Functional Medicine is an individualized, patient-centered, science-based approach that empowers patients and practitioners to work together to address the underlying causes of disease and promote optimal wellness. It requires a detailed understanding of each patient’s genetic, biochemical and lifestyle factors and leverages that data to direct personalized treatment plans that lead to improved patient outcomes. To optimize your health, it is important to take a look at your gut health, hormones, life style, and environment and look for ways to optimize them all. Functional medicine consultations take a deeper look then traditional medicine does to find the root cause and work toward optimizing your health. Solve the root issue, not the symptoms. 

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Identify Imbalances in the Body

The following are the seven physiologic systems that Functional Medicine practitioners assess in order to identify imbalances in the body that are driving symptoms/disease.

1. Assimilation: digestion, absorption, microbiota/GI, respiration

2. Defense and repair: immune, inflammation, infection/microbiota 

3. Energy: energy regulation, mitochondrial function 

4. Biotransformation and elimination: toxicity, detoxification 

5. Transport: cardiovascular and lymphatic systems 

6. Communication: endocrine, neurotransmitters, immune messengers 

7. Structural integrity: subcellular membranes to musculoskeletal integrity

Having identified the predominant areas of imbalance for an individual, Functional Medicine practitioners then work collaboratively with the patient to investigate lifestyle and environmental factors that may be causing and/or exacerbating the problem. Dr. Mark Hyman outlines five causes of illness (environmental & lifestyle) that interact with genes to influence the 7 core physiological systems.

Address the 5 Causes of Illness

1. Toxins (biologic, elemental, synthetic) 

2. Allergens (food, mold, dust, animal products, pollens, chemicals) 

3. Microbes (bacteria, yeast, parasites, worms, prions, etc) 

4. Stress (physical or psychological) 

5. Poor diet (standard American diet, or SAD) 

Call today to schedule your Functional Medicine consultation today!