What Is Functional Medicine and who is it for?

Top Conditions That Will Benefit From Functional Medicine

Functional medicine is an approach towards health that looks at conditions not just based on treating symptoms, but rather by looking at the whole body and uncovering hidden deficiencies and imbalances that are causing health problems. Functional medicine seeks to discover the underlying root cause.
Any health condition can benefit from this holistic, whole body approach. However, there are some conditions that benefit greatly from functional medicine. Many of the health problems discussed in this piece are ones that traditional, modern medicine claims are not fully understood, or that the cause is unknown. The reality is that these causes are complicated, and there is not one blanket reason or treatment for these conditions.
Functional medicine will approach each case of diabetes, every autoimmune disorder, each bout of depression as a unique, individual case. There is no one size fits all treatment methods; rather tailored treatment plans that are designed based on the results of testing and exploring a patient’s history that reveal the underlying causes of illness in an individual.
If you are suffering from any of these conditions, working with a functional medicine practitioner will result in a deeply therapeutic and individualized treatment plan to heal your body and ultimately halt and possibly reverse the progression of your disease.
Chronic fatigue:Chronic fatigue syndrome is a debilitating disorder

characterized by extreme exhaustion, difficulty sleeping, and brain fog. Traditional medicine does very little to address chronic fatigue or even recognize it as a legitimate medical condition. There are many imbalances and causative factors to consider such as adrenal fatigue, food sensitivities, hormonal imbalances, hidden chronic infections, impaired methylation, biotoxins, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Chronic fatigue is a very complicated condition, but functional medicine gives you the tools needed to get to the root cause and start creating change.
Fibromyalgia: Fibromyalgia is a condition that causes muscle pain throughout the body. While modern medicine now acknowledges fibromyalgia as a medical condition, treatment options are limited, and the condition is misunderstood. Functional medicine recognizes that fibromyalgia is a condition that stems from inflammation throughout the body. This inflammation can be caused by vitamin deficiencies, leaky gut, candida overgrowth, or other factors, which can be uncovered through specific testing. Functional medicine will examine gut health, explore the possibility of food sensitivities, analyze the liver, and delve into a patient’s history to uncover the causes of inflammation and fibromyalgia.
Autoimmune disorders: Treatment of an autoimmune disorder through a traditional medical doctor will involve medications that work to
suppress the immune response, but will do little to address the underlying causes of inflammation and autoimmunity in the body. Functional medicine weeds out these causes and focuses on cooling inflammation and halting the body’s autoimmune response.
Diabetes: Of all the conditions listed, type II diabetes is probably the most commonly diagnosed and the best researched. Unfortunately, this fact has done little to change the traditional approach to treating diabetes, which involves monitoring and controlling your blood sugar through medications. Functional medicine promotes the management and treatment of diabetes in a more holistic way, largely through diet and lifestyle. In fact, in my functional medicine practice, it is common practice for patients to no longer need diabetic medication and stabilize their glucose levels and insulin naturally.
Irritable bowel syndrome: Functional medicine recognizes that the gut is the center of our body’s immune system – nearly 70% of our immune cells live there. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) occurs when our gut health is compromised. Like other conditions, this can come about through a variety of causes ranging from yeast overgrowth to stress. In fact, some studies indicate SIBO (Small Intestinal Bowel Overgrowth) is responsible for the majority of IBS cases. Testing and an examination of one’s lifestyle will help to reveal the reasons behind IBS and will inform the creation of a treatment plan.
PMS: PMS (premenstrual syndrome) is characterized by a range of symptoms that occur in women as part of their menstrual cycle. Common symptoms of PMS include irritability, mood swings, fatigue, and
depression. Many women accept these symptoms as part of their regular cycle; however, PMS is a condition that you do not need to live with. PMS is caused by hormonal imbalances in the body. Functional medicine looks towards treatments that naturally restore the body’s hormonal balance. This may involve lifestyle changes (increased exercise), dietary changes (a low sugar, low carb diet), balancing gut bacteria, improving liver health, and restoring estrogen/progesterone balance.
Obesity: Obesity is a nationwide epidemic that results from a variety of factors ranging from diet and lifestyle choices to genetics. A functional approach to obesity is not a quick fix but will require lifestyle changes that address the causes of obesity and incorporate a comprehensive treatment plan that will help you shed pounds while addressing underlying health problems.
Depression: Did you know that approximately 1 in every 10 Americans in on an antidepressant? Depression has become a blanket term for anyone suffering from sadness or other related mental illness. Depression and associated symptoms such as anxiety and brain fog are enhanced and often due to imbalances within the body. Functional medicine can reveal micronutrient imbalances, neurotransmitter deficiencies, MTHFR mutations (an enzyme deficiency), infections, and other sources of inflammation that may contribute to the cause of depression.
If you suffer from any of these chronic conditions, please call us today!  321-783-1960 
Start your journey toward the healthy lifestyle you deserve. 
299 N. Orlando Ave.
Cocoa Beach, Fl. 32931


321-783-1960


Location: 299 N Orlando Ave, Cocoa Beach, FL 32931, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

5 Explanations Of Lupus And Hashimoto’s Co-existence

Image
According to estimates, about 6% of patients with lupus also have hypothyroidism and 1% hyperthyroidism. Hashimoto’s disease is the most common form of hypothyroidism in patients with lupus. This finding doesn’t come as a surprise because both conditions are autoimmune diseases with a common etiology. Lupus is a systemic autoimmune disease that can target almost any part of the body, especially the joints, lungs, heart, skin, blood, kidneys and brain. In Hashimoto’s the immune system attacks only the thyroid, however a lack of thyroid hormones can affect all bodily functions and any organs. As a result when lupus and a thyroid disease coexist it can have a much bigger negative impact on your body. Many symptoms of both disorders can overlap and drive each other making the diagnosis and treatment even more difficult. It can take years for Hashimoto’s disease and lupus to develop and progress to the stage when a person can be diagnosed with a standard testing. This can lea
Read more

9 Recommended Lifestyle Changes For Autoimmune Diseases

Image
Autoimmune diseases have become a huge health burden. They're now estimated to impact over 24 million Americans, or between  five to eight percent  of the population. In fact, more than 80 diseases have been classified as autoimmune, and the list continues to grow. That includes conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, Celiac disease, and thyroid disease. They often involve hard-to-classify syndromes like inflammation, pain, swelling, and misery. Autoimmunity occurs when your immune system—your body's defense against invaders—becomes confused. In other words, your body is fighting something, whether that's infections, toxins, allergens, or a stress response. But somehow, that immune army can't distinguish friend from foe. Your own tissue gets caught in friendly crossfire, and your joints, brain, skin, and sometimes your whole body become casualties. Typically, drugs are used to address autoimmune diseases. In many cases, they
Read more

Gluten, Grains, Legumes and Autoimmune Disease

Image
Prominently situated at the base of the food pyramid, grains are promoted as the fiber-rich foundation of a healthy diet. But are grains really a necessary part of your diet, or can they in fact be harmful? If you have an  autoimmune disease , you may already be aware of the fact that gluten, the protein in wheat that gives bread its sticky, doughy texture, is an inflammatory substance. However, wheat is not unique. Many of the plants that we consume contain similar proteins that will increase inflammation in your body and contribute to a  leaky gut . Although most people benefit from avoiding foods such as grains, pseudograins, legumes, and nightshades, I recommend for those with an autoimmune disease to omit these foods from their diets, at least until their inflammation has subsided and their gut has healed. Food Sensitivity  Testing is the best course of action to determine whether or not these foods will continue to be a problem in the future. In order to better understan
Read more