Functional Medicine: What Is It About and Why Do You Need It?
Do you have a chronic illness such as high blood pressure and diabetes and are tired of bouncing from doctor to doctor without getting a lasting solution? If your answer is a resounding yes, then you need to reconsider your options.
Have you ever heard of functional medicine or considered seeking the best functional medicine doctors near you? Functional medicine is not a new concept in medicine. However, it is fundamentally different from what you know as conventional medicine. The approach is different in that conventional medicine employs a disease-centered approach.
On the other hand, functional medicine employs a patient-centered approach. Functional medicine is a breath of fresh air for all the people who have noticed that conventional medicine fails to address many issues. Let’s delve more into functional medicine.
Functional medicine derives its name from the way it is focused on how your body functions. This type of treatment approach can be practiced by all sorts of doctors and medical practitioners, including the best chiropractor near you, naturopaths, and even MDs.
For functional medicine to treat various diseases, it is founded on key pillars, and they are:
One of the first things that you will notice when you come for treatment is how detailed the diagnosis will be. We go through your medical history, learn your lifestyle, and then connect it with your health problems. Our physician will use this information to help you understand the root of the problem. Then a treatment or management plan will then be formulated.
The treatment plan is highly personalized to meet your specific medical needs.
Functional medicine is based on the latest scientific evidence or medical research. This information is used in tandem with patient preferences and clinical expertise. This means that our physician peers into the different and complex interactions to ascertain what might be causing your illness. Genetics, physiology, history, and lifestyle are some of the things that are carefully examined.
In other words, our physician will look at the overlooked aspects during treatment, which is the interaction of the mind, body, and spirit. We will also look at the interaction between external factors, such as your social and physical environment.
The treatment incorporates the Western approach with medical approaches from all over the world.
When we incorporate all these approaches, we are trying to do the following:
Functional medicine has been introduced at a critical time in history. This multifaceted approach to the treatment of various illnesses is very much needed. We currently live in one of the most stress-filled societies. Hence, there is a spike in the number of people suffering from chronic and complex diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, autoimmune disease, and mental illness.
Another important issue is that conventional medicine focuses on treating the patient rather than healing the patient. This might sound the same, but they aren’t. Treating the patient means that their health problems are going nowhere. So, they will essentially receive medication for the rest of their life. However, healing the patient means addressing the root cause of the problem rather than alleviating its symptoms.
Conventional medicine is not adequate to deal with chronic illnesses. Patients receiving conventional medicine may find it challenging to find the right strategies regarding diet, exercise, and nutrition to prevent and treat the illnesses.
As you can see, conventional medicine is the best for treating acute diseases, trauma, infections, and emergencies. However, for holistic treatment, functional medicine is the way to go.
If you need advanced chiropractic services or functional medicine, contact us at Keough Chiropractic. We strive to provide all of our patients with comprehensive and holistic treatments to treat the root cause of their issues for optimal health.
