What is Functional Medicine?

Because Functional Medicine remains largely misunderstood, it is often regarded as a form of alternative medicine comprised of various unproven methods. In reality, however, that myth couldn't be further from the truth...

The diagram above is a simple outline of the seven key areas in which all Functional Medicine Practitioners work with each client or patient. Every human is unique, right down to their biochemistry. This is precisely why Functional Wellness Experts offer a far more detailed, personalized experience to their clients.

The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM), with HQ in Washington (USA), succinctly describes Functional Medicine as "... a systems and biology-based approach that focuses on identifying and addressing the root cause of disease. Each symptom or differential diagnosis may be one of many contributing to an individual’s illness."

In other words, as Functional Medicine and Integrated Health Experts, this is what we bring to the table: we don't focus solely on the symptoms of illness, dis-ease or chronic conditions without actively discovering, clarifying and resolving the root cause of them. Functional Medicine determines both the HOW and the WHY behind the individual's current experience of ill-health, and then moves forward to restore whole health by addressing those root causes in each case.

This is the truest form of holistic health and wellness in action: working with the individuals by thoroughly assessing and understanding their biological systems (as outlined in the image above) so as to promote optimum function at the level of being. It doesn't really get more detailed than that!

Key Distinctions from traditional medicine or wellness approaches:

• All Functional Wellness experiences are highly individualized and client-centered
• It's a science-based approach taking all 7 key realms of being (which creates our 'state of well-being') into consideration
• The Functional Wellness approach empowers clients and practitioners to work together as they uncover and actively address the underlying causes of any dis-ease or disease signals
• Particularly detailed assessment of every client's biochemical, genetic, psycho-emotional and lifestyle factors are taken into account, which leads to extraordinarily effective personalized treatment plans to produce the best results for every client
• The intention is to promote optimal health and wellness function on a physiological, mental and emotional level
• Functional Medicine targets the specific manifestations and expressions of dis-ease and disease in each and every individual

As Functional Wellness and Integrated Health Specialists, we regularly find that one condition has many different causes, and vice versa... One cause may result in many different conditions.

If you'd like to complete an Online Mini Functional Wellness Assessment to get a base-line understanding of where any underlying risks may lie in terms of your optimal well-being, click here and follow the online prompts.