NativeMF — Native Metabolic Flexibility · A Physician-Guided Lifestyle Program

Reclaim your body's Native metabolic wisdom.

A proprietary 5-tier program rooted in hunter-gatherer physiology, designed to reverse chronic disease, optimize insulin sensitivity, and enhance longevity — for all ages and ethnicities.

Native Insulin Flex Score (NIFS)

MD
Metabolic Deficiency
MA
Metabolic Adaptability
ME
Metabolic Efficiency
MS
Metabolic Sustainability
MO
Metabolic Optimization
~90%
of US adults have impaired metabolic health
6.8%
of the population at optimal metabolic markers
5x
higher chronic disease burden in Native Americans
40 wk
full protocol cycle to metabolic resilience

Find your reason why. Begin today.

Reclaim your body's personalized metabolic wisdom in your own unique Native/ancestral way.

Take the 2-minute quiz ↓

Start Here — No Bloodwork Required

Find your tier in 2 minutes.

Answer a few quick questions about your body, activity, and habits — we'll estimate which of the five NativeMF tiers fits you best. Already have recent labs? Refine your result with bloodwork →

Section 1 of 6

The NativeMF Protocol

Five tiers. One continuum.

Each tier is calibrated to your current metabolic health and progresses through dietary adaptation, time-restricted eating, and advanced exercise protocols over 9–40 weeks.

Tier 1

MD — Metabolic Deficiency
  • Eliminate SWAD foods
  • Begin walking and light resistance
  • Reduce carbs to 200g/day
  • ~2 weeks

Tier 2

MA — Metabolic Adaptability
  • Low carb (50–100g)
  • Introduce healthy fats
  • Begin TREP at 6pm
  • Start creatine + NaME electrolytes
  • ~4 weeks

Tier 3

ME — Metabolic Efficiency
  • Ketogenic/Paleo (<50g carbs)
  • Build muscle with HRT
  • Add HIIT
  • Cruciferous veggie carbs only
  • ~12 weeks

Tier 4

MS — Metabolic Sustainability
  • 16–20hr TREP
  • Begin autophagy
  • Fasted exercise
  • Advanced HRT + HIIT
  • Maximize VO2 max + HRV
  • ~12 weeks

Tier 5

MO — Metabolic Optimization
  • OMAD protocols
  • Near-carnivore macros
  • 20hr+ fasts
  • Metabolic resilience achieved
  • Reintroduce select carbs
  • ~12 weeks

Diet focus

Exercise

Goal metrics

Three Pillars of NativeMF

Ancient wisdom. Modern protocol.

🌿

Native Nutrition

An omnivore, ancestral diet eliminating seed oils and processed foods. Prioritizes grass-fed meats, wild fish, cruciferous vegetables, and seasonal fruits — exactly as the Dry Creek Pomo and other indigenous peoples ate before industrial contact.

TREP HF/LC Ketogenic OMAD No seed oils
💪

Ancestral Movement

Building skeletal muscle is the most powerful endocrine intervention available. Muscle tissue acts as a glucose sink without insulin, improving insulin sensitivity for up to 48 hours post-exercise. Our protocols progress from walking to full HRT + HIIT.

HRT HIIT VO2 max HRV Fasted exercise
🌎

HEDGE Lifestyle

Living naturally and in harmony with the earth. Minimizing environmental toxicities — microplastics, BPAs, glyphosates. Optimizing sleep, sunlight, and mental wellness through BDNF-boosting protocols and cognitive behavioral principles.

H Humility — Be humbled by the process and the chance it gives you to change your life.
E Empathy — For yourself and for others on the journey.
D Discipline — Daily goals: each meal, each exercise routine, each TREP.
G Gratitude — Thankful to the spirit and to all who support your path.
E Everyday — Do this, daily.

Optional — For Those With Recent Labs

Refine your tier with bloodwork.

Already have recent lab values on hand? Enter them below to refine your NIFS tier. Don't have labs handy? Take our free 2-minute assessment instead — no bloodwork required.

NIFS Estimator

Based on physician-defined optimal ranges from the NativeMF protocol.

Fasting blood glucose Optimal: < 90 mg/dL
mg/dL
Triglycerides Optimal: < 100 mg/dL
mg/dL
HDL cholesterol Optimal: > 70 mg/dL
mg/dL
Systolic blood pressure Optimal: < 120 mmHg
mmHg
BMI Optimal: < 21
kg/m²
Trig:HDL ratio Optimal: < 1.0 (insulin sensitivity marker)
ratio
NIFS Tier Estimate

This estimator is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult your physician for individual guidance.

Our Mission

Prevention through ancestral wisdom.

"Prevention through diet and lifestyle is the key to longevity and wellness."
Thomas M. Elgin, MD — Board-Certified Emergency Physician, Dry Creek Pomo Nation

NativeMF was founded by Dr. Thomas M. Elgin, a board-certified Emergency Physician with over 25 years of clinical experience and a member of the Dry Creek Pomo Nation of Northern California. After decades of treating patients in acute life-threatening situations — many of which were the preventable downstream effects of metabolic dysfunction — Dr. Elgin turned his practice toward what the science increasingly supports: that chronic disease is largely a dietary and lifestyle problem rooted in the industrialization of food.

Indigenous peoples throughout the world maintained exceptional body composition and muscular endurance before European contact introduced processed foods, seed oils, and refined grains. Native Americans now lead nearly every chronic disease morbidity and mortality curve. NativeMF exists to reverse that trend — using physician-guided, evidence-based protocols that honor both ancestral wisdom and modern metabolic science.

The NativeMF program is available to people of all ages, genders, and ethnicities. Every protocol is designed as health coaching and lifestyle guidance. Individual medical conditions should be discussed with your personal physician.

Your Reason Why

Eleven reasons people commit to NativeMF.

Before starting the protocol, every patient identifies their own "reason why." These are the outcomes our patients most often name.

1Cardiovascular health
2Longevity for loved ones
3Cosmesis / weight loss
4Body tone
5Muscular strength — mobility, injury prevention, athletic performance, skin/hair/nails
6Reduced chronic disease risk
7Reduced dependence on medications
8Mental clarity and focus
9Reduced risk of mental illness
10Sexual performance
11Improved mental acuity and concentration
Chief Medical Officer
Thomas M. Elgin, MD
Board-certified Emergency Physician with 25+ years of clinical experience. Member of the Dry Creek Pomo Nation. Founder of AcuteCareMD, Rancho Mirage, CA.
Research Assistant
Shailin T. Elgin
Collaborates with physicians and clinical staff at AcuteCareMD to develop and test proprietary NativeMF protocols, contributing to tier design, data analysis, and patient outcome tracking.

Protocol Glossary

Key terms & acronyms.

NIFSNative Insulin Flex Score — proprietary metabolic tier assessment
TREPTime Restricted Eating Period — fasting window protocol
SWADStandard Western American Diet — what NativeMF works to reverse
HRTHigh Resistance Training — primary muscle-building protocol
HIITHigh Intensity Interval Training — advanced cardio protocol
HRVHeart Rate Variability — wearable longevity metric
CGMContinuous Glucose Monitor — interstitial glucose tracking device
OMADOne Meal A Day — advanced Tier 5 fasting protocol
BDNFBrain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor — cognitive benefit of muscle building
HF/LCHigh Fat / Low Carb — core dietary macro strategy
HEDGEHumility · Empathy · Discipline · Gratitude · Everyday
MCTMedium Chain Triglycerides — preferred healthy fat source