In a grim world of ever-growing chronic diseases and superficial treatment methods, functional medicine has arrived like a breath of fresh air, determined to reverse the trend and improve the overall approach towards health care.
For those who are concerned with the effectiveness of this new model, the better outcomes and cost savings that have followed this approach have put all the speculations to rest. But what exactly is this new model? Let’s find out.
What is Functional Medicine?
Functional medicine is a totally different and completely refreshing approach in healthcare that addresses the root causes of disease in treating illnesses. According to this approach, human biology is a system where dynamic interactions constantly take place between various components, and certain dysfunctions in these interactions can cause illnesses.
Functional medicine restores health by focusing on these specific dysfunctions with the help of tools that promote physiological balance. This method also calls for cooperation between practitioners and patients in its treatment plans. Hence, it is more individualised and patient-centred in its approach.
Functional Medicine vs Conventional Methods
What makes functional medicine different from conventional methods is its primary focus on health, rather than just the alleviation of symptoms. Despite the cutting-edge technology used in conventional medicine, the approach has been ineffective in making people feel better over a long period of time. More and more people are suffering from allergies, digestive disorders, and chronic fatigue.
Besides, chronic conditions are still rising, with one in every three adults in the world suffering from multiple chronic diseases. Functional medicine has developed as a reaction to the long-term failure of conventional medicine.
In contrast to the superficial methods of conventional medicine, functional medicine goes as deep as the cellular level to identify the root source of the illness and restore complete health. It also focuses on eliminating any other upcoming illnesses which may not be showing symptoms currently.
How Does Functional Medicine Work?
Functional medicine employs a holistic and completely science-based approach in the treatment and management of chronic diseases.
- A typical functional medicine practitioner will gather your medical record and profoundly listen to your problems to identify the fundamental causes.
- These causes may include triggers such as stress, genetics, allergens, deficiency in nutrition, or various harmful toxins.
- Once all the triggers are identified, they will suggest changes in some aspects of your lifestyle, such as nutrition, exercise, work-life balance, community life, and sleep cycle.
- Based on these suggestions, the practitioner will create a healthy living plan customised to your needs.
Functional medicine works by employing different kinds of approaches together, such as conventional, chiropractic, nutrient infusion, functional, orthopaedic, environmental intervention, and lifestyle changes. It treats each patient individually, not just based on a set of similar symptoms. The most important feature of functional medicine is active participation by the patients in the diagnosis and treatment process while making changes in their lifestyle-related and environmental aspects.
What Can Functional Medicine Cure?
Functional medicine is used to treat a variety of chronic conditions. These include common illnesses, such as adrenal disorders, arthritis, cancer prevention, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, asthma, Alzheimer’s disease, digestive disorders, metabolic syndromes, food allergies, and thyroid disorders.
Apart from this, functional medicine doctors also give you a lot of other benefits which are hard to find in conventional approaches. Hence, if you’re looking for improvements in one of the following aspects of your treatment strategy, you should definitely consult a functional medicine doctor.
Longer Appointments
Since the treatment plan revolves around a detailed record of your medical history, functional medicine doctors spend far more time deeply understanding your issues.
Alternative Treatments
If you are fed up with constantly consuming prescription drugs without effective results, you can incorporate other treatment methods like meditation, acupuncture, and herbal remedies with this approach.
Personalised Experience
With this approach, you do not have to be treated like another specimen in a long list of patients anymore. Functional medicine doctors suggest specific treatments oriented towards your individual condition.
What Does a Functional Medicine Coach Look For?
When you first visit a functional medicine coach, they will provide you with a medical history questionnaire. By asking a variety of questions related to your medical history, functional medicine coaches gather all the necessary information to lay a solid ground for your treatment plan. Generally speaking, these coaches look for the following areas of your life in their diagnosis.
Genetics
You provide a family history to determine if certain physical or mental conditions have an influence over your genetics.
Lifestyle
Functional medicine coaches will ask you about your diet, hobbies, levels of activity, work conditions, and other emotional stressors related to your social life.
Environment
Since you are constantly exposed to various allergens and toxins, information about your environment is also crucial for treatment in functional medicine.
Besides this basic health-related information, practitioners will also introduce you to their treatment philosophy, discuss treatment methods, and identify your treatment goals. Such an all-inclusive and unified approach provides improved outcomes to not only the patient but also a sense of professional satisfaction to the clinicians.
FAQs:
What can functional medicine treat?
Functional medicine also focuses on preventive care. So, even if you do not suffer from a chronic condition, you can still benefit from your day-to-day activities by visiting a functional medicine practitioner.
How is functional medicine different?
As the name suggests, this treatment approach is much more functional and allows the patients to feel far better in their day-to-day lives.
