Functional medicine is a different approach to managing health and wellness. Functional medicine works by assessing many factors that can affect a person’s health and addressing each individual’s unique circumstances to achieve optimal wellness.
Functional medicine is a holistic approach that sees the entire person, lifestyle, and life stress factors as part of the medical picture. Multiple medical practitioners work together to find the source of a patient’s illness and craft a wellness plan that can help a person’s overall health.
What You Need to Know About Functional Medicine
This type of medical practice evaluates the patient’s unique genetics, biochemical makeup, lifestyle, and environmental factors—like toxic exposures. A functional medical doctor takes the time to talk to the patient, rather than rushing into the examination room in a whirlwind (like many traditional medicine doctors) and leaving before the patient gets a chance to ask questions.
Functional medicine uses an integrative methodology that centers on the individual’s cellular physiology, biochemistry, and genetics. The restoration of health through regenerative medicine focuses on therapies like these:
Neuro-Endocrinology
Functional Medicine
Physiotherapy
Chiropractic medicine
Stem cell injections
IV infusion therapy
Vitamin/mineral injections
PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma)
Chelation Therapy
The anti-aging aspect uses advanced endocrinology and hormone replacement therapy, as well as nutrition and lifestyle modifications.
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Conditions that Can Respond Well to Functional Medicine
The Cleveland Clinic says that functional medicine can help with many chronic conditions. Heart disease, diabetes, and autoimmune diseases can benefit from functional medicine. Cleveland Clinic states that additional examples of good candidates for management by means of functional medicine include people with:
“High blood pressure
Depression
Attention deficit disorder
Migraine headaches
Irritable bowel syndrome
Ulcers
Chronic pancreatitis
Acid reflux
Diverticulosis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Lupus
Celiac disease
Psoriasis
Acne
Eczema
Chronic fatigue
Menopause”
These are but a few examples of the many health issues that could benefit from holistic, multi-disciplinary functional medicine. Some people turn to functional medicine when traditional medicine has failed.
An Ounce of Prevention
After watching a close relative suffer from an illness like cancer or dementia, an individual may be determined not to go through the same tragic experience. Perhaps the person had a “wake-up call,” like pre-cancerous colon polyps or a diagnosis of prediabetes and wants to take control of his or her health. Functional medicine can offer solutions that traditional medicine does not.
Functional medicine can analyze the genetic predisposition to certain illnesses and explore ways that the person can decrease his or her chances of developing them. Changes in nutrition, physical activity, and other lifestyle factors are common components of treatment plans.
As we get older, the metabolism can slow down, making it more challenging to control weight through diet and exercise. Functional medicine can take a deep dive into genetic and biochemical reasons why an individual struggles with weight control.
Traditional medicine often blames the patient for weight gain, but having a slow metabolism is like trying to drive a broken car. Giving the car gas (dieting and excessive exercise) will not improve the car’s function. Functional medicine can help find and fix the problem, so a mechanic (metabolism) can the car function correctly again.
We Can Do Better than Merely Prescribing Pills
In traditional medicine, a patient may go to one doctor for diabetes, another for arthritis, and another for eczema. Each doctor might prescribe a different drug to treat the person’s conditions, without regard to the other medications the patient takes and environmental factors that can impact the whole person.
The drugs often have side effects that require additional drugs to treat adverse reactions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that nearly half of Americans took one or more prescription drugs in the last 30 days. During that same time, nearly one person out of four took three or more prescription drugs. More than 12 percent of people take five or more prescriptions.
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Missing the Big Picture
In traditional medicine, each medical specialty gets siloed. The business-as-usual approach to medicine often overlooks a root cause which could be the reason the person has multiple illnesses.
Functional medicine can evaluate multiple body systems to find the overarching cause of an individual’s illnesses. A doctor cannot treat a medical condition properly without a correct diagnosis. Many people suffer from illness for decades, going from one doctor to another without satisfactory results.
Anti-Aging and Regenerative Associates practices functional medicine. We have multiple doctors who can provide a multidisciplinary approach to your healthcare. You can call us today at (386) 366-7418 to get started.
You do not have to live in pain and frustration, trying to seek out different treatments from different doctors. We provide our patients with a treatment plan that fits all of their needs at once. Our staff is ready to take your call regarding your desire for treatment (or any questions you have about how functional medicine works).
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