So you’ve found my blog, and you’ve read my origin story, and you find yourself scratching your head thinking “what the heck IS functional medicine?”.
Well you’re in the right place. Here, I will break down what functional medicine is, and more importantly, what it is not.
Functional medicine is:
Root cause medicine:
Functional medicine practitioners go upstream of the diagnosis to find the root cause of disease, instead of adding bandaid solutions, or “a pill for every ill”. What we find is that many diseases have the same root cause, and one disease can be caused by many imbalances.
A systems oriented approach:
Functional medicine is so powerful because practitioners take a systems approach to organizing and assessing patient information. People are complex, but this systematic approach helps us to see patterns in the complexity so we can determine the best steps to take for you (and only you).
A lifestyle approach:
Many of the chronic diseases that we modern humans are living with can be addressed through a lifestyle approach. In functional medicine we coach patients to make positive changes in their lifestyles to see big improvements in their wellbeing. Specifically, we look at at the lifestyle elements of what we call the functional medicine matrix. These core elements are: sleep and restoration, stress and relationships, exercise and movement, and of course, nutrition.
The patient at the centre:
Instead of inviting a patient to a 15 minute medical appointment where only one condition may be addressed at a time, functional medicine practitioners elicit the full patient story. Often, initial patient meetings are upwards of 90 minutes long. Patients feel truly heard and by beginning the practitioner-patient relationship in this way, the care provided is that much more powerful.
Functional medicine is not:
A replacement for standard medical care:
Functional medicine is not appropriate for acute medical conditions. A patient experiencing a heart attack needs to be taken to the hospital immediately, not to see a functional medicine practitioner. But once that patient is stable, a functional medicine practitioner can help to identify what led to that heart attack and help to prevent future cardiovascular events.
Quackery:
Functional medicine is still evidence based medicine. Provided you are seeing someone who does their due diligence (and there are those out there who do NOT!!), you will only be suggested treatments that are founded in good science. No goop to be found here!
A quick fix:
Functional medicine is not the route to take if you want to walk in with a problem, and out with a quick solution. Often, treatment plans are just that: a plan. A plan that is multifaceted and requires serious commitment by the patient. Treatment plans can include elimination diets, exercise protocols, sleep and restoration prescriptions etc. Beware of functional medicine practitioners that promise to magically solve all of your problems with fancy supplements and expensive testing!
Learn more. get in touch!
Think functional medicine may be right for you? As always, you can reach out using my contact page, and I’d be happy to answer any questions you have. Alternatively, functional medicine news and insights can be delivered straight to your inbox, by subscribing to my e-mail list. You can also find me on social media: @kalliofunctionalpharmacy on instagram and facebook, and @kalliopharm on twitter.
Be well!
xo Kimberley