The Benefits of Functional Medicine

Functional Medicine is a system-based medical approach that treats the cause of your health problems rather than just the symptoms. It is not a replacement for conventional medicine but it can be an effective addition to your medical care.    

Functional medicine is a new model for medicine that uses a systems biology approach to the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Its focus is on the underlying causes of illness, which can be linked to genetics, diet, environment, and lifestyle factors. Traditional medical practice is rooted in the disease model whereby the doctor diagnoses an illness, prescribes medication to treat it, and monitors your progress. This is sometimes combined with dietary changes, exercise, and stress management to help you recover from your condition.

Modern functional medicine is an integration of this traditional approach and a new understanding of how the body works. This new understanding is based on an individual's unique interaction with their genome and their environmental exposures. The Center For Functional Medicine model is centered on identifying the root cause of a patient's condition and treating it with a comprehensive and personalized plan to restore function, improve quality of life and prevent future disease.    

In Functional Medicine, the doctor takes a broad look at your symptoms and disease and uses specialized lab work to get a clearer picture of what's going on inside your body. This can reveal the presence of toxins or hidden infections that may be causing your chronic health problems. It can also identify the balance between metabolites in your brain that can affect mood, or salivary hormones that regulate your stress response.