Americans are taking back control of their health. Each year they spend close to $30 billion on out of pocket non-conventional medical services. Almost half of this total is spent on holistic practitioners.
These functional medicine practitioners focus on healing the body through lifestyle changes. They take a problem-solving approach instead of relying on symptom charts and prescriptions.
Curious how one of these professionals can help you? Then keep reading!
What Is Functional Medicine?
All kinds of doctors can practice functional medicine. It isn’t a specific field. Instead, it’s a way of approaching the treatment of the patient.
Functional medicine focuses on how the different parts of the body work together. It’s a more individualized and holistic approach to treatment.
They will look at the entire body to figure out why an ailment is happening. Instead of falling back on the most common treatment for a set of symptoms, they will look deeper.
The Treatment of Disease
Several tests will input data to create a complete picture of your current situation. This could include urine, blood, stool, or saliva tests.
The practitioner will then determine a treatment plan. It most likely won’t include loading up on prescriptions.
Instead, you can expect a wide variety of lifestyle changes. This could include things like IV vitamins, nutrient therapy, or hormone replacement.
There’s some overlap with traditional medicine. This includes things like reducing stress, getting active, and eating healthy.
The Goal of Functional Medicine
The ultimate goal is to reduce your dependency on medications. By treating your body better, you can improve your current and future health.
Who Can Benefit from Functional Medicine?
Knowing when to visit a functional medicine doctor isn’t about waiting to get diagnosed. It can significantly help those managing a chronic disease.
It can also help those who want to take an active role in their health, because being healthy doesn’t mean the absence of disease. Functional medicine enables you to make smart choices now to prevent illness from developing later.
Functional medicine views everyone as biochemically and genetically different. This gives you a personalized approach to how you can make your body the healthiest it can be.
Can It Replace Traditional Medicine?
The answer to this largely depends on your condition. Most patients find it helpful to have professional advice from both schools of thought. This can give you a treatment plan that addresses your issues from all sides.
Functional medicine cannot replace traditional medicine in the treatment of urgent issues. If you have an acute injury, trauma, or infection, then you need conventional medical treatment immediately.
Try out Functional Medicine Practitioners
When it comes to functional medicine practitioners, find someone that you communicate well with. The two of you will work closely together to find the source of your ailment.
If you’re ready to start taking control of your health, then functional medicine may be right for you.
Check out the health section of our blog for more tips and ideas for living your healthiest life.
