Functional Medicine
Functional Medicine is a holistic approach that:
- Aims to identify the root cause of disease instead of treating symptoms of disease
- Recognizes the complexities of disease in that one problem may have several different causes and one cause may lead to several different problems
- Recognizes that each person has a unique genetic make-up that interacts with environmental and lifestyle factors to determine current state of health
- Treats the individual, not the disease
- Uses advanced functional lab testing to assist in evaluation of health
In many cases, disease, or “dis-ease,” comes from a matter of an imbalance whether it is hormonal, infectious, nutritional, immune mediated, or toxin mediated. In the case of chronic disease, we can unravel the puzzle of root cause with thoughtful exploration. We don’t rely on “quick fix” medicines which are sometimes not fixes at all, but compensatory crutches that lead to their own imbalances that have to be dealt with. We always dig deeper and ask “why is this happening?” Often times lifestyle changes like nutrition, stress management, movement therapies, manual therapies, social connections, can lead us down the path to wellness again. In my practice, I still prescribe medicine, antibiotics, hormones, recommend surgery, but the difference is that I don’t do so reflexively as the first choice. My priority is to find root cause, re-establish physiological and emotional balance, all the while incorporating the personal values and goals of my patient.