FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE – WHAT IS IT?

You have attended many practitioner; they treat you like a diseased body and do not give you enough time. you need to describe yourself. All they do is order a list of laboratory tests and give you a bunch of medicines to take for 2 weeks; You are fed up with these medications; need special treatment for your physical, emotional and spiritual health. Then you should consult a Functional Medicine Specialist.

“In 2006 a medical report showed that almost 20% of all deadly illness diagnoses are wrongful diagnosed.”

“Almost 80,000 deaths per year result from negligent diagnosis.”

     (FRIEDLAND CARMONA) friedlandlawgroup.com

What is functional medicine?

Functional medicine is the most advanced 21th century medical field. It has become the most growing field of medicine because its approach toward disease is to find out root causes and treat those causes instead of diagnosing symptoms. They have a patient centred and health-oriented approach, not doctor centred and disease oriented like the traditional way. In this field, the practitioner is not limited to pharmaceutical medication. He also recommends the other best way for patient management, like acupuncture, massage and herbal, etc.

What to expect when you attend functional medicine?

Functional medicine Specialist will ask you different types of questions other than your regular practitioner with much detailed histories and more interaction. He wants to know every minor detail about you.

• Like lifestyle modifications, your hobbies, stressors, diet, social and sexual life.
• Also, about the genetic diseases in your families like Down syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome, thalassemia, sickle cell disease and metabolic disorders.
• He will also be interested in the environment you live in, like if you live in an apartment or own house, your neighbourhood, parks and playgrounds.

In what cases should you consult functional medicine?

Functional medicine covers all diseases you don’t need to have specific disease to visit but they are best in following cases.

• When you have a chronic disease like Crohn’s, Ulcerative colitis and celiac disease to find out the root cause of your disease and treat it at root level to ensure long-term health and manage complex chronic disease.
• When you want treatment other than pharmaceutical medicine like acupuncture, massage, chiropractor and herbal medication.
• When you want to have long sessions with your physician to discuss more depth of your disease and management plan.
• To live a good lifestyle because they not only treat diseased people but also healthy people to make his/her lifestyle better.
• Multiple causes of a single disease because they have a synergistic approach toward disease like if you have heartburn because of smoking, sanitary lifestyle, spicy food and genetic factors also, then they will proceed systematically to treat all causes instead of giving you antacid medication.

Difference between functional medicine and traditional doctors?

• HEALTH-ORIENTED

Functional medicine is more health oriented, not like disease oriented in case of others. Therefore, their patients are more satisfied.

• SPECIFIC DISEASE FOR SPECIFIC PERSON

They treat every patient as having a specific type of disease instead of fitting patients in one disease, so their management options are much more refined and precise. Tailored to each individual to manage accordingly.

• CAUSES ORIENTED

More inclined to evaluate causes of disease instead of diagnosing on the basis of symptoms. Therefore, treatment of chronic disease is more effective in Functional medicine.

• MULTIPLE APPROACHES

To manage patients emotionally, psychologically and spiritually in chronic cases to get best results. Therefore, Function medicine is the best approach for chronic diseases.

• COEQUAL PARTNER

Treat the patient as a coequal partner instead of a diseased person, so you can connect more strongly with a doctor. This way, your doctor will understand your condition more accurately.

• PREVENTIVE APPROACH

Unlike the traditional way, Function medicine is interested in a preventative approach, so not allowing disease to occur in the first place instead of early detection of disease.

• SYNERGIC APPROACH

Synergistic approach is also seen in the practice of Functional medicine through proper involvement of different specialized departments of hospitals to treat different causes of a disease.

• MORE AFFORDABLE

Functional medicine is less expensive than conventional doctors, but when you first visit you may be surprised by the high office fee, almost $500 per hour, but they rarely order laboratory tests like conventional doctors, So, in the end you are charged less on your treatment.

• TIME CONSUMING

Functional medicine has long sessions and is time-consuming. Therefore, less resources are consumed and overall number of patients treated is much less than the conventional way.

• NO HEALTH INSURANCE

There is no current health insurance that covers functional medicine, so you have to give all your expenses by yourself.

One of the most growing fields of medicine, it subsides all the deficiencies and wrong practices that occur in the traditional medical field. The plus points of functional medicine are looking for root causes, patient centred, health oriented, prevention and managing the causes of diseases. All physicians should use this positive approach in their practice whether or not they are functional medicine specialists.