This practice is a game-changer when it comes to the treatment of chronic illnesses.
Many patients who have dealt with pain and fatigue for years have started looking beyond the boundaries of traditional medicines.
The manifestation of these causes is different for each individual- functional medicine is all about personalized treatment that can result in long-term benefits.This practice is a game-changer when it comes to the treatment of chronic illnesses.
Many patients who have dealt with pain and fatigue for years have started looking beyond the boundaries of traditional medicines.
If you’re curious about making a dramatic lifestyle change, it’s time to visit a functional medicine practitioner.
In this article, we will discuss why you should consider functional medicine for your health and wellness.
What is the Role of Functional Medicine Practitioners?
Functional medicine practitioners look at your body as a whole and focus on what caused your disease rather than how it is manifesting.
They are not interested in the symptoms primarily but rather seek to find out as much as they can about your lifestyle and habits.
Why?
Because the symptoms can point to various conditions, but what they won’t show is what’s the root cause of them.
Consequently, functional medicine practitioners start by analyzing your lifestyle – most of all, things like:
● Genetics
● Epigenetics – the study of how your environment can change how your genes work.
● Nutrition
● Sleep patterns
● Stress levels
● Exercise routine
Observing everything holistically will help practitioners identify the best possible treatment that works best for you.
WHY?
WHY CHOOSE FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE?
Functional medicine provides patients with personalized care tailored to their needs.
The objective of each treatment is to identify the root cause of your illness or, to target any potential areas of your overall health that could lead to potential illness.
Functional medicine treats the root cause. This practice delves deep into your medical history through the investigation of your diet, environment, exercise routine, sleep and lifestyle.
It provides an opportunity to eliminate those triggers to improve your health.
“Nothing excites me more than getting to the root cause of what’s troubling a patient,” says Dr Francesca Leblanc of Labwell Healthcare, who also faced burnout from chronic illness.
Functional medicine providers will spend time listening to you in order to gather an incredibly detailed medical history. The goal is to identify all the triggers that add up and cause your illness, so this step is needed.
The list often includes factors such as genetics, poor nutrition, and stress, but it does not end there. Toxins, allergens, hidden infections and your microbiome can greatly contribute to your disease too.
Once a functional medicine practitioner identifies the triggers, they will provide you with a customized lifestyle plan designed especially for you.
This plan addresses most of your physical needs, including nutrition, sleep, and exercise, but it will also tackle the mental and emotional stressors in your life.
Interested in starting your journey to better wellness?
Ready to Detox?
HOW?
HOW WILL FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE PRACTITIONERS
HELP YOU?
Once your nutrition is back on track, your caregivers will introduce a series of lifestyle and behavioural interventions to improve your health or reduce the burden of your chronic disease.
For instance, they may suggest swapping tap water with ionized alkaline water. It can lead to perfect hydration, and it’s needless to say that’s one of the keys to improving your well-being.
Naturopathic Doctors
Most functional medicine clinics have teams of practitioners that specialize in different disciplines:
Naturopathic Doctors-
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● Holistic Cancer Practitioners
● Holistic Nutritionists
● Holistic Dentists
●Homeopathy
If you stick to drinking alkaline water daily, you’ll achieve both short and long-term results. The benefits of drinking Kangen water include slow bone loss, neutralizing acid in your bloodstream, and preventing cancer and heart disease.
It has a higher pH of drinking water due to nutrients added to achieve multiple benefits.
All the info you provide to your caregivers paired up with a multidisciplinary approach creates a complete picture of your current health.
Your doctors will get to know the “whole” you. As a result, they will be able to build a holistic treatment plan.
Examples of functional medicine treatments include acupuncture, naturopathy, massage, chiropractic medicine, osteopathic medicine and body movement therapies.
Having multidisciplinary teams examine your health provides you with a holistic lens of your health.
For example holistic dentists are either on site at functional medicine clinics or are referred to by practitioners.
Holistic dentists not only focus on your oral health but can help identify the root cause of chronic illness. According to Swiss Bio-health, up to 70% of chronic illnesses are connected to interference fields in the oral cavity.
The objective of these treatments is to help address the root cause of your ailment through natural remedies and movement. These treatments can be used as preventive measures to support better health and reduce your risk from illness.
Such an innovative approach to chronic disease management has proved to be highly effective so far.
Advantages of Functional Medicine
Functional medicine is a ground-breaking concept that has multiple benefits over the traditional healthcare system for the following reasons.
It Does Not Suppress Symptoms
The primary goal of functional medicine is to identify the cause and bring the body back to its optimal state of functioning.
It’s about pinpointing the core issues that make you sick.
Moreover, treatment involves support and guidance to help you make the necessary corrective steps.
Personalized Health Plan
Each one of us is different and faces unique circumstances in our lives.
Even with similar symptoms, the actual causes behind our illnesses can vary. Personalized treatment plans can help address health concerns.
Functional medicine practitioners do this by the study of the unique history of the patient, the lifestyle and through lab tests. The plan will match your schedule and health requirements.
The solutions provided can involve multiple steps.
Quite often, changes in lifestyle and nutrition are suggested.
Medication often combines two elements:
Supplements– Oral or topical remedies that use all-natural ingredients. These could include vitamin D, L Thianine or Turmeric- which has been used by practitioners for centuries. It contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. I have a video on the healing properties of turmeric. Click here to watch.
Or
Perfect hydration using kangen water- an important part of detoxification.
Our bodies are over 70% water, the quality of the water we drink should matter. If you want to learn more about the importance of your water quality, I’ve created a YouTube video you can watch here.
Because functional medicine focuses on personalization, patient-doctor partnerships are developed.
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Broad-based Methodology
Functional medicine practitioners will acknowledge the benefits of both traditional and functional medicine.If treatment doesn’t work, there’s little hesitation to tap into other forms of healing techniques. At the end of the day, the goal is to heal patients.The combination of healing methods with the proper diet, sleep, and exercise will help you see noticeable changes in your health.In functional medicine, lifestyle changes and natural supplements are the first steps of treatment. Only when these two options don’t yield the desired results, pharmaceuticals are used. In functional medicine, practitioners will use other disciplines to help you heal.
What Can You Expect When You Visit Functional Medicine Practitioners?
Most functional medicine practitioners will ask you to fill in a highly detailed medical history questionnaire before your first visit.
Your answers will form the base for the investigation, which aims to identify all the causes of your current condition.
What kind of questions can you expect to see in this medical history questionnaire?
● Questions referring to your lifestyle (your diet, work, activity level, hobbies, and potential stressors)
● Questions about your genetics (the history of physical and mental conditions in your family)
● Questions about the environment (potential exposure to toxins and allergens)
At your first appointment, your doctors will take a comprehensive medical history and lifestyle assessment- first visits on average last for at least three hours.
By the end of your first visit, you will have a better understanding of the “food as medicine” philosophy.
Your health goals will be clearly defined as well as your treatment course and follow-up care.
Conclusion
Ultimately, functional medicine helps you reflect on your habits, replace the unhealthy ones, and reinforce the new – more beneficial ones for you.
The complex interactions of the biochemical and physiological factors play a major role in becoming the healthiest version of you.
Functional medicine is a unique approach that allows you to walk away with a personalized solution that will work for you.
Without a doubt, this personalized form of treatment is something that you should consider incorporating into your healthcare.
