About Functional Medicine

Functional Medicine is a way of approaching health problems that strives to find the root cause of symptoms and disease states. Instead of looking at traditional organ systems, such as the heart or the kidney, functional medicine approaches the body from the perspective of functions, or tasks that must occur for the body to be in good health. Some of these functions include taking in nutrients, transporting nutrients around the body, signaling between different tissues in the body, getting rid of toxins from the body, and fighting infection. 

The traditional bloodwork and medical exam that your doctor may do in a typical office may reveal no specific problem with individual organ systems (ie. normal tests); however, you still may not feel in optimal health and may have symptoms that prevent you from reaching your personal goals. Often this is because the body’s functions, such as the ones mentioned above, may not be working properly. The best way to detect this dysfunction is through a detailed interview and conducting specialized lab work to assess key functional pathways. 

This same process can also help situations in which traditional testing does reveal an abnormality (such as Diabetes or Hypothyroidism) by finding the root cause of the disease state, rather than simply treating the abnormality with medication.

Based on the interview and lab results, client and practitioner then embark on a journey together to restore optimal function, often using supplements to jumpstart physiologic change, while putting into place lifestyle changes to support the restoration of function. 

The goal is to achieve and sustain optimized function through lifestyle, with as little long term supplementation and medication as possible. And the ultimate goal is to get you feeling your best!