Functional Medicine is all about providing patient-centered medical healing. Instead of studying and treating health problems as if they are isolated diseases, it treats individuals who may have imbalances, bodily symptoms, and dysfunctions. According to functional medicine, a named disease such as diabetes, cancer, or fibromyalgia might be visible above the surface, but the cause lies below the surface much like the depiction of an iceberg where only the tip is visible about the surface of the water. An underlying dysfunction or imbalance of bodily systems is almost always the culprit.

It rarely leads to long-term relief if healthcare physicians treat just the tip of the iceberg. If you dive deeper to identify the base cause of the disease, the chances of finding curative measures are greatly increased. Functional Medicine restores balance in the body’s primary physiological processes by using advanced diagnostic testing, scientific principles, and treatments alternative to drugs or surgery.

There have been a few key changes in the differences between functional medicine and conventional medical practice. Therefore, most functional medicine doctors were trained originally as conventional MDs. Thirty years ago, most functional medicine practitioners would never have been trained in a conventional medical school.

The number of functional medicine practitioners that are MD’s continues to grow. The landscape of functional medicine has significantly changed as more and more conventionally trained MD’s want to get back to teaching health, doctoring, and inspiring patients to health rather than simply prescribing drugs. Functional medicine physicians can avoid their patients having a reliance on medications for every problem they encounter.

So, in short, your functional medicine doctor may also have training in conventional medicine, which means you as a patient are getting the best of both worlds. Or, you can still find functional medicine practitioners that cannot offer any conventional medical services but are still an expert within the narrow band of functional medicine.

Absolutely, it does! Time spent with their patients is important to functional medicine doctors. They discuss many medical aspects of your life with you, such as diet, exercise patterns, exposure to environmental toxins, lifestyle, and traumas. As a result, they can better work to reveal the underlying cause of your disease or condition. Factors that might alter how an individual’s body functions are good are:

• Environmental influences (harmful toxin exposure)
• Lifestyle choices such as diet, stress, and activity
• Genetic makeup

Functional medicine can use past and present symptoms like a map or GPS system that eventually leads them to the cause of your chronic or complex medical issue.

More than one imbalance of disease may need to be addressed by your functional medicine practitioner. For instance, imbalances in hormones, diet, genetics, exercise, inflammation, and gut flora can cause obesity. One imbalance may lead to several conditions that will be addressed by your doctor to ensure that balance is restored to your health.

If you or someone you know is looking for a functional medicine doctor, come to Synergy Anti-Aging Clinic today! Our team of kind and caring doctors can help your body heal in ways you couldn’t imagine! To talk with an expert, contact our office today. Visit us online or give us a call to schedule an appointment at our clinic. We serve clients from Victoria, BC, Oak Bay BC, Saanich BC, Langford BC, Colwood BC, Duncan BC, Royal Oak BC, and Esquimalt BC.