Patient-centered care focused on determining how and why illness occurs.
The whole person is examined by Functional Medicine practitioners. They spend time with their patients, listen to their histories and look at the interactions among genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors which influence long-term health and complicated conditions.
Overall health is explored, not merely the absence of disease. Functional Medicine reveals often overlooked imbalances that have a profound impact on wellbeing using the latest advancements in diagnostic testing.
Individual symptoms of an illness are only clues to one of many contributing factors. Functional Medicine finds the underlying causes of disease to renew health and improve quality of life.
Physiology & Function
We all have core clinical functions and fundamental physiological processes that keep us alive. When these are not working smoothly, they can lead to disease. Functional Medicine uncovers these irregularities before they develop into an illness and uses evidence-based protocols to restore them. Almost all illness is a result of long-term disturbances in functionality, therefore knowledge and prevention are key.
VS.
With an individualized approach, Functional Medicine is based on the evolving research in nutritional science, genomics, and epigenetics. It is an evolution in the practice of medicine that better encompass the healthcare needs of the 21st century to support optimum health and vitality.
Why Functional Medicine?
The system of medicine practiced by most physicians is oriented toward acute trauma or illness, such as appendicitis or a broken limb where drugs or surgery effectively manage the urgent problem in the short term.
While it is extremely helpful and life-saving in many situations, conventional medicine lacks the proper methodology and tools to prevent and reverse the alarming rise in chronic disease. In most cases, it does not take into account the genetic makeup of individuals or factors such as environmental exposure to toxins and the aspects of modern society that negatively impact our health.
There’s a huge gap between research and the way medical doctors practice. The delay between emerging data in basic sciences and integration into the existing system is enormous (as long as 50 years) particularly in the area of complex illness. Naturopathic doctors and Functional Medicine practitioners bridge this gap by targeting specific manifestations of disease in each person.