silikonboulder.blogg.se - Functional medicine doctor

Integrative medicine does not focus on just one physical health problem a patient has – it works to correct the mind, body, and spirit so the entire body heals. Integrative medicine is the combination of traditional treatments and alternative therapies to treat the body with a holistic approach. They are actually two different approaches to treating health problems that have some overlap. It’s common for people to not know the difference between integrative medicine and functional medicine. Without understanding exactly what each approach is, they are easy to confuse. Functional medicine integrates traditional Western medical practices with what is sometimes considered “alternative” or “integrative” medicine, creating a focus on prevention through nutrition, diet, and exercise use of the latest laboratory testing and other diagnostic techniques and prescribed combinations of drugs and/or botanical medicines, supplements, therapeutic diets, detoxification programs, or stress-management techniques.A variety of approaches are available to treat patients with health problems. The unique genetic makeup of each patient is considered, along with both internal (mind, body, and spirit) and external (physical and social environment) factors that affect total functioning. Functional medicine practitioners look “upstream” to consider the complex web of interactions in the patient’s history, physiology, and lifestyle that can lead to illness.

An integrative, science-based healthcare approach.

By listening to the patient and learning his or her story, the practitioner brings the patient into the discovery process and tailors treatments that address the individual’s unique needs. The focus of functional medicine is on patient-centered care, promoting health as a positive vitality, beyond just the absence of disease. Hallmarks of a functional medicine approach include:

Functional medicine involves understanding the origins, prevention, and treatment of complex, chronic disease.

Most physicians are not adequately trained to assess the underlying causes of complex, chronic disease and to apply strategies such as nutrition, diet, and exercise to both treat and prevent these illnesses in their patients.

The gap between emerging research in basic sciences and integration into medical practice is enormous-as long as 50 years-particularly in the area of complex, chronic illness.

There’s a huge gap between research and the way doctors practice.

In most cases it does not take into account the unique genetic makeup of each individual or factors such as environmental exposures to toxins and the aspects of today’s lifestyle that have a direct influence on the rise in chronic disease in modern Western society.

Unfortunately, the acute-care approach to medicine lacks the proper methodology and tools for preventing and treating complex, chronic disease.

Physicians apply specific, prescribed treatments such as drugs or surgery that aim to treat the immediate problem or symptom.

The system of medicine practiced by most physicians is oriented toward acute care, the diagnosis and treatment of trauma or illness that is of short duration and in need of urgent care, such as appendicitis or a broken leg.

Our society is experiencing a sharp increase in the number of people who suffer from complex, chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, mental illness, and autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis.

In this way, functional medicine supports the unique expression of health and vitality for each individual. Functional medicine practitioners spend time with their patients, listening to their histories and looking at the interactions among genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that can influence long-term health and complex, chronic disease. By shifting the traditional disease-centered focus of medical practice to a more patient-centered approach, functional medicine addresses the whole person, not just an isolated set of symptoms.

It is an evolution in the practice of medicine that better addresses the healthcare needs of the 21st century. It treats the whole system, not just the symptoms.įunctional medicine addresses the underlying causes of disease, using a systems-oriented approach and engaging both patient and practitioner in a therapeutic partnership. It seeks to identify and address the root causes of disease, and views the body as one integrated system, not a collection of independent organs divided up by medical specialties. FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE is the future of conventional medicine–available now.