WHAT IS FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE?
Admittedly, life in the 21st century is not what it was even 50 years ago. The pace of advancements has accelerated at an unprecedented speed, bringing with them an array of new innovative ways to adapt. Functional medicine is the next step in healthcare: a medical practice that better addresses the healthcare needs of the running times.
This new model offers a patient-centered approach, as opposed to the traditional disease-centered focus. This way, functional medicine addresses the person as a whole, and not the symptoms separately.
Practitioners of Functional medicine are trained to offer highly personalized care. They take the time to listen to their patients and thus make connections between genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. This way, they can have an overview of long-term health and even address potential complex, chronic diseases.
What Makes It Different?
Functional medicine focuses on identifying the root cause of disease and addressing it. At its core are:
Patient-centered care
This promotes a definition of health that goes beyond the absence of disease. As they listen to the patient, practitioners offer back insight and personalize the treatments and overall care.
Its integrative, science-based approach
Functional medicine practitioners take the complex map of interactions in the patient’s history, physiology, and lifestyle to discover potential pathways to illness. This approach factors in the genetic makeup, internal components of wellbeing (mind, body, spirit), and external constituents, like the social and physical environment.
It brings together best medical practices
Functional medicine is a balanced combination of traditional Western medical practices and “alternative” or “integrative” medicine focuses. This way, the focus is put on prevention through implementing the right nutrition, diet, and exercise routines. At the same time, it harnesses the latest lab technologies and other diagnostic techniques, as well as prescribed medication and/or natural remedies and stress management techniques.
What Are The Benefits of Functional Medicine?
As mentioned, the combination of techniques and technology and the personalization of care produce an innovative medical approach designed for the 21st century. The result is a whole health method that not only aims at eradicating disease, but at promoting a healthy life. Therefore, some of the benefits include:
- A surge in energy
- Restorative sleep
- Consistent libido
- An improved mood
- Sharper memory
- Enhanced body composition
- Increased muscle mass
- Optimal bone density
- Youthful appearance
- Better stress management
- Less pain
- A robust immune system
- A decrease in the risk of chronic diseases