Functional medicine seeks to identify and address the underlying cause of your health issues by taking into account all aspects of your body and how it functions.
This approach is vastly different from the standard American healthcare model, which prioritizes symptoms and diagnosis.
Functional doctors typically take a holistic approach to your treatment, taking into account factors like nutrition, stress levels, sleep patterns and more. Furthermore, they may use various dietary supplements and lifestyle modifications as part of the plan to address specific health conditions.
1. Personalised Care
Personalized care in functional medicine emphasizes an individual’s genetic make-up and how that influences their health. It utilizes gene-based information as well as other factors like blood tests, metabolomics and epigenetics to create tailored medical treatments for patients.
Traditional medicine typically treats disease by masking symptoms with medications, while functional medicine strives to heal and promote wellness. It aims to identify the underlying causes of chronic illness and address them through a holistic approach that includes diet, exercise and lifestyle modifications.
This paradigmatic shift in healthcare provides a holistic solution that promotes people’s health and wellbeing, relieves strain on the NHS, and builds community resilience.
Personalized health care utilizes predictive technologies and an engaged patient to coordinate care, with the primary goal of promoting health and preventing disease. It also involves patient-centred health planning and shared decision-making.
Technology advances have provided health providers with improved access to data and analytics. In the past, obtaining patient records between clinical encounters was often challenging or inaccessible. Personalized care solutions fill this void, providing accurate, dependable and real-time individual patient records.
Physicians can use this data to develop a treatment plan for their patients that provides an accurate prediction of how medication and exercises will impact the individual’s condition. As a result, patients are more likely to stick with their plans and ultimately become healthier in the long run.
This model of care is becoming more widely adopted in the United Kingdom and gaining acceptance within the scientific community. It has now been recognized as a form of health care that can help stem the tide of chronic disease and reinvent healthcare.
2. Preventive Care
Functional medicine is a healthcare approach that seeks to identify the source of diseases and treat them by targeting their causes. This type of therapy may be particularly helpful for people suffering from chronic illnesses like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or autoimmune disorders.
Preventive care in functional medicine entails taking a thorough health history and running relevant lab tests to detect potential issues before they arise. It also involves making nutritional changes to enhance the patient’s overall wellbeing.
Preventive care offers numerous advantages, and avoiding disease in its early stages is much simpler than managing it later. Not only does this save money in the long run by catching diseases at their early stages, but treatment costs tend to be lower when they’re caught early.
In addition to cost savings, prevention of disease can help you live a longer and healthier life. This is especially true when the disease is caught early on; this significantly reduces its impact on quality of life.
To maximize the benefits of functional medicine’s preventive care, it’s essential to find a practitioner who has completed extensive training and passed all required exams. Finding a certified functional medicine doctor can make all the difference in your experience, leaving you feeling healthier than ever before.
Functional medicine practitioners offer a range of preventive care options, such as personalized nutrition, exercise plans, herbal medicines and supplements. They take into account your unique genetic makeup and lifestyle when creating a treatment plan for you; additionally they utilize advanced testing to identify the most effective treatment plan and deliver long-lasting solutions to illness.
3. Reduced Risk of Disease
Functional medicine emphasizes the holistic care of the individual rather than just treating a single illness. This marks a notable distinction from conventional medicine, which usually consists of quick visits and prescription drugs to alleviate symptoms.
Many people are rethinking their health and turning to functional medicine for their care. This trend has grown due to more accessible information and a general desire for natural, alternative methods of healthcare.
Functional medicine offers the unique benefit of being able to prevent diseases before they start. Additionally, it helps patients stay healthy on a long-term basis by improving their overall wellbeing.
It is important to recognize that the causes of disease can differ between individuals due to differences in diet and lifestyle, genetics, biochemical individuality, and environmental exposures.
Another advantage of functional medicine is that it helps reduce the risk of heart disease, since it takes into account a patient’s diet, lifestyle and other risk factors. For instance, they may be encouraged to increase physical activity levels and boost their dietary intake of antioxidants like fish oil or vitamin D.
Additionally, functional medicine has the potential to improve metabolism and lower diabetes risks during pregnancy. According to a new study, women who were overweight or obese during their pregnancies and had type 2 diabetes were able to reduce postpartum glucose and insulin levels as well as improve overall metabolic function through healthier dietary, exercise, and stress management strategies.
This is a huge advantage for both patients and physicians. The physician can address any issues the patient is dealing with efficiently and personally, leading to improved results.
3. Better Sleep
Sleep is an integral part of human functioning, and too little or too much can have detrimental effects.
A good night’s rest will increase productivity, reduce stress levels and strengthen immunity – helping you avoid or treat illness when it does occur.
The good news is that functional medicine practitioners know how to help you get a better night’s sleep, thanks to advances in sleep technology and research.
In addition to the classic culprits such as sleep apnoea and insomnia, they may also identify hidden causes of poor sleep such as diet/nutrition deficiencies, environmental toxins, stress management strategies and lifestyle habits. A comprehensive program will have you sleeping better than ever before without sacrificing quality of life or damaging your health in any way.
The best way to improve your sleep quality is by following a comprehensive, tailored plan designed by an experienced practitioner. This usually involves testing your sleep-wake cycle, measuring key hormone and neurotransmitter levels to pinpoint underlying imbalances, plus other tricks like diet/nutrition changes and exercise modifications as well as supplements – not forgetting one of the most important ones – decreasing stress levels. Plus you’ll have fun doing it! Whether you need full on sleep overhaul or just want to be the envy of all your friends, we can help!
4. Increased Energy
Fatigue can be a common issue for many patients. Its presence in morning routines, work, and personal relationships can have an unfavourable impact on your quality of life.
Fatigue may be the onset of a more serious illness or condition. Functional medicine doctors specialize in diagnosing and treating the underlying causes of fatigue so you can get back on track.
No matter the underlying issue, our practitioners can help you find relief. They’ll collaborate with you to craft a tailored plan to boost your energy levels and address any health concerns.
As a result, you’ll feel more energized and focused throughout the day. This can lead to an improved lifestyle that enhances both physical health and psychological well-being.
Exercising can also increase your energy levels. Making time for physical activity every day is an effective way to maintain focus and ensure all systems are working in sync with one another.
Finally, eating a nutritious diet can also increase your energy levels. Foods high in complex carbohydrates are ideal since they digest slowly and release energy slowly over time. Eating less white bread, cakes, cookies, candies, and other processed items will make a major difference when it comes to managing your energy levels.
Functional medicine has seen a meteoric rise in popularity among healthcare practitioners since the Cleveland Clinic Centre for Functional Medicine opened its doors. This model has proven highly successful and it’s inspiring more healthcare providers than ever before to explore this revolutionary medical approach.
