Dr. Larsh is a board certified in Family Medicine, Integrative and Holistic Medicine, and in Functional Medicine.  She has been a physician for over 28 years and has been practicing Functional Medicine for the last 15 of those years.  The goal of Functional Medicine is to optimize all the "systems" of the body (hormones, digestion, immune, etc). The thyroid is critical as it affects every single system, so she has been focusing on thyroid care her entire career. She loves to work WITH clients rather than force "her way" on them.  Each patient is unique and what works for one will not be ideal for the next.  Sometimes, just prescribing medication is the best approach, but often working on stress management, digestion, and using supplements is best. In her free time, she loves to hang out with her family and her dog.  She loves to travel, cycle, walk, garden, and read. She completed medical school at UC Irvine, residency at Contra Costa County Regional Medical Center in the San Francisco Bay Area, and has lived in Santa Cruz, CA ever since.  She worked for over 13 years in a large medical practice, and has had a small solo practice since 2007.