Do you suffer from a chronic condition? Do you medicate the symptoms but wonder how to actually treat the illness? Chronic conditions force you to live at a lower level of well-being. And even when traditional medicine mitigates the symptoms, you are still enduring the condition. But what if you could end the suffering for good? What if the illness could really leave your life? Answering these questions is the goal of functional medicine. If that sounds good to you, learn more about functional medicine now.
What Is Functional Medicine?
Functional medicine is science-based healthcare that centers the patient. In doing so, it fills in the gaps in the conventional healthcare system. Conventional medicine excels at treating acute diseases and injuries such as broken limbs and infections. Yet, while leaving patients dependent on expensive drugs, it struggles to manage chronic conditions and prevent illness. That’s where functional medicine comes in. Functional medicine goes beyond symptom relief to promote health, optimize function, prevent sickness, confront causes, and reverse disease.
Functional medicine focuses on the sources of disease and chronic conditions, not just the symptoms. Following the framework of functional medicine, providers can systematically identify and address the underlying processes and dysfunctions that imbalance your bodily systems and make you sick.
Functional medicine clinicians utilize a wealth of modern scientific tools to continuously strengthen their understanding of biology, physiology, genetics, and social and environmental determinants of health. They also consider all the factors that impair us, such as stress, poor nutrition, allergens, hindered gut health, and exposure to toxins and harmful substances.
With functional medicine, you don’t have to wait until you are sick to start improving your health. Nor do you have to keep relieving symptoms while enduring the condition. You can start preventing future illness and start recovering from current conditions with the help of a functional medicine provider.
What Does Functional Medicine Do?
Functional medicine takes a holistic approach to your health. In functional medicine clinics, providers get to know you personally by researching and discussing your medical history, family history, and current lifestyle. Then, they use your genetic and environmental conditions to develop a customized plan that addresses your physical, mental, and emotional needs to restore your health and well-being.
These plans incorporate modifiable aspects of your life, such as nutrition, exercise, and sleep. In this way, these treatments' narrow scope and multi-faceted approach help you achieve transformational results. Functional medicine clinicians guide you in cultivating better health so you can live a more fulfilling life.
Chronic diseases are increasingly common and costly. But according to the Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System, functional medicine improves patient health outcomes and may cost patients less money over time. Functional medicine is key to reversing chronic disease trends and supporting health and healing worldwide.
Some functional medicine clinicians concentrate on food as medicine, combining optimized nutrition with lifestyle and behavior adjustments. Other providers create teams of physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, registered dietitians, behavioral health therapists, and health coaches to deliver comprehensive treatments. Still others collaborate with conventional medicine clinicians.
Which Conditions Does Functional Medicine Treat?
Common chronic and inflammatory conditions functional medicine helps manage include:
Adrenal disorders
Allergies
Alzheimer’s disease
Arthritis
Asthma
Autoimmune disease
Cancer prevention
Cardiovascular disease
Celiac disease
Chronic pain
Dementia
Diabetes
Digestive disorders
Environmental exposures
Fibromyalgia
Food sensitivities
Heart disease
Inflammatory bowel disease
Men’s health
Metabolic syndrome and pre-diabetes
Thyroid disorders
Women’s health
If you don’t have a chronic illness, you can still benefit from functional medicine services, as many functional medicine providers also offer preventative care.
What Do Functional Medicine Treatments Involve?
Functional medicine providers review every relevant aspect of your life to determine the root causes of illness. They spend more time with you to gather the detailed information they need.
During a functional medicine appointment, your provider may ask you about the following:
Emotional well-being
Exercise habits
Family history
Health goals
Hobbies
Medical history
Nutrition
Sleep patterns
Stressors
Timeline of symptoms
Work life
Usually, they also conduct a physical exam and request bloodwork.
They will base their treatment plan for you on all of this data. What’s more, their treatment plan won’t be limited to a prescription. Instead, it will encourage you to make changes in several areas of your life so you can manage your illness, not just mitigate symptoms. Of course, they will also prescribe medication and recommend conventional medical procedures for immediate medical needs.
Then, your functional medicine provider will monitor your symptoms and track your progress. They will continue to adjust your treatment plan as necessary to overcome your condition and perfect your health. They will consider your input while keeping you responsible for your choices that relate to your condition and treatment. As a result, your functional medicine provider will create a collaborative partnership with you.
Such a treatment plan and partnership can exist with a more traditional doctor, but it is not as common. On the contrary, these elements are the core of functional medicine services.
Which Medical Professionals Practice Functional Medicine?
Before pursuing functional medicine, a functional medicine provider becomes certified as another kind of medical professional. They then add the specialization of functional medicine to their existing credentials by continuing their education. A medical professional who identifies as a functional medicine provider has committed to using a functional medicine model for their patients.
A wide variety of medical professionals provide functional medicine services. Some functional medicine providers are doctors of medicine (MDs), while others are doctors of osteopathic medicine (DOs). Both MDs and DOs have completed residencies, can prescribe medication, and have state medical licenses. DOs may also be board-certified like MDs, but only MDs have an MD degree.
Other medical professionals who practice functional medicine include nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Some of these individuals take additional classes specific to functional medicine. But the American Association of Family Physicians has only accredited some, not all, functional medicine courses. Consequently, the field of functional medicine isn’t standardized like traditional medicine.
So, you should carefully research any medical professionals from whom you’re considering receiving functional medicine services. Some of functional medicine’s foundational principles aren’t yet scientifically proven. Additionally, some functional medicine treatment methods have little supporting scientific evidence and can even be dangerous. For these reasons, you must ensure your functional medicine provider has standardized medical credentials and your state’s medical license.
How Does Functional Medicine Differ from Integrative Medicine?
Functional medicine is similar to integrative medicine in that both take a holistic, individualized approach to your health and use diet and nutrition as primary treatment tools.
However, functional medicine continues to incorporate other tools such as blood tests, allergy tests, and genetic testing. Integrative medicine is less likely to do so and will probably focus instead on mind-body aspects of health.
Integrative medicine practitioners are also less likely to prescribe conventional medications and more likely to propose noninvasive treatments.
Why Should You See a Functional Medicine Provider?
The benefits of seeing a functional medicine provider include:
More personalized healthcare
Functional medicine gives you more time with your provider, a clearer picture of your overall health, and a customized treatment plan.
Deeper understanding of your illness
Functional medicine reveals how factors like genetics, mental health, and lifestyle habits contribute to your condition. Your treatment plan will improve your whole health by addressing these and other factors.
An alternative to traditional treatments
If your chronic illness hasn’t responded well to the typical treatments, functional medicine gives you other options that may work better than or work well with your existing treatment plan.
Where Can You See a Functional Medicine Provider?
If you want a personalized health plan that targets the sources of your condition, not just the symptoms, you might be ready for functional medicine. At Empathica, we’re always ready with holistic care. Our functional medicine services develop a deeper picture of your health. We also offer member-discounted wholesale rates for speciality and functional diagnostic testing. We only order the panels you need. Then, we’ll walk you through the results and incorporate them into your care plan.
Contact us today to get started.