Dr. Alan Dattner is a board-certified dermatologist who has been practicing Holistic and Integrative Dermatology since 1979 in Connecticut and has limited his practice since 1990 in New York. Dr. Dattner got interested in immunological research very early in his career when he was a young trainee of the legendary cancer immunologist, Llyod J Old at the Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Rye, New York in 1964. His research in immunology in 6 different labs was focused primarily on the delayed reactivity of white blood cells called lymphocytes (T cells) in various types of diseases. Culminating this was a position as a Visiting Scientist at the Dermatology Branch of the NCI, National Institutes of Health, where he published research on how the immune system recognizes foreign invaders in conjunction with the responder’s tissue type. He was also among the first to demonstrate antigen-specific T-regulator cells, that calm down excessive immune response. His dermatological research, which is well-published in journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, has explored the applications of plant-based products including nutritional products to dermatological diseases.

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He is a pioneer in the field of Integrative medicine, among the first to recognize that traditional medicine has a lot to learn from alternative healing practices in the light of basic science knowledge.  He believes that modern medicine too often addresses the symptoms of the disease, treating the inflammation with medications that can have dire side effects, while completely side-stepping the root cause of the problem. He incorporated nutrition, herbal medicine, supplements, Functional Medicine into his treatment plan, while also taking into account a patient’s lifestyle and internal and external stress factors. His holistic approach to treatment, while slowly beginning to become mainstream today, was deemed radical when he first introduced it, 40 years ago. Since then, Dr, Dattner has been a leading proponent of an integrative approach to medicine, teaching his patients to look beyond the outward manifestation, and focus on addressing the underlying issues of the problem. You can learn more about his work and the immunologic basis of his approach through his website, HolisticDermatology.com, and his book, Radiant Skin from the Inside Out.