Functional Medicine enables physicians and other health professionals the ability to practice proactive, predictive, personalized medicine and empowers patients to take an active role in their own health.
Functional Medicine offers a powerful new operating system and clinical model for
assessment, treatment, and prevention of chronic disease to replace the outdated and ineffective acute-care models carried forward from the 20th century.
Functional Medicine incorporates the latest in genetic science, biological systems, and the understanding of how environmental and lifestyle factors influence the emergence and progression of disease.
Our society is experiencing a sharp increase in the number of people who suffer from complex, chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and mental illness, and autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, celiac disease, multiple sclerosis, and Crohn’s disease, to name a few.
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 urgent care (such as appendicitis or a broken leg).
Unfortunately, the acute-care approach to medicine lacks the proper methodology and tools for preventing and treating complex, chronic disease.
There’s a huge gap between research and the way doctors practice. The gap between emerging research in basic sciences and integration into medical practice is enormous —the known gap in the industry is as long as 50 years, particularly in the area of complex, chronic illness.
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.
Functional Medicine practitioners (FMPs) promote wellness by focusing on the fundamental underlying factors that influence every patient’s experience of health and disease. FMPs assess which systems are out of balance and dive deep into what the contributing factors are for that particular patient.
Once the FMP understands the contributing factors to the underlying issue, they design a treatment plan utilizing a systematic, therapeutic order for optimal healing that is unique to the patient’s health story. FMPs consider a range of contributing factors in the overall health story of an individual:
Genetic Makeup
Although individual genes may make you more susceptible to some diseases, your DNA is not an unchanging blueprint for your life. Emerging research shows that your genes may be influenced by everything in your environment, as well as your experiences, attitudes, and beliefs. That means it is possible to change the way genes are activated and expressed.
Environmental Factors
Functional Medicine practitioners look at environmental factors like the quality of air and water you consume, your exposure to ingested and environmental toxins, what types of food you eat, and the quality of that nutrition.
Psychological & Sociological Factors
Psychological, spiritual, and social factors can all have a profound influence on your health. Considering these areas helps the Functional Medicine practitioner see your health in the context of you as a whole person, not just your physical symptoms.
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