Functional Medicine

What Is Functional Medicine?

Functional medicine aims at arriving at an understanding of the root cause of the condition and focuses on restoring balance in the body. It aims at not just treating symptoms, but improving overall well-being and longevity.

Functional medicine is especially relevant and effective in those suffering from hormonal imbalances, neurological conditions, and other chronic ailments. The main factor that sets functional medicine apart from conventional medicine is that it delves deeper than symptomatic healing, which is one of the significant factors contributing to its effectiveness and long-term gain. Since this approach offers a more sustained impact and only takes to medication as a last resort, it has become an increasingly preferred option across the world.

Functional Medicine – The Premise

Although functional medicine is gaining popularity, several myths surround this form of healing. Here are some basic premises of functional medicine that enable you to understand it better:

• Functional medicine is an evolving science. It is quite unlike the medicine of yore, which drew from family remedies and cures. In fact, it goes a step further in being so scientific that it attempts to establish relations between conditions, genetics, lifestyle and bodily predispositions in finding root causes and treating them permanently.
• The foundation of functional medicine and its application lies in the acknowledgment that every individual is unique, and the course of treatment revolves more around the individual than the ailment itself. The ideology of this practice lies in supporting the body to strengthen its healing mechanisms rather than fighting problems.
• Functional medicine believes strongly that the body possesses restorative powers that can help prevent and treat most ailments and also regulate bodily systems and balance.
• The practice does not invest in the discovery and formulation of potent medication, but focuses on an inquiry into the existence of conditions and probing into the life, history, and practices that may be the potential triggers for imbalances in the function of the body and health conditions.
• Unlike popular medicinal practices that aim to eliminate diseases prevalent in the body, functional medicine focuses on energizing the body and enabling it to work with more energy and vitality.

Functional Medicine – The Model

Functional medicine recognizes that while there may be one critical imbalance in the body that may manifest as numerous conditions and complications, there could also be a single condition that may give rise to several imbalances in the body. The main shortcoming of the popular systems of medicine is that it does not consider this while treating patients but, instead, is restricted to addressing symptoms in isolation or the manner in which they present themselves.

Functional Medicine – The Steps    

The six important fundamentals that come into play while practicing functional medicine are:

• Co-existence of genetic and environmental factors – both environmental and genetic factors contribute to traits, personality as well as physical and mental health. However, the two also interact with one another very closely to influence each other. With an understanding of their interaction and the resulting physical outcomes, it is possible to design suitable corrective measures that can help address issues such as inflammation, which make for the root causes of several diseases.
• Signal regulation – While conventional medicine looks at completely inhibiting the production of mediators of inflammation, functional medicine aims to control overproduction, regulate bodily processes, and restrict interference in the natural functioning of the body.
• Multimodal approach – Functional medicine attempts to use a variety of interventions to achieve harmony in the body. These include a combination of diet plan, exercise, rest and sleep, and the supplementation of other essential needs of the body like vitamins, nutrients, hormones. It also focuses on mental health with techniques such as alleviation of stressors and other dysfunctions.
• The relation between patients and ailments – While the role of patients and their disposition in relation to illnesses has already been established, it is important to remember that patients form an active partner in the healing process. Focusing on this aspect ensures that they are heard, consulted, and involved at each stage. This collaborative approach gives better input and better results.
• System-based approach – Another differentiating factor between functional and conventional methods of healing is that functional medicine uses a science that studies bodily systems as opposed to organs in treating individuals.
• In-depth analysis – Rather than focusing on real-time and momentary issues, functional medicine focuses on patient history, family history, and genetic predisposition to arrive at a holistic diagnosis and possible courses of treatment.