The chronic disease epidemic is creating a healthcare crisis both nationally and globally. Undoubtedly, chronic disease is a phenomenon, that is influenced by food, lifestyle, environment, and genetics.
Aside from the profound healthcare spending costs, and poor related outcomes for such massive spending, our current healthcare model has been not been effective in providing solutions to correct or prevent chronic disease. Despite the many advances and benefits of traditional healthcare, today’s healthcare problems cannot be solved by more drugs or surgery.
What is Functional Medicine?
Functional Medicine is an approach to healthcare that asks questions regarding how and why illness occurs by uncovering and addressing the root cause of disease. This paradigm focuses on identifying and restoring dysfunctions in the body at the cellular level.
It is important to understand that chronic disease is almost always preceded by a decline in the function of one of the body’s systems. Restoring those functions is paramount to restoring wellness and reversing disease.
The functional medicine philosophy recognizes each patient is a unique individual with a unique set of genetics and biochemistry (chemical make- up), as well as a unique set of environmental and lifestyle factors.
Functional medicine seeks to understand the patient in context by using a structured process to uncover the significant life events of each patient’s history. This allows the practitioner to gain a better understanding of the client as an individual. The mutual participatory relationship that is formed calls for the client to take agency with learning, as well as carry out the lifestyle and restorative therapies recommended to achieve optimal and sustained results.
The Functional Medicine approach relies less on synthetic drugs, and more on the thorough investigation of the patient using the following tools:
A Comprehensive Medical History
Evaluation of the patient’s Lifestyle and Environmental Factors
Comprehensive Physical Evaluation
Functional outcomes-based laboratory evaluation
Emphasis on patient education creates less dependence on the healthcare system.
A Functional Medicine Treatment Plan which may include nutritional interventions, and nutraceuticals (vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, botanicals). Lifestyle changes (improving sleeping quality/quantity, increasing physical activity, decreasing stress, and learning stress management techniques).
Functional Medicine is playing a key role in preventing, treating, and reversing chronic disease, and will continue to be impactful and relevant to the Future of Modern Medicine.