per day, minimum 4 weeks (Hepsomali 2020)

  • L-theanine may provide support for stress and nervous tension in people exposed to stressful conditions, (Williams 2020) and may help improve mood and sleep quality. (Hidese 2019)
  • GABA may help provide support for stress and promote sleep, (Hepsomali 2020) with some evidence suggesting it may have positive effects within one hour of taking. (Abdou 2006)
L-theanine & GABA in the Fullscript catalog

Quercetin

200–500 mg per day minimum, for at least 8 weeks (Mohammadi-Sargang 2017)(Serban 2016)(Yamada 2022)

  • Allergies: Quercetin may be helpful for relieving the symptoms of pollen allergies, including itchy eyes, sneezing, runny nose, and sleep issues. (Yamada 2022)
  • Anti-inflammatory: Quercetin can support optimal C-reactive protein levels and may help support a healthy inflammatory response. (Mohammadi-Sargang 2017)
  • Cardiovascular protection: Quercetin may help produce small improvements in blood pressure. (Popiolek-Kalisz 2022)(Huang 2020)(Serban 2016)
Quercetin in the Fullscript catalog

Collagen

2.5–10g of collagen hydrolysate per day, 3 months minimum (Choi 2019)(de Miranda 2021)

  • When used for at least 90 days, collagen supplementation may help support healthy skin aging by improving skin elasticity and hydration, which may help prevent or slow the development of wrinkles. (Choi 2019)(de Miranda 2021)
Collagen in the Fullscript catalog

Personal care products

Improving overall wellness and making sustainable, positive changes often means prioritizing health in many areas of life — not just taking the right supplements. That’s why Fullscript is continuously growing its catalog to include new personal care items from high-quality, trusted brands.

In addition to the evidence-based ingredients above, several possible recommendations for Personal Care Products relevant to Spring Health have been selected by the Fullscript Merchandising and Brand experts. As always, practitioners are encouraged to use their clinical judgment when making recommendations based on individual patient needs.

Personal care product 1

Herbal Body Wash by Moon Valley Organics in the Fullscript catalog

Personal care product 2

Sun Shield by MyChelle in the Fullscript catalog

Personal care product 3

Natural Retinol Serum by Suki in the Fullscript catalog

Personal care product 4

Skin Food Light Nourishing Cream by Weleda in the Fullscript catalog

Resources

The following resources may support your patient with their spring wellness journey. Check out the in-app patient resource library for more handouts, guides, and infographics.

Disclaimer

The Fullscript Medical Advisory Team has developed or collected these protocols from practitioners and supplier partners to help health care practitioners make decisions when building treatment plans. By adding this protocol to your Fullscript template library, you understand and accept that the recommendations in the protocol are for initial guidance and may not be appropriate for every patient.

View protocol on Fullscript
References
  1. Abdou, A. M., Higashiguchi, S., Horie, K., Kim, M., Hatta, H., & Yokogoshi, H. (2006). Relaxation and immunity enhancement effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) administration in humans. BioFactors, 26(3), 201–208. https://doi.org/10.1002/biof.5520260305
  2. Choi, F. D., Sung, C. T., Juhasz, M. L. W., & Mesinkovsk, N. A. (2019). Oral collagen supplementation: A systematic review of dermatological applications. Journal of Drugs in Dermatology: JDD, 18(1), 9–16. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30681787
  3. de Miranda, R. B., Weimer, P., & Rossi, R. C. (2021). Effects of hydrolyzed collagen supplementation on skin aging: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Dermatology, 60(12), 1449–1461. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijd.15518
  4. Didari, T., Mozaffari, S., Nikfar, S., & Abdollahi, M. (2015). Effectiveness of probiotics in irritable bowel syndrome: Updated systematic review with meta-analysis. World Journal of Gastroenterology, 21(10), 3072–3084. https://doi.org/10.3748/wjg.v21.i10.3072
  5. Ford, A. C., Quigley, E. M. M., Lacy, B. E., Lembo, A. J., Saito, Y. A., Schiller, L. R., Soffer, E. E., Spiegel, B. M. R., & Moayyedi, P. (2014). Efficacy of prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics in irritable bowel syndrome and chronic idiopathic constipation: Systematic review and meta-analysis. The American Journal of Gastroenterology, 109(10), 1547–1561. https://doi.org/10.1038/ajg.2014.202
  6. Hepsomali, P., Groeger, J. A., Nishihira, J., & Scholey, A. (2020). Effects of oral gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) administration on stress and sleep in humans: A systematic review. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 14, 923. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2020.00923
  7. Hidese, S., Ogawa, S., Ota, M., Ishida, I., Yasukawa, Z., Ozeki, M., & Kunugi, H. (2019). Effects of L-theanine administration on stress-related symptoms and cognitive functions in healthy adults: A randomized controlled trial. Nutrients, 11(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11102362
  8. Huang, H., Liao, D., Dong, Y., & Pu, R. (2020). Effect of quercetin supplementation on plasma lipid profiles, blood pressure, and glucose levels: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrition Reviews, 78(8), 615–626. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuz071
  9. Luo, C., Peng, S., Li, M., Ao, X., & Liu, Z. (2022). The efficacy and safety of probiotics for allergic rhinitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Immunology, 13, 848279. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2022.848279
  10. Mohammadi-Sartang, M., Mazloom, Z., Sherafatmanesh, S., Ghorbani, M., & Firoozi, D. (2017). Effects of supplementation with quercetin on plasma C-reactive protein concentrations: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 71(9), 1033–1039. https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2017.55
  11. Popiolek-Kalisz, J., & Fornal, E. (2022). The effects of quercetin supplementation on blood pressure – Meta-analysis. Current Problems in Cardiology, 47(11), 101350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpcardiol.2022.101350
  12. Serban, M.-C., Sahebkar, A., Zanchetti, A., Mikhailidis, D. P., Howard, G., Antal, D., Andrica, F., Ahmed, A., Aronow, W. S., Muntner, P., Lip, G. Y. H., Graham, I., Wong, N., Rysz, J., Banach, M., & Lipid and Blood Pressure Meta‐analysis Collaboration (LBPMC) Group. (2016). Effects of quercetin on blood pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of the American Heart Association, 5(7). https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.115.002713
  13. Williams, J. L., Everett, J. M., D’Cunha, N. M., Sergi, D., Georgousopoulou, E. N., Keegan, R. J., McKune, A. J., Mellor, D. D., Anstice, N., & Naumovski, N. (2020). The effects of green tea amino acid L-theanine consumption on the ability to manage stress and anxiety levels: A systematic review. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition , 75(1), 12–23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-019-00771-5
  14. Yamada, S., Shirai, M., Inaba, Y., & Takara, T. (2022). Effects of repeated oral intake of a quercetin-containing supplement on allergic reaction: A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind parallel-group study. European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences, 26(12), 4331–4345. https://doi.org/10.26355/eurrev_202206_29072
  15. Zhang, Y., Li, L., Guo, C., Mu, D., Feng, B., Zuo, X., & Li, Y. (2016). Effects of probiotic type, dose and treatment duration on irritable bowel syndrome diagnosed by Rome III criteria: A meta-analysis. BMC Gastroenterology, 16(1), 62. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12876-016-0470-z