The Functional Medicine Approach to Health
Functional medicine shifts the focus from just managing symptoms toward ways to cultivate better health so that patients can live healthier, more vibrant lives.
The functional medicine approach is based on a deep understanding of the physiology and biochemistry of the body and focuses on the root causes of illness. Conventional medicine is disease-centered focused to manage symptoms with medication or surgery.
Functional medicine is the practice of removing what harms your health and adding what helps it thrive. This means identifying and eliminating toxins, stressors and inflammatory triggers and replenishing the body with nutrients, movement and restorative practices.
But the journey begins with YOU! The foundation to our health lies in our diet and lifestyle and how this is affecting our own genetic makeup. Therefore, this is where to begin, by connecting with a functional medicine health coach.
In conjunction to working with your health coach, a comprehensive lab evaluation will be done. We will use these biomarkers to identify areas of imbalance and use them to monitor your progress in the healing journey.
We also sometimes use functional tests (such as GI MAP and DUTCH testing) to look at the state of your digestion, hormones, adrenal glands and nutrition to gain a deeper understanding of the imbalances within these systems to target our approach.
Treatment plans focus heavily on adapting lifestyle measures in order to optimize digestive health, nutrition, hormones and adrenal/nervous system balance.
Recommendations and treatment strategies are highly individualized and are meant to meet each person’s needs, no matter where they are in their health journey. Your care plan will include recommendations to a health coach or dietitian, specific lifestyle modification, specific food plans tailored to your needs, and tailored nutraceutical recommendations.
Image from The Institution of Functional Medicine
“What Is Functional Medicine?: IFM.” The Institute for Functional Medicine, 3 Oct. 2022, www.ifm.org/functional-medicine/what-is-functional-medicine/.
Interested In Functional Medicine?
If so, read this message from Dr. Houser:
“I started Live Well 365 to provide my patients the guidance and support needed to address their health using functional medicine principles. The education and teaching required to make you successful takes time and cannot be achieved in a rushed 15-minute office appointment once or twice a year. It takes continued support and ongoing education to be successful! More studies are now showing the value of a team approach to health — incorporating dietitians and health coaches, along with other health professionals (such as chiropractors, acupuncturists, mental health counselors, etc).
The first step in any functional medicine intervention is to optimize diet and lifestyle. This is best done with the guidance by a functional medicine health coach. They will work together with you to guide you in making the foundational changes necessary to be successful on your health journey. It is always the best place to start before getting into advanced functional medicine testing.
Whether you are struggling with heavy menses, perimenopause or PMS, the path to resolving these issues starts with lifestyle changes. We can’t build strong health on an unsteady foundation.”
—Laura Houser, MD
