What is Functional Medicine?
Functional medicine is healthcare for the 21st century. Instead of treating symptoms of individual diseases, functional medicine looks to support the underlying dysfunctions present in the systems biology that contribute to disease. We believe you can’t diagnose or treat someone by assuming they are the same as everyone else. By evaluating your environment and advanced diagnostic testing we are able to help you re-balance your systems biology and unleash your body’s inherent healing ability to reverse disease, naturally.
FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE VS. CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE
Functional
Medicine
INTEGRATIVE
It treats symptoms by addressing underlying cause of the problem, which leads to more profound and longer lasting results.
HOLISTIC
Treats the body as an interconnected whole, and recognizes the importance of these connections in health and disease.
SAFE
Treatments have mild or no side effects, and other unrelated complaints often improve spontaneously.
PATIENT-COVERED
Treats the patient, not the disease. Treatments are highly individualized based on patient needs.
PARTICIPATORY
Patient is respected, empowered, educated and encouraged to play active role in healing process.
INTEGRATIVE
Combines the best of both modern and traditional medicines and emphasizes importance of diet and lifestyle.
RESTORATIVE
Test and treatments designed to promote optimal function, presented and reverse disease, and improve quality of life.
PREVENTATIVE
Guided by the ancient Greek saying, "The greatest medicine of all is teaching people how not to need it.”
EVIDENCE-BASED
Based on the latest research from peer-reviewed medical journals, and not corrupted by corporate and political interests.
Conventional
Medicine
SUPERFICIAL
Masks or suppresses symptoms, but does not address underlying cause, which creates “patients for life”.
DUALISTIC
Views the body as a collection of separate parts, each of which has its own doctor (i.e., cardiologist, podiatrist, etc.)
SIDE EFFECTS
Treatments can have side effects and complications.
DISEASE CENTERED
Treats the disease, not the patient. Patients with the same disease gets the same treatment, regardless of their differences.
AUTOCRATIC
Patient's opinion is often discounted or ignored, little time is spent on education, and patient may be discouraged from playing active role.
LIMITED
Relies almost exclusively on drugs and surgery, in spite of their risks and complications.
PALLITATIVE
Tests and treatments designed to prevent death and manage serious disease, without dealing with the underlying cause.
REACTIVE
Focused on managing disease after it has already reached an irreversible state.
PROFIT DRIVEN
Heavily include by profit-driven pharmaceutical and insurance companies.