FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE -THE NEW ERA OF HEALTH CARE AND WELL-BEING

“The Doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human body, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease” - Thomas Edison

Modern living has its share of genetically modified and processed foods, a soil almost depleted of life-sustaining nutrients, contaminated water supply, a toxic environment from factories, automobiles, crop-preserving pesticides, plastics everywhere, and electromagnetic field pollution, mental and physical stress, a lack of physical activity due to readily available transportation and a sedentary work environment coupled with hours spent daily in front of the TV, useless and dangerous chemically-produced pharmacological medications and surgical procedures that promise a cure while most of the time failing to deliver.

Allopathic, conventional medicine has its place in acute care, and especially in emergency care. Without it many people can die from infections, wounds, or other trauma. Organ transplants are a life-saver procedure for many that otherwise would not be able to survive.

In a modern, changing world we need a more modern medical model, a shift from the acute, pharmacological medication-based model to a model of care based on the root cause of disease, a patient-based rather than disease-based medical model known as Functional Medicine.

Some of the physicians adopting the Functional Medicine model are medical and osteopathic doctors, chiropractic doctors, naturopathic doctors, acupuncturists, dentists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, or certified clinical nutritionists.

The Functional Medicine practitioner looks at the whole person for the causes of illness, taking into consideration the environment in which the individual functions, and how the whole person responds to it. Once the root causes of illness are identified, blockages to optimal health and well-being are eliminated through natural and integrative approaches.

Some of the root causes of illness addressed by Functional Medicine are:

• Nutritional imbalances
• Digestive imbalances
• Oxidative stress
• Impaired detoxification
• Immune dysfunction
• Inflammatory imbalances
• Endocrine and hormonal imbalances

The first step begins with a set of detailed questionnaires to find out about an individual’s current and prior symptoms, illnesses, toxic environmental exposures, living conditions, treatments received, emotional state, and how strong the desire to become well.

Laboratory tests are then utilized to find any specific genetic imperfections, compromised hormonal, immune, and other essential body functions, along with nutritional deficiencies, food sensitivities, allergies, inflammation, intestinal health, infections, and toxic compromise.

The Functional Medicine practitioner will then propose individualized nutrition and lifestyle changes, to optimize the body’s own detoxification process, restore and replenish any nutritional and physiological deficiencies, and reduce or eliminate the root cause of each individual illness or symptom.

Taking control of our health is an ongoing process. We start by making small, regular, and consistent changes to the way we eat and to the stressors in our environment that influence our ability to bring balance and take control of our lives. This is “smart” medicine.

I like how Mary-Ann Shearer, a well-known natural personality and author from South Africa summarizes it: “Feed and look after your body the way it was designed to be fed and looked after and you will be healthy. It’s that simple”

For the Functional Medicine patient, no matter what the symptoms or the condition, some of the indirect benefits can be:

• Improved digestion
• Improved bowel elimination
• Improved blood sugar regulation
• Improved circulatory system function
• Improved stress response
• Improved immune response
• Reduced inflammation
• Balanced hormones

In conclusion, Functional Medicine is a patient-based model of health care that is in complete alignment with Thomas Edison’s visionary prediction that “The Doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human body, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease”

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References:
1. Jack Wolfson DO, The Paleo Cardiologist, Morgan James Publishing, 2015
2. Michelle Corey, The Thyroid Cure, Vibrant Way Press, 2017
3. Adonis Maiquez, MD, Modern Medicine for Modern Times, e-book
4. Mary-Ann Shearer, Perfect Health the Natural Way, BenBella Books, 2006
5. Mary-Ann Shearer, Take Control the Natural Way, Ibis Books, 2005
6. Ron Grisanti, DC, A Commonsense Approach to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic
Sickness, Functional Medicine University

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