What is Functional Medicine?
Functional Diagnostic Medicine (FDM) is about improving your lifespan and even more importantly, your healthspan. As important as it is to live longer, isn’t it more important that you live better? Functional Medicine’s goal is to add years to your life, but also to make those years vital, fulfilling and more enjoyable. That is why functional medicine is Better for Life!
FDM is an approach to your health problem(s) that relies on an exhaustive medical history, physical examination, as well as basic and advanced testing. These efforts help to identify where measures may be taken to help you to feel better with more energy and fewer symptoms while reducing your current or future reliance on drugs and surgery.
- Our primary focus is on identifying the underlying cause(s) of disease such as exposure to environmental toxins (e.g. molds or heavy metals), infections (parasitic, viral or bacterial) as well as genetic factors, etc.
- We use primarily natural approaches to address any identified problems, including
- Removing offending external factors stressing your body’s immune system and ability to thrive,
- Supplementing, when appropriate, to support your metabolic pathways related to abnormal physiology, and
- Modifying lifestyle factors (e.g. diet, sleep, exercise, etc.) that create chronic stress on your body’s ability to maintain normal function.
Functional Diagnostic Medicine is NOT a replacement for traditional medical care which provides heroic life-saving protocols to address acutely threatening symptoms of disease. In fact, our office requires that you have and consult your own medical doctor and keep them informed of all the measures you are taking to improve your health. In some cases, we may even need to work with your medical doctor to help you achieve your greatest possible outcomes.
Why Choose Functional Medicine?
Today’s healthcare challenge is not being met by conventional medicine alone. Our society is suffering a tidal wave of chronic illness, such as heart disease, autoimmune conditions, mental illnesses, and cancers. Traditional medical approaches deal well with acute presentations. However, without the pursuit of underlying cause, those acute conditions are only managed until the ongoing damage sets the stage for longer term, complex chronic diseases. Medical doctors graduating today are ill equipped to deal with the genetic, environmental and other unique individual factors that perpetuate these conditions.
- Chronic Conditions: If you’ve been struggling with long-term health issues like digestive problems, fatigue, autoimmune disease, or hormonal imbalances, traditional medicine may have left you feeling frustrated. Functional Medicine offers hope by addressing the root causes of these complex conditions.
- Personalized Care: We believe that one-size-fits-all treatments don’t work. Your health is unique, and so is your treatment plan. We take the time to understand your individual needs and create a customized approach to help you on your unique path to optimal wellness.
- Preventative Care: Functional Medicine is not just about treating illness; it’s about preventing it. By identifying and addressing potential health risks early on, we can help you avoid future problems and enjoy a higher quality of life.
How is Functional Medicine Different?
Functional Medicine empowers you to take control of your health. We partner with you to uncover the underlying factors contributing to your symptoms, such as diet, lifestyle, and environmental exposures. Our approach combines the best of conventional medicine with natural therapies to create a comprehensive and effective treatment plan that is right for you.
If you would like help discovering the root cause of your health challenges, contact us at 916-741-2041