What is Functional and Integrative Medicine?
Functional and Integrative Medicine is an approach to health care that evaluates functional systems, not just by treating symptoms. An example is that certain micronutrients are essential for our bodies to function optimally, and the lack of these essential nutrients can lead to illness. Functional and Integrative Medicine uses sophisticated laboratory testing procedures to examine biochemical imbalances in the body, which can cause or complicate a specific health problem. Doctors that practice Functional and Integrative Medicine use the test results to reinstate balance into the body often by designing personalized diets or supplementation programs. Giving the body what it needs to function normally will help the patient feel better.
Can Functional and Integrative Medicine be combined with current medical approaches?
Absolutely. Functional and Integrative Medicine is considered a complementary medicine that is available to enhance the quality of healthcare. Functional and Integrative Medicine offers a natural, non-toxic alternative in dealing with most chronic health problems.
When you talk about "Functional and Integrative Medicine," does that just mean changing a person's diet?
Many people believe this statement. Unfortunately, eating a good diet is not easy to do these days. Research shows that certain nutrients are inadequate in our diets - vitamins, for example. It is difficult to get the quantity of vitamins necessary to help prevent diseases like osteoporosis simply by eating a good diet. Functional and Integrative Medicine involves a good diet, which is fundamental, and specific supplementation based on individual need, which can make all the difference in a person's overall health.
How is Functional and Integrative Medicine different from what doctors are doing today?
Functional and Integrative Medicine is focused on correcting underlying causes of health problems. In traditional medicine, doctors are trained to diagnose and then use a variety of drugs that can help relieve a particular symptom. This approach usually does not address the cause of the problem, but may significantly improve the symptom. A good example of this method is migraine headaches. The traditional approach would be to treat the symptom with aspirin or other painkiller. A Functional and Integrative Medicine approach is to test for food allergies or a magnesium deficiency since both are common causes of migraine headaches. Functional and Integrative Medicine might also attempt to determine some other possibility (such as toxicity) that could be causing the headache.
What types of illness do you treat with Functional and Integrative Medicine?
Functional and Integrative Medicine is primarily aimed at "chronic illness". Conditions like cardiovascular disease, inflammatory bowel disease, neurological disorders, musculoskeletal disorders (like arthritis and fibromyalgia), autoimmune diseases, and certain types of cancers are all types of "chronic illness". Acute illnesses are better served by traditional medicine. Functional and Integrative Medicine offers a therapy that addresses the root of a condition, not the symptoms, providing the body with the components to heal within and help prevent the onset of disease.
What about the safety issues and proper dosages when taking nutrient supplements and herbal products?
One of the benefits of Functional and Integrative Medicine is that it employs compounds that have evolved with the body. Vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids are part of what naturally make up the body. Consequently, they are very low in toxicity. The body is capable of handling them, even in doses much higher than the recommended daily allowance. Herbal products, on the other hand, are used as an alternative therapy that can produce pharmaceutical effects similar to drugs. They are not natural to the body; so, there is a difference between herbal medicine and nutritional medicine in terms of potential toxicity.
Phone
Website feedback?