Functional medicine is an approach to health that focuses on identifying the underlying causes of disease and illness.
Conventional medicine asks the question “what?”
The focus is diagnosis because once you obtain a diagnosis, the goal is to shut off the underlying pathophysiology of the disease. For example, asthma is a disease where the immune system in the lungs is hyperactive, so the maintenance treatment is often an inhaled steroid, which shuts off the immune system, improving the symptoms of cough and wheezing.
Functional Medicine asks “why?”
Functional Medicine practitioners are medical detectives that seek to correct underlying imbalances, as opposed to masking symptoms with medications. Depending on your specific imbalance therapy may include: optimizing nutrition, repairing the gastrointestinal tract, balancing hormones, and detoxification amongst others.
Functional Medicine FAQs
Can I have a Functional Medicine consultation without enrolling in Primary Care?
Yes, please refer to our Pricing page for more information on Functional Medicine consultations.
What is Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy?
As we age, the natural levels of sex hormones in our bodies decline. In some people, this process can be more dramatic than others, and it is often found to be one of the primary fundamental imbalances as a part of one’s comprehensive functional medicine workup. Unlike conventional hormone replacement therapy, bHRT uses the natural human form of these hormones to re-establish normal, physiologic levels of sex hormones. Hormone imbalance not only causes a variety of symptoms including fatigue, limited energy, hair loss, low sex drive, depression, sleep problems, and poor concentration, but can also predispose you to increased cardiovascular and cancer risk.