What is Functional Medicine
Functional medicine sees you, the patient, as a whole person, with a unique history, a unique set of circumstances, and a unique set of genes that interact to create your health, or the experience of disease. Functional Medicine does not apply a standard protocol to each problem. This is not “one-size-fits-all” medicine.
Through the unique partnership between you, the patient and myself, the doctor, the Functional Medicine approach produces a comprehensive plan for maximizing health. Beyond just alleviating symptoms or slowing the progression of disease, Functional Medicine is integrative, science-based healthcare that focuses on addressing the underlying cause of illness, as well as the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases.
Functional medicine practitioners spend a lot of time with their patients, listening to their histories and investigating the complex interactions among genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors that can influence long-term health and complex, chronic disease.
Through this comprehensive evaluation, and development of a personalized wellness program, functional medicine practitioners help you to regain control over your health and make changes to support a lifetime of wellness.
Core Principles of Functional Medicine – Seeing and Treating The Whole Person
- Each person is unique, with unique healthcare needs.
- Health is more than simply the absence of disease.
- Balanced biochemistry is essential to proper functioning.
- Treatment must be personalized for the individual.
Looking Inside
Functional medicine is science-based and uses a variety of lab tests to help understand how your individual body systems function. To assess where your imbalances lie, we may utilize appropriate, comprehensive lab testing to assess:
- Genetic variations
- Metabolic functioning
- Nutrient deficiencies
- Digestive, absorptive, and microbiological imbalances
- Immune and inflammatory imbalances
- Oxidation problems
- Neurotransmitter and hormonal issues
- Detoxification and biotransformation problems
Using this detailed information, we create a customized wellness plan just for you.
Functional Medicine has been called the “medicine of the future”, yet it’s based on philosophies and principles dating back in history to Thomas Edison and Leonardo Da Vinci.