WHAT IS FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE?
Functional Medicine is devoted to discovering and treating the underlying causes of today’s chronic illnesses, engaging the patient and the physician in a therapeutic relationship. Once the root cause of your suffering has been uncovered, a course to wellness can be designed.
The methods of Functional Medicine are grounded in science and take into account every aspect: environment, family history, genetics, biochemistry, and physiology. By shifting the traditional disease-centered focus of medical practice to a more patient-centered approach, Functional Medicine addresses the whole person, not just an isolated set of symptoms.
How is Functional Medicine Different from Conventional Medicine?
Conventional medicine often asks “what disease do you have and what medication can I give you for it?” Functional Medicine looks at lifestyle and environmental factors to better understand why you have a particular condition. Functional Medicine practitioners spend time with their patients, listening to their histories and examining the interactions among genetic, environmental, lifestyle and biologic factors that influence complex chronic diseases and long-term health.
Who Needs Functional Medicine?
Functional Medicine is used to treat a wide variety of medical conditions including:
- Adrenal fatigue
- Aging
- Autoimmune Diseases
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Depression and Anxiety
- Dysbiosis (imbalance of gut flora – including symptoms of IBS and SIBO)
- Fibromyalgia
- Hormone Imbalances
- Insulin Resistance (including diabetes and prediabetes)
- Thyroid disorders
- Weight gain
Why do We Need Functional Medicine?
The approach to medicine practiced by most providers today is oriented toward acute care, such as a sore throat, appendicitis, or a sprained ankle. Unfortunately, the acute care system lacks the proper tools and methodology for preventing and treating the complex chronic diseases so prevalent in today’s medical setting. The focus of Functional Medicine is on promoting health as a positive vitality, more than just the absence of disease.
Functional Medicine practitioners consider the complex web of interactions in the patient’s history, physiology, lifestyle, and genetics. Use of the latest cutting-edge laboratory testing and other diagnostic techniques, along with prescribed drugs and/or botanical medicines, supplements, therapeutic diets, detoxification programs, and stress management techniques combine to create a focus on positive energy and support for the unique expression of health and vitality of each individual.
Call us today (479) 957-1105
“You want to feel better. We know you can.”
