Functional medicine is very different from conventional medicine. While conventional medicine looks to treat symptoms of diseases, functional medicine focuses on the actual functioning of the body. It views the body as an integrative system of systems and organs that influence each other. In functional medicine, there are no one-size-fits-all approaches. Instead, the treatment for symptoms will always vary depending on the person and will take into account the bigger picture of the case. Functional medicine approaches the disease and body in a holistic way and aims to treat the root cause of the symptoms.
Everyone Benefits
There is not a single approach when it comes to functional medicine. When a diagnosis is done through this method, every aspect of the individual’s life, the family history, and past medical conditions are taken into account. This makes the treatment tailored to the individual. You can be sure that you are getting a specific treatment just for you.
Treating Chronic Illnesses
When an acute condition has gone on for too long, it can turn into a chronic condition, the symptoms of which resurface only once in a while. While they may be no symptoms, the disease keeps on working underneath. Functional medicine, unlike conventional medicine, understands that diseases can exist without necessarily showing symptoms. If you have something that you do not suspect in your body, a functional medicine doctor will uncover it.
Disease Prevention
Functional medicine deals not only with the consequences of the disease but also works on preventing diseases that one may be predisposed to. If there are certain weaknesses in the body, a functional medicine doctor can work with you on those so that you prevent diseases relating to it appearing in the future.
Autoimmune Diseases
Autoimmune diseases are widely spread in the modern western world. According to functional medicine, autoimmune diseases are a result of chronic inflammation caused by our lifestyles, environment, and diet. Autoimmune diseases cannot be treated with medication alone but only suppress the immune system. Functional medicine aims to correct the factors that led to this condition in the first place.
Hormonal Imbalances
Hormones are very subtle and are hard to track down let alone balance. Replacement therapy for different hormones can lead to the imbalances of other hormones. The intricate hormonal system can be balanced through a proper correction in the holistic health of the body. This means taking care of all factors like stress, lifestyle, and diet. Functional medicine deals with all of these.
Gives Long-Term Solutions
Functional medicine treatments do not aim to get you better for a couple of days and then go back to normal. The treatments and solutions that functional medicine goes for are ones that are meant to give you long-lasting health and vitality. Functional medicine works on improving the work of all parts of your body and not just the one that was problematic.
Empowers the Patient
As a patient of functional medicine, you are part of the solution. functional medicine does not create passive patients that do not know what is happening to them or what they are being given. Rather, the patient is given the tools and information to make changes in their everyday lives that will benefit their whole health. It aims to create new healthy habits that will improve the body with the help of the patient’s own willpower.
Relatively Inexpensive
Medications that are prescribed by conventional doctors tend to cost a lot and requires to be taken for a long time. Functional medicine uses natural approaches such as lifestyle changes, shifts of habits, and natural supplements to tackle health problems. Unlike standard medication, natural supplements used in functional medicine do not require to be taken longer than a needed period of time in which the body can return to its normal state of functioning.
Better Emotional and Mental Health
Functional medicine stems from the principle that the mind and body are one. When dealing with certain health conditions, a functional medicine doctor will consider your emotional and mental state. When working in this way, the patient will be moved to transform old patterns of thinking and reacting to external conditions. This will drastically improve not only their physical health but also their emotional health leading to better relationships and greater satisfaction from life.
