Functional Medicine
What is Functional Medicine?
Functional Medicine is science-based medical model that combines traditional wisdom with modern science. It is a personalized approach that considers the human body to be an interconnected whole and aims to address the underlying causes of chronic disease. Its therapeutic goals are to reverse or prevent disease progression, enhance vitality and restore health. The functional medicine model is one that engages both the patient and practitioner in a therapeutic partnership.
The functional medicine model draws from knowledge from a variety of disciplines and recognizes the body’s innate ability for self-healing. Functional medicine utilizes sophisticated assessment and laboratory testing to discover early indications of potential imbalances and uncover root causes of illness.
Root causes of disease (known in functional medicine as triggers) often work together, in combination with genetic factors and life experiences to create a “perfect storm” for the development of chronic symptoms or ill health. Triggers can be a highly stressful event, a medication, an infection (bacterial or viral), a food sensitivity, nutritional deficiency, poor diet or an environmental toxin.
Functional medicine aims to treat chronic disease by removing triggers and correcting imbalances. Natural therapies (including diet, supplements and positive lifestyle changes) are utilized with the goal of improving vitality and restoring health.
Functional Medicine is grounded in the following principles:
Acknowledges Biochemical individuality — there are many factors (genetics, our environment, life experiences), make each of us unique; customized treatment plans take these factors into consideration.
Patient-centered — emphasizes personalized care rather than disease care.
Holistic — sees the body as an interconnected whole that is in dynamic relationship to its environment.
Integrative — combines the best of traditional medicine and modern scientific research and emphasizes the importance of health-supportive diet and lifestyle.
Investigative — seeks to uncover the root cause of a problem or health condition (genetics, lifestyle, stressors, diet and environment are all contributing factors).
The body has an innate ability for self-healing when obstacles to healing are removed.
Participatory — the patient is encouraged to play an active role in the healing process.
Safe — uses natural and least toxic therapies first.
Views health as a positive vitality — not merely the absence of disease.
Restorative — aims to promote optimal health and improve quality of life.
What is Functional Nutrition?
Functional Nutrition is a nutrition model which combines the best of traditional nutrition with modern scientific research. It aims to identify root causes and imbalances to improve patient health outcomes. In the Functional Nutrition model, the nutrition needs of individuals are addressed through an advanced nutrition assessment which often includes specialized testing which goes beyond your standard lab tests. Removing what is causing harm (i.e. toxins in foods, highly processed foods, foods to which you might be sensitive to) and adding what is beneficial (i.e. nutrients to correct deficiencies, quality phytonutrient-dense foods, probiotics and healing foods to address specific conditions or blood biomarkers) are the essentials of Functional Nutrition.
