Most experts of this new approach face this question on a daily basis – What is functional medicine is probably the question most frequently asked when it comes to this amazing medical method. Functional medicine is one of the most complex alternative medical approaches available today, a biology-based system that does not stop at treating individual symptoms, but sets out to identify and to treat the root cause of the health problem to be controlled. The basic principle of the approach is that the various, often confusing symptoms experienced by the patient form a system the components of which are all related to the root cause – if the cause is found and properly addressed, the symptoms, no matter how diverse, will disappear.
The Individualized Approach
What sets functional medicine apart from the traditional medical approach is its focus on the individual patient as a complex entity. The diagnosis is set up not only based on the description of the symptoms as provided by the patient and based on test results, but based on the patient’s personal, social, medical and family history. This approach allows the practitioner to have a complex and comprehensive perspective and facilitates the identification of the root cause of the health problems.
The Partnership
In functional medicine, the patient is considered to be more of a partner in the treatment process than a patient who undergoes treatment. The special relationship between the patient and the practitioner reveals connections between causes and effects that might be disregarded during medical examinations and treatment processes in traditional systems.
The Illnesses Effectively Treated with Functional Medicine
The list of the affections successfully treated with the methods proposed by functional medicine includes over 80 different illnesses. Functional medicine has proven to be very efficient when it comes to the treatment of numerous chronic diseases, such as diabetes, mental health issues, gastrointestinal problems, health issues caused by inflammatory processes in the body, fatigue, allergies, obesity, high blood pressure. Autoimmune diseases are also very effectively treated by functional medicine – these conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and lupus prompt the body’s immune system to mistakenly identify one or multiple systems in the body as enemies and to attack these systems, but the functional approach can calm the patient’s immune responses and can make its reactions return to normal.
The diagnostic and treatment approach adopted by functional medicine is very complex. While traditional medicine is able to address these conditions only by trying to address and to ameliorate only the individual symptoms with the help of medicines or surgery, functional medicine looks much deeper and treats the initial cause that has led to the appearance of the symptoms. The treatment method proposed by functional medicine is usually a combination of traditional solutions, including drugs, if necessary, herbal remedies and lifestyle transformations, such as dietary changes and exercise. Functional medicine usually requires the patients to be more profoundly and more actively involved in the treatment process and such involvement also drives additional benefits, making the patients more confident and more aware of their own power in the healing process.
If you want to find out more about what is functional medicine and you think that your health issues could be successfully treated by this wonderful, holistic approach, just contact a functional medicine Denver center in your area and discuss the available treatment options with one of the dedicated and knowledgeable experts there.