Wendy Skiba-King, Ph.D., APN, BC (Board Certified Advanced Practice Nurse) is director of behavioral medicine and clinical research.

Dr. King is an expert in a broad range of health areas including Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, preventive nutrition, and bio-behavioral medicine. A certified psychotherapist, Dr. King combines natural healing therapies and psychotherapy in treating stress related disorders.

Dr. King directs our Chronic Fatigue Syndrome research trials (Ampligen) in a Food and Drug Administration approved study. Dr. King also serves as director of behavioral medicine and of our Autism Spectrum Therapy program. Her expertise includes Autism Spectrum Disorder (Pervasive Developmental Disorder-PDD, Autism, Asperger's Syndrome) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder-ADHD.

Highly-experienced holistically-oriented, Dr. King has a background in both education and clinical practice. She has held faculty positions at both the graduate and undergraduate level. Areas of instruction have included Psychopharmacology, Alternative Health Care Practices, and Family Systems Theory.

Her doctoral degree is in communication with an emphasis on interpersonal and health communication, which makes Dr. King a unique resource for patients. She specializes in effectively clarifying the often confusing and contradictory information on herbs, supplements, and natural therapies.

Her recent publication, "Vitamins, Herbs, and Supplements: Tools of Empowerment" was featured in the Alternative and Complementary Therapies special issue of The Journal of Psychosocial Nursing (Volume 39, Number 4, April 2001, pp 35-41).

Please note: Dr. King is an Advanced Practice Nurse, not a physician. Her doctoral degree is a Ph.D. In the state of New Jersey, APNs collaborate with physicians to provide patient care, including ordering laboratory tests and writing prescriptions.

Dr. King's collaborating physician is Richard N. Podell, M.D. Dr. Podell is one of the nation's leading experts on Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, and nutritional, complementary alternative medicine.

Our Holistic Medicine Approach
Our clinical evaluation integrates standard diagnostic methods together with an approach we call Functional Medicine.

This is a holistic method that seeks to combine standard medical therapies with techniques of alternative medicine doctors to maximize support for the body's natural healing systems. This shares perspectives with complementary alternative medicine (CAM), integrative medicine, holistic medicine, nutritional medicine, herbal medicine, behavioral mind-body medicine-each seeking to increase the effectiveness of your treatment.

Complementary Alternative Medicine
Usually, when we become ill the body heals itself, employing the powers of our normal biochemical, immune, hormonal and metabolic healing systems. Chronic illness reflects, in part, a failure of these systems and/or obstacles to their function.

Functional Medicine evaluates how well specific healing systems perform and identifies those that are weak.

Natural therapies can support these crucial functions and remove crucial obstacles to healing. Our natural healing systems integrate their function through a tight web of communication. Therefore, strengthening any one system should have the effect of helping healing overall.