The Benefits of Functional Medicine And the Path to a Healthier Life

Modern medicine has started taking a two-pronged approach to assisting patients with their medical needs. This includes conventional and functional medicine being used in harmony to help patients with their symptoms and treatment plans.

Keep reading for Evexia Family’s in-depth look at what is functional medicine, the benefits of functional medicine, and how it compares to conventional medicine. 

What is Functional Medicine? 

Functional medicine refers to a systems-based approach to diagnosing and understanding a patient’s medical symptoms. It aims to uncover the root cause of illness by implementing a symbiotic relationship between medicine and a patient’s history. The approach allows practitioners to dive deeper into a patient’s lifestyle to understand what may be causing the underlying symptoms in their current state.

While conventional medicine uses a disease-centered approach, functional medicine veers away from this concept and aims to use a patient-centered process. Looking at the patient as a whole rather than a combination of independent parts or systems leads to the benefits of functional medicine. 

To do this, the practitioner takes the time to sit down with a patient, learn about their medical history, focus on their personal history (i.e. genetics, environment, dietary choices) to better pinpoint what’s going on.  

Benefits of Functional Medicine

1) Macro Assessment of the Patient’s Health

Functional medicine practitioners can assess a patient’s symptoms using a “macro” or wide-scope approach. This means they look at a combination of factors rather than running singular tests. These factors can include genetics, environmental conditions, and even a person’s dietary intake. 

A macro assessment of the patient’s health can assist with a variety of internal systems including cardiometabolic conditions (diabetes, heart disease), autoimmune diseases (celiac disease, lupus) and digestive disorders (irritable bowel syndrome, acid reflux). 

Macro assessments are part of the benefits of functional medicine because the patient and care provider gain a better understanding of the symptoms and conditions that are otherwise difficult to diagnose.

2) Customized Treatment Plans

Building a treatment plan is difficult when the blood tests and/or x-rays are indicating nothing is wrong. This is an issue millions of doctors deal with worldwide and that’s where the benefits of functional medicine are useful. Functional medicine offers a unique way to determine what’s going on in the patient’s body and how to treat the symptoms.

The practitioner can start looking at outlying factors such as a patient’s diet to build the treatment plan. Conventional medicine restricts how much a practitioner can change without guessing as to what is wrong with the patient. 

3) Cost-Efficient

While this isn’t always a primary focus for patients, it’s still something that can be included in the list of benefits of functional medicine. Functional medicine can often provide a cost-effective way of treating symptoms rather than being forced into consuming expensive drugs. A practitioner has more room to customize the treatment plan including restricting dietary choices, which isn’t always noticeable in conventional medicine. This can save quite a bit of money for patients both in the short and long-term.

4) Empowers the Patient  

A patient is going to start to feel good about the process when they speak to a practitioner about external factors such as dietary choices, environmental variables, and other relevant details.

This is far easier to process in comparison to blood tests and/or x-rays that a physician looks at during the appointment. Feeling empowered and encouraged is significant when it comes from both a physical and psychological perspective. The benefits of functional medicine start with the emotional and mental benefits leading to the physical benefits. 

5) Easier to Understand

The charm of using functional medicine has to do with how it empowers patients and allows them to recognize what’s going on inside their bodies. Rather than being overwhelmed with complex medical terminology and not recognizing what the issues are, this is a far easier way of receiving information and making appropriate changes.  

Many patients complain about not recognizing what’s wrong with them and being left in doubt about their treatment plan. By sitting down with a practitioner and pursuing a patient-centered process, it’s a lot easier to gauge what’s needed to feel better. 

6) Ideal for Preventative Changes 

One of the best benefits of functional medicine is its impact on preventative treatments. Instead of waiting until symptoms arrive and the condition worsens, functional medicine allows doctors to come up with preventative treatment plans. This ensures the patient remains out in front of their issues for as long as possible. While conventional medicine is reactive, functional medicine doesn’t have to be and is often a wonderful way to prevent certain symptoms before they become a long-term concern. 

Top Causes of Illness  

Functional medicine is a fascinating approach to assisting patients because it helps with the top causes of illness. Conventional medicine can often miss gaps during the diagnostic process leading to inefficient and/or harmful treatment options. With the benefits of functional medicine, it’s possible to help with the leading causes of illness without harming the body.

These causes can include:

* Poor Dietary Choices

* Lack of Exercise

* Exposure to Toxins

* Extreme Temperatures 

* And More

 

Functional medicine is about understanding what’s happening to the body as a whole. This is why functional medicine empowers patients and lets them receive a long-term assessment of what’s going on and how to make useful changes. 

The Benefits of Functional Medicine vs. Conventional Medicine

Conventional medicine refers to using regular medicinal or diagnostic processes (i.e. blood tests, x-rays) to determine a patient’s medical issues. Unfortunately, conventional medicine is often overused and doesn’t help fill certain gaps in the diagnostic process. As a result, many patients are left in a dire situation where the tests show everything is okay when that is not the case.

This is where functional medicine steps in as a legitimate solution to help assess what’s going on in the patient’s body. The physician will use a macro approach to assess the body, its symptoms, and what may be causing those symptoms. 

Functional medicine continues to have a spot in contemporary medical practices and is a legitimate option for those seeking an all-encompassing assessment of their health. While conventional medicine does hold an all-important spot in the medical world, it’s still important to find space for the benefits of functional medicine. To begin your journey towards better health and well-being, Evexia Family Chiropractic is here for you. Schedule an appointment today!