Functional Medicine

The Functional Medicine Approach

Functional Medicine is a systems biology–based approach that focuses on identifying and addressing the root cause of disease. Each symptom or differential diagnosis may be one of many contributing to an individual’s illness.

As the graphic illustrates, a diagnosis can be the result of more than one cause. For example, depression can be caused by many different factors, including inflammation. Likewise, a cause such as inflammation may lead to a number of different diagnoses, including depression. The precise manifestation of each cause depends on the individual’s genes, environment, and lifestyle, and only treatments that address the right cause will have lasting benefit beyond symptom suppression.

Is Functional Medicine for me?

Are you suffering from any of the following symptoms?

• Chronic body pain/stiffness
• Gastrointestinal upset of any kind
• Autoimmune conditions
• Difficulty sleeping
• Fatigue or Depression
• Diabetes or Overweight
• Symptoms that don’t “fit in a box” 
• And more

What should you expect in when you book a Functional Medicine Consultation?

Expect a passionate coaching practitioner to teach you about what’s going on in your unique body, to empower you to make choices that will minimize your disease process from progressing further.

Comprehensive problem solving considering your health history, lab data, symptom presentation and timeline to start to put together the pieces of what dynamics are going on! If you were to take a mini-course in the human body and apply it to your exact situation and symptoms, that is basically what you are paying for.

That being said, expect the outcome you experience in this process to be affected by the effort you put into it. What you put into it is what you get out of it – and you will get tools to help your body for life.

Expect to develop a more collaborative relationship with your body, that is not rooted in shame or hopelessness.

What interventions may be a part of your treatment plan?

• Dietary changes or supplements to support the immune system
• Identify behavioral needs to reverse and manage the disease/symptoms before or in tandem with medication with your medical doctor
• This approach is for the person who wants more guidance on how food can be medicine and believes your body can be well again!