“We aim to treat the person who has the disease, not the disease itself.”
The term “Functional Medicine” aptly describes an emerging field of health care which differs considerably from the conventional medical system. Conventional medicine, which although can be life-saving in acute situations, has become a “one size fits all” system of diagnosing a disease and matching it with a corresponding medication.
In contrast, Functional Medicine recognises that we are all biochemically and genetically unique and asks the questions “Why do you have this health dysfunction in the first place? What can be done to restore function?” As each person’s biological variability is taken in to account, this enables us to apply a truly personalised approach to health
To unravel and fully understand your unique health story, the Functional Medicine approach delves deeply into past and present factors that may be contributing to your current health problems.
Considerable emphasis is placed on investigating the root cause/s: an illustration of this approach would be that skin problems are often rooted in the gut. So rather than focusing solely on the symptoms (skin problem) we would widen the lens, look upstream and investigate the potential underlying cause (the gut). Functional Medicine then applies natural, non-invasive, science-based methods to address the underlying dysfunction and promote optimal function and vitality.
These supportive methods can include diet and lifestyle modifications, stress management techniques, and nutritional supplementation.