Functional Medicine is an approach to health that is concerned with how and why illness occurs and restores health by addressing the root causes of disease for each individual.
Functional medicine focuses on assessing underlying causes and triggers of dysfunction and identifies how to restore key processes at the cellular level, including how cells function, repair, and maintain. These processes are related to larger functions such as:
- How your body rids itself of toxins
- Regulates hormones and neurotransmitters
- Immune system function
- Inflammatory responses
- Digestion and absorption of nutrients and the health of the digestive tract
- Structural integrity
- Psychological equilibrium
- How you produce energy
These processes are all influenced by environmental factors and genetic make-up. When they are disturbed or imbalanced, they lead to symptoms, which can lead to disease if effective interventions are not applied. Functional medicine takes these factors into account, as well as lifestyle factors to restore health and well-being.
Common complaints that a functional medicine approach can effectively manage, and in many cases even resolve, include:
- Adrenal disorders
- Anxiety
- Arthritis
- Autoimmune disease
- Brain fog
- Celiac
- Chronic allergies
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Depression
- Diabetes
- Digestive disorders (IBD, IBS, GERD/Reflux)
- Eczema/psoriasis
- Elevated cholesterol
- Environmental and food allergies
- Fatigue
- Female disorders (PMS, Menopause, Infertility, PCOS)
- Fibromyalgia
- Gluten sensitivity
- Graves
- Hashimoto's
- Hormonal imbalances
- Infertility
- Insomnia
- Joint pain
- Lupus
- Memory problems
- Metabolic syndrome
- Migraines and headaches
- MS (multiple sclerosis)
- Muscle pain
- Osteoporosis
- Overweight and obesity
- RA (rheumatoid arthritis
- SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth)
- Sleep disorders
- Stress
- Thyroid disorders
- Women's health issues
- Weight problems