what is functional medicine?
Although it is becoming more widely recognized, many people are new to the term “functional medicine” or are not sure what makes it different from other approaches. It’s important to understand the philosophy and methods of functional medicine before you decide who to work with on your health journey. So, what exactly is functional medicine? read on to learn more…
definition
The Institute for Functional Medicine explains, “Functional medicine determines how and why illness occurs and restores health by addressing the root cause for each individual.”
Functional Medicine involves:
Patient-centered and personalized care. Functional medicine (FM) practitioners create personalized plans for their patients and clients instead of doling out one-size-fits-all solutions. FM considers each individual’s health history, genetics, lifestyle, and overall story to tailor a plan to their life, body, and goals.
systems-based, root cause treatment. Imagine captaining a boat that has a slow leak. Eventually, it will fill with water. You can either spend the rest of your journey finding ways to remove the water or you can find and repair the source(s) of the leak. Restoring health is similar. It is important to get to the root of the problem instead of using band-aid solutions. To do this, FM considers the entire body system. One condition can have many causes, and one cause can lead to many conditions. Taking a systems-based approach can help paint a clearer picture of what’s happening in the body and lead to more targeted treatments.
optimizing health. Picture the last time you felt okay but not your best. What does that day look like? How does your mind feel? How does your body feel? Now picture the last time you felt amazing! What’s the difference? So, why would you settle for feeling okay when you could feel amazing, or at least closer to it? Functional medicine uses narrower reference ranges when looking at lab test results. For example, a typical lab may show that a fasting blood glucose of 70-100 mg/dL is within a healthy range. Meanwhile, a functional medicine doctor will target a fasting blood sugar level between 75-90mg/dL for patients to feel their best.
Most conventional doctors won’t treat a patient unless they are out of the “good enough” range. It is unfortunately common for patients to be told that their doctor can’t do anything for them until their numbers reach a certain point. Conversely, from a FM perspective, prevention is key. There are ways to keep your health from entering the danger zone, thereby avoiding medication or other treatments.
Lifestyle Methods. In functional medicine, we aim to promote health versus solely treat disease. If the system is healthy, it can fight its own battles, even without pharmaceuticals. Our bodies were designed to do so. Lifestyle interventions are the preferred way to cultivate this state of optimal functioning. Of course, there will be times that medication is the best way to go, but why not save some money and reduce side effects when possible? To create wellness and heal the body, most FM practitioners will suggest lifestyle changes in the areas of movement, nutrition, social or spiritual connection, stress reduction, and sleep. It’s not uncommon to discuss work satisfaction, relationships, and more when determining the best course of action for healing.
holistic vs. integrative vs. functional
You may be thinking, “This sounds a lot like holistic and integrative medicine,” and you would be correct! There are many similarities between these types of healing. They each deviate from the conventional approach and have overlapping qualities. Let’s take a quick look:
Conventional/western medicine centers on treating a named condition by way of alleviating symptoms, usually with pharmaceuticals, surgery, or other invasive measures. The body is usually seen as a collection of separate organ systems. Most conventional practitioners address the system where the symptoms are presenting versus assessing potential correlations with other organs. While this approach is appropriate for some cases, it is less successful when treating chronic conditions. For example, a sluggish thyroid may actually be a downstream effect of a liver issue. Treating the thyroid alone will not ultimately create overall health.
Holistic medicine is a style of medicine that takes into account mind, body, and spirit. Holistic practitioners believe that each area must be healthy and in alignment with the others in order to maintain wellness.
Integrative medicine applies a holistic style to conventional medicine. This approach integrates (get it?) conventional and non-conventional methods, such as homeopathy, naturopathy, massage, aromatherapy, yoga, meditation, acupuncture, and more.
Functional medicine takes a holistic, personalized approach to address the root cause of an issue using tools from conventional and integrative medicine. Personalized, root cause medicine is the distinguishing factor between functional medicine and other approaches.
how functional medicine helps
Chronic disease massively affects our population and our healthcare system. The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) shared the following statistics:
50% of adults have at least one chronic health condition (Ward et al. Prev Chronic Dis. 2014;11:130389.)
25% of adults have two or more chronic health conditions (Wang et al. Lancet. 2016;388(10053):1459-544.)
Chronic diseases account for 86% of all healthcare costs ($3.2 trillion in 2015, and growing) (Gerteis et al. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2014.)(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. NHE Fact Sheet.)
Functional medicine offers a path to discovering and addressing the root cause of chronic conditions, thereby alleviating patients of continued or worsening disease, as well as the cost of treatments/medications that are not designed to address the causes of their symptoms.
how unlock wellness can help
At Unlock Wellness, I coach through a functional medicine lens. When we work together, we will discuss everything from symptoms to lifestyle to social support. I’ll help you assess which areas of life need bolstering in order to create and maintain health. We all have a few! I have been trained by IFM and am a firm believer in the FM approach. It has helped me along my own health journey and I know it can help you, too!
Visit ifm.org to find out more about functional medicine, and book a free consultation call with me to learn how we can apply this approach to your health!