What Is Functional Medicine?
“Functional Medicine is a new scientific approach to health and wellness where we focus on the root cause of the problem.”
The movement of functional medicine is an evolution in the practice of medicine. By shifting the traditional disease-centred medical practice to a more patient-centred approach, functional medicine addresses the human body as a connected web, rather than a combination of systems and organs operating in isolation.
Functional practitioners take the time to listen to patients and carefully analyse the interactions amongst genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that can influence long-term health and disease.
The functional medicine approach involves understanding the origins of illness and the prevention and treatment of complex symptoms.
What is the difference between Functional and Conventional Medicine?
The foundation of functional medicine is the use of food as medicine and lifestyle interventions to prevent, treat and reverse chronic disease. After working in a conventional primary care setting, we are convinced that many chronic conditions can be treated and prevented using the functional medicine principles of care.
Who needs functional medicine?
The increasing prevalence of complex chronic conditions in our society, with individuals living longer yet suffering from various health issues, is a concerning trend. It is evident that autoimmune disorders, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and mental health disorders are becoming increasingly common. These conditions necessitate a holistic approach that delves deeper than merely symptom management. Functional medicine emerges as a promising solution by recognising and tackling the underlying causes of these ailments, thereby laying the foundation for enhanced health outcomes and overall well-being.
Functional medicine addresses root causes of illness, preventing and treating factors behind chronic conditions. It optimises body systems for health and well-being along a continuum, aiming to prevent disease manifestation.
History & Values of Functional Medicine
In 1991, the Institute for Functional Medicine was founded on the basis of the following seven defining characteristics of functional medicine:
Patient-centred rather than disease-centred.
Web-like interconnectedness of physiological factors.
Dynamic balance of gene-environment interactions.
Personalised, based on biochemical interactions.
Promotion of organ reserve and sustained health span.
Health is a positive vitality, not merely the absence of disease.
Function-focused versus pathology-focused.
How does it work?
Functional medicine addresses the root cause rather than just symptom management, practitioners take the time to analyse and consider your 'whole' health history using cutting-edge investigations such as microbiome testing, organic acids, nutritional testing and hormonal testing. The practitioner then delivers a personalised treatment plan to resolve the underlying imbalances rather than mask the symptoms.
