What is Functional Medicine?
Functional Medicine is a science-based, patient-centered approach that empowers both practitioners and patients to work mutually in addressing the primary causes of disease and foster optimal wellness.
Functional medicine is a new method based on assessing, understanding, preventing and treating chronic diseases. Various science-based approaches are integrated to find and address underlying imbalances in the function of the human body.
These healthcare professionals pay attention to the uniqueness of the patient and help them in a holistic way, considering how all of the parts of the body and mind work together. They take steps to fully understand how environment, lifestyle, and genetics are influencing their patient. By doing this they seek underlying dysfunctional processes that are affecting the whole body. A good practitioner integrates ancient healing techniques with the newest and best of what modern medicine has to offer, in order to treat the root causes of illness.
How different is Functional Medicine from conventional medicine?
Functional Medicine- has to do with the human body’s systems and how each aspect is linked together. They utilize techniques that often have a higher safety record than their conventional counterparts. The heaviest emphasis is on preventing disease through living a truly healthy lifestyle. This recognition of what actually goes into a healthy lifestyle represents a major principle of Functional Medicine. This principle is that disease doesn’t just happen randomly but every disease actually has a cause. They aim to treat conditions with safe natural medicines or treatments and resort to pharmaceuticals when necessary.
Conventional medicine- on the other hand, focuses on compartmentalization into specialties which are centered primarily on the different organ systems in the human body, i.e., neurology, cardiology, endocrinology, etc. Nearly all treatments within conventional medicine are either pharmaceutical or surgically based. Typically they aim to treat symptoms of diseases without addressing the root causes because they don’t believe we know the root causes of almost anything, even though there are plenty of people who successfully address these known causes to liberate themselves from “incurable” diseases.
Functional medicine and the interconnection of the human body
Functional Medicine splits up these artificial divisions and bases its perspective of disease and health on the reality that the human body is one, unified system. It is the bridge that connects the underlying fundamental problems – such as oxidative stress, inflammation, toxicity, chronic fight or flight, etc. One of the most powerful components of Functional Medicine is the functional diagnostic tests that the practitioner uses to analyze the body state. There are so many amazing tests that have helped so many people it is a shame that these are not used by all doctors. The knowledge that you are deficient in a key mineral, or are having IGG allergic reactions to something, or have high toxic metals in your body is priceless. These tests will be the conventional tests of the future in a society that has an efficient and effective health care system.
Functional medicine seeks to understand the cause and address it
Functional Medicine strives to fully understand what causes symptoms to occur. The knowledge obtained is then utilized to change what triggers illness. Drivers of chronic diseases or diseases include infections, stress, Oxygen deficiency at the cell level, toxins, allergens, poor diet, etc.
Treatments are based primarily on treating the actual cause, and this method of treatment could be different for two people who portray similar symptoms. This always involves some lifestyle changes, life hacks and could also involve natural medicines, particular diets, exercise adjustments, and other things. The aim is to create sound health by removing blocks to the natural functioning of the body while adding whatever may be missing.
Functional Medicine: who practices it?
Functional Medicine is not the exclusive practice of medical doctors but can be studied and practiced by other authorized healthcare providers as well. This includes nurse practitioners, chiropractors, acupuncturists, nutritionists, etc.
Conclusion
Functional Medicine physicians can help you to determine the essential nutrients that your body needs, which foods or supplements you should be consuming for optimal function, and what may be the underlying cause of your illness among other things. When your body gets exactly what it needs, the self-healing process is heightened significantly, thus creating longevity as well as long-lasting vitality. This is the aim of Functional Medicine
