Functional Medicine

This, in turn, encourages cellular energy production to return to normal as well which results in diminished symptoms of chronic illness. It also works very well with nutritional therapies used to treat diseases and disorders.

In chronic disease that is moderate, or even mild, a singular treatment approach may not be enough. Doctors using nutritional therapies or other treatments often find that incorporating functional medicine into the program has very good results.

What is Functional Medicine?

Functional medicine is a methodology that utilizes medical treatments or practices that have a strong emphasis on not only curing or relieving illness and chronic conditions within the body, but to restore optimal functioning to the body. It is comprised of systems that incorporate alternative medicine and holistic practices, including nutritional therapy.

The primary intent of functional medicine is to go beyond the condition and its symptoms to address the root or cause of the disease. This is accomplished through a thorough approach that is system oriented. It also relies on engagement of both the practitioner and the patient as they form a partnership, working together to bring about healing and improve wellness.

Why is Functional Medicine Necessary?

As incidences of chronic disease like cancer, diabetes, autoimmune disease, mental illness, and heart disease, continue to steadily rise, it is important to not only find ways to combat these conditions, but to draw patients into the process so that they are no longer spectators of their own healthcare, but partners with their physicians.

The approach that most doctors take to medicine is focused on acute care. The standard is diagnosing and treating illness or trauma that requires urgent care on the short term such as a broken bone, the flu, or appendicitis. There is a system already in place for treating these conditions and doctors only need to follow it, applying prescribed treatments that are specific to the condition such as surgery or medications. These treatments tend to address the symptoms or immediate problem but rarely target the core or cause.

This acute care method misses the mark when it comes to treating chronic diseases. This type of complex medicine requires a different methodology and a different set of tools that must address each patient’s unique genetics as well as lifestyle and exposure to environmental toxins.

These elements all directly contribute to the increase in chronic diseases in the modern western world. Mostly this is due to the significant disparity between how doctors practice medicine and the research that is being conducted in the sciences – in particular, chronic illness.

The connection simply isn’t there and as a result the majority of doctors are ill equipped for adequately treating chronic illness. They are not trained in identifying the underlying causes of chronic illness, or in supportive therapies including exercise, diet, and nutrition. They have an idea, but often are not able to take that rudimentary knowledge, expound upon it and apply it to a patient’s specific medical needs.