Why You Should Choose Functional Medicine
Functional Medicine (FM) is patient-centered medical healing at its best. Instead of looking at and treating health problems as isolated diseases, it treats individuals who may have bodily symptoms, imbalances and dysfunctions. Physicians who have been trained in the art of Functional Medicine have the skills needed to identify what is happening within your body and even within your external environment that has contributed to what has been diagnosed as a disease. For example, you may have been diagnosed with Diabetes Type 2. A physician trained in FM will run tests, take a comprehensive “whole body and whole person” history and perform exams to unearth what has happened to the function of your organs, cells, metabolic processes, habits, diet, and more to result in the disease condition that carries a diagnosis of diabetes. With all of this information about your body and your life in hand, a FM physician will provide your body with what it needs to function in a healthier way and remove anything that impedes proper physiological function. In our office, this is done without medications, but we will provide you with the lab testing that gives us the physiological data necessary to: replete what is physiologically and biochemically needed and remove what is contributing to what has led your body to “become diabetic;” guide us to provide instruction in unhealthy habits and replacing them with those that will help your body function in a healthier way, natural food consultations, diet and exercise recommendations.
Here are some cases we have treated where the underlying causes of specific diagnoses may surprise you**
A case of hypertension that resolved when underlying magnesium, arginine, and vitamin D deficiencies were uncovered and a medication that raised blood pressure was identified and, with the cooperation of the patient’s MD, lowered and eventually discontinued.
A case of headaches, fatigue and brain fog that were caused by mold sensitivities discovered via Functional Medicine lab tests. Mold was found at this individual’s office. Once the residue of that mold was cleared from the body and nutrients and dietary changes were made and the mold was removed from her office, she made a complete recovery.
A 12 year old diagnosed with ADHD was found to have multiple nutrient deficiencies, including amino acid deficiencies which are the building blocks of the brain messenger molecules that increase attention and focus (ADHD is not a Ritalin deficiency), multiple food sensitivities, and essential fatty acid deficiencies. Essential fatty acid imbalances can contribute to inflammation, even in the brain, and they are the fundamental constituents of brain cells.
A case of a patient with resistant weight gain and sleep deprivation who was found to have unbalanced levels of the stress hormone cortisol which spiked at times of the day it should not and hit bottom at times of the day it should not. Imbalanced cortisol levels can contribute to disruptions in proper thyroid hormone function, depletion of the neurotransmitter serotonin which helps manage sleep, mood and appetite, and increased fat deposition in cells very sensitive to cortisol like those found in the area of the belly. Once tested for cortisol, as well as a more comprehensive thyroid panel than is most often prescribed, vitamin D levels, B vitamins, magnesium and zinc assessed with FM panels to get the most accurate levels, and once given stress management techniques, dietary recommendations^^^, lifestyle recommendations, nutrient repletion, amino acid repletion, and cortisol managing nutrients, this person lost belly fat, gained muscle mass, slept better, was more focused, joyful, and active in all aspects of life.
Cases of autism, IBS, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, high blood fats, anxiety, depression, colitis, hormonal imbalances, menopause, andropause (male menopause), bone loss, reflux, poor digestion, wasting, all kinds of skin disorders, and more are found in the FM literature.
If you or someone you know has suffered with medical conditions that have not been successfully treated over time or if you have been sent from doctor to doctor to doctor or have fallen through the medical system cracks, Functional Medicine may be an option you want to consider seriously.
We invite you to watch this brief video made by one of this country’s most respected and well-known Functional Medicine physicians, Dr. Mark Hyman. It is a brief but very informative addition to this blog.
** Results and treatments of various complaints cannot be predicted or given in advance. Literally, each is a case by case basis.
We have a natural food chef/consultant who is part of our team and available by phone or in our office to discuss how to cook, shop, prepare and come up with easy, quick and foolproof recipes.
Additional note: We work with a wellness partner who inspects homes and offices for the presence of environmental toxins and safely removes them.
