Functional Medicine is a science-based personalized healthcare approach that assesses and treats underlying causes of illness through individually tailored therapies to restore health and improve function.
In Functional Medicine, we use lab testing, supplements, nutrition and lifestyle counseling to help heal the body, mind and spirit. Functional Medicine treats the root cause of disease, as well as the symptoms.
Unlike conventional medicine, which emphasizes the use of drugs to treat individual symptoms, Functional Medicine focuses on the person as a whole and strives to achieve optimal functioning of the entire body and its organs. It uses a systems-oriented approach while seeking to understand a patient’s health history and the environment in which the disease manifested over time. Genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors have a direct influence on overall health. We are able to identify imbalances in the body and treat the underlying causes of a person’s illness, discomfort or discontent.
One aspect of Functional Medicine is detoxification. DETOX is a huge buzzword these days and rightly so. We are bombarded daily with toxins in our water, food and environment, as well as many of the body products we use. However, a simple detox might not necessarily solve the problem. The whole body, with all its various systems, must be addressed. For example, the adrenal glands and the gastrointestinal tract are important “body systems” in Functional Medicine. Healing these two areas can be life-changing. Once those systems are healed and in good working condition, the detoxification process will be more successful. Nutrition, supplements, lifestyle changes, and exercise can be used to treat imbalances, detox the body, and hasten our return to optimal health.
