What is functional medicine?

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Think of Functional Medicine as a "Root Cause" approach to health. While conventional medicine often focuses on diagnosing a disease and treating its symptoms (the leaves and branches of the tree), functional Medicine looks at the entire system to find out why the problem started in the first place.

Conventional medicine is typically "siloed" into different medical specialties, such as cardiology (heart), dermatology (skin),   or endocrinology (hormones). This is where physicians name a disease, such as high blood pressure, eczema, or Type 2 Diabetes, and then treat the specific symptoms associated with that diagnosis.

In this model, there is rarely collaboration between these siloed entities and most often they do not look further down the tree. A functional approach doesn’t ignore the symptoms (leaves) but it views them as the result of a deeper issue rather than the starting point.

Your genetics and environmental factors such as a car accident, mold exposure, or toxic burdens can dictate how your body responds to these stressors leading to manifestations and symptoms of disease. This is where your unique genetic predisposition meets your environment. Functional medicine combines these variables with advanced testing to find where the "weakest link" is in the chain.

The core of the functional approach is the root system. A tree’s root system is the foundation for the tree to garner nutrients to thrive producing healthy leaves instead of sickly ones. So too, we need a healthy root system similar to a tree. The functional approach focuses on these essential roots such as:

• Sleep & Relaxation
• Exercise & Movement
• Nutrition & Hydration
• Stress Management
• Healthy Relationships
• Mental disposition
• Spirituality

The tree represents the whole person, and functional medicine doesn’t just prune the branches; it digs deep into the roots. To find lasting wellness, it is important how the base (your genetics and environment) interacts with the leaves (your symptoms). While the leaves show us that something is wrong, it is at the root level that the entire tree is either nourished or neglected.

The Dunamis (power) of this approach lies in epigenetics. Regardless of your base (genetic blueprint & environment), lifestyle changes allow you to rewrite your story. By addressing the root cause, you transform the very base of your health, ultimately changing how your life flourishes in the leaves.