Many healthcare professionals are beginning to recognize the value of Functional Medicine. Practitioners across the country are taking a deeper look at their patients and uncovering the root causes of illness that often remain hidden in traditional Western medicine.
What are the 4 pillars of functional medicine?
Essentially, Functional Medicine takes all the medical advancements and knowledge that are currently available into account and applies them to a patient-centered approach that prioritizes the relationship between physician and client. The goal is to provide each patient with a personalized health plan that considers their unique genetics, biochemistry, and lifestyle factors.
By taking this into account, functional doctors are able to get to the root cause of conditions such as heart disease, chronic pain, irritable bowel syndrome and arthritis that have failed to respond to conventional treatments. This approach helps patients get back their health and avoid unnecessary reliance on medication.
Evans says people gravitate toward functional medicine out of frustration with a constellation of symptoms that their primary care doctor can’t seem to piece together into a diagnosis. They also want to find a better way to manage their symptoms and avoid medications that come with the potential for long-term side effects.
The individualized treatment approach of Functional Medicine expands the physician’s toolbox to include nutritional supplements, herbal remedies, therapeutic diet plans, exercise programs, detoxification practices and stress management techniques that empower patients to achieve healing on their own. The resulting relationship between physician and client becomes a collaborative one where the patient is an active participant in their own healing process and can make long-lasting, healthy changes to their life.