Functional Medicine

What is functional medicine?

Functional medicine practitioners take a holistic view of each patient, meaning they look at every aspect of your life and health to uncover the root causes of pain and disease. The idea is to restore optimal health by addressing all of the negative influences on your mind and body.

In many cases, conventional approaches to treating patients focus on relieving symptoms, such as prescribing pain medication for someone with a herniated disc in their spine. 

While pain medicines have their place, the functional medicine practitioner goes deeper, looking for the reasons why you suffered a herniated disc in the first place.

Taking action to eliminate problems that make you vulnerable to disease and injury makes you far less likely to get sick or hurt in the future. Your functional medicine provider at Integrative Family Medicine and Urgent Care can also ensure that you get the most effective therapy for your condition.

What happens at a functional medicine consultation?

A functional medicine consultation at Integrative Family Medicine and Urgent Care won’t differ greatly from an appointment with a conventional medical professional.

Your provider looks at your medical history, finds out about your symptoms, and performs a physical exam, just as other providers would. They also run any tests they think you need, from blood draws to X-rays.

Where you notice the main difference is that your functional medicine provider spends far more time talking to you and finding out about your lifestyle. They cover a comprehensive range of topics, including:

• Your diet
• How much you exercise
• Whether you smoke or drink alcohol
• Any drug dependencies or addictions
• Sources of stress in your life
• Your occupation
• Family life and relationships
• The environment you live in
• Any mental health concerns

These are all things that can significantly affect your health. Finding out which ones are having an impact is key to the functional medicine philosophy.

What are the benefits of functional medicine?

There are many benefits to the functional medicine approach. Chief among them are:

More complete recovery

By tracking down everything that’s responsible for you getting sick, your provider at Integrative Family Medicine and Urgent Care can reduce or remove them all. That means you’re less likely to suffer a relapse, and you should recover more quickly.

Better overall health

Functional medicine’s attention to all aspects of your health means nothing gets neglected. For instance, a conventional practitioner might not consider that your diet lacks essential vitamins and minerals, making you prone to repeated infections. 

At Integrative Family Medicine and Urgent Care, your provider would always take your diet into account.

To find out more about functional medicine and why it offers you the best health care, call Integrative Family Medicine and Urgent Care today or book an appointment online.