Evolution Medicine PC Welcomes Functional Nutritionist Helaine Polanco, MS

NEW YORK - Feb. 25, 2026 - PRLog -- NEW YORK, NY — Evolution Medicine PC is pleased to announce the addition of Helaine Polanco, MS, to its growing clinical team. A functional nutritionist with specialized expertise in women's health and the gut-brain relationship, Ms. Polanco brings a precision-based, evidence-informed approach to the dietary and metabolic dimensions of mental health care.

"Nutrition is not a supplement to psychiatric treatment—it part of one's mental health  foundation," says Dr. Sonya Lazarevic, founder of Evolution Medicine. "The gut produces approximately ninety percent of the body's serotonin. The integrity of the microbiome directly influences mood, cognition, inflammation, and hormonal regulation. Helaine's expertise allows us to address these connections with the depth and rigor they deserve."

Ms. Polanco's work focuses on identifying nutritional patterns, deficiencies, and metabolic imbalances that conventional psychiatry rarely evaluates. Her approach integrates comprehensive dietary assessment with targeted supplementation, gut-healing protocols, and personalized food-as-medicine strategies tailored to each patient's unique physiology.
Her particular expertise in women's health addresses the nutritional dimensions of hormonal transitions—including perimenopause, postpartum recovery, and cycle-related mood shifts—that are commonly overlooked in standard psychiatric care. Ms. Polanco collaborates closely with Dr. Lazarevic and Clinical Psychologist Dr. Shuki Cohen to ensure that nutritional interventions are fully integrated with each patient's psychiatric and therapeutic treatment plan.

"What I find compelling about this practice is that we approach the patient as a whole system," says Ms. Polanco. "Psychiatric symptoms don't emerge in isolation from the body. When we address blood sugar dysregulation, gut permeability, micronutrient depletion, or inflammatory dietary patterns alongside medication and therapy, outcomes improve - substantially."

Ms. Polanco sees patients in-person at Evolution Medicine's Midtown Manhattan office and via telepsychiatry for patients in New York metro area. Nutritional psychiatry consultations may be scheduled independently or as part of the practice's comprehensive Momentum Care programs.

Evolution Medicine is located at 280 Madison Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, two blocks from Grand Central Station, and serves patients in New York City, the New York Metro area, New York State, and Connecticut.
For appointments, visit  www.evo-md.com or call (212) 924-2871.