About Functional Medicine
Functional medicine is a way of fully addressing the healthcare concerns of the 21 st Century, which now centred on chronic disease and long-term ill-health.
It lends itself to more person-centred care rather than disease-lead care. You might be surprised to realise that the reason for your ‘dis-ease’ might be different to another person with the same ‘dis-ease’.
Functional medicine is about YOU.
Functional medicine practitioners look ‘upstream’ addressing the body as a whole interconnected unit and identifying disrupted physiology and lifestyle that might lead to disease. The unique genetic makeup of an individual is considered along with their internal and external environments.
The aim is to help individuals acquire vibrant health, rather than just the absence of disease. Functional medicine combines traditional ‘Western’ medicine with what some consider to be ‘integrative’ or ‘alternative’ medicine. Focusing on nutrition, diet and exercise is considered foundational. Laboratory and functional tests and other diagnostic tools may be utilised further insight.
Supplements, botanicals, therapeutic diets, detoxification programmes and stress management techniques may also be recommended to enhance health and wellbeing.
