If you’re like many others, you may have started to question the way our society approaches healthcare considering recent events the last few years. An increasingly large number of Americans are very dissatisfied with our current healthcare system. In the vast world of wellness, a new approach is growing in the battle against common health issues and chronic diseases like Alzheimer’s, Diabetes, Cancers, IBS, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and much more. Conventional (or Traditional) medicine has long been the go-to solution for addressing health concerns, but where has this led us? 6 of 10 adults in the US have a chronic disease and 4 of 10 have two or more chronic diseases. Today we are going to discuss a new wave of healthcare – functional medicine. What is it Functional Medicine? Does It Help? Keep reading to find out!
Functional Medicine vs. Conventional Medicine
Functional medicine is all about finding the root cause of health issues. Generally speaking, the conventional medical approach is great at helping alleviate symptoms, but it rarely gets to the root cause of the issues. We like to use an analogy to help explain the difference. Picture a school with the fire alarm going off and a fire in one classroom that set it off. The conventional approach would be like turning off that fire alarm, but not stopping the fire. The fire keeps burning, but the alarm system is turned off, so the day carries on. Similarly, medications can silence the body’s alarm system, but many times they don’t actually fix what caused that alarm system to go off in the first place. The functional medicine approach is all about finding what triggered the alarm system and correcting that, so that the alarm system turns off naturally.
Patient-Centered Healthcare
The way conventional medicine is set up, it’s very hard for a patient to truly heal. Doctors within that model are increasingly pressured to see more patients in less and less time. Seek functional medicine if you want patient-centered care where you get adequate time to truly explain what’s been going on with your health. It is impossible to get tailored and personalized care when a doctor spends 5-10 minutes in the room with you. The traditional medicine model is fast paced and cookie cutter, matching up medications to a list of symptoms. The problem is that every body is different and many patients don’t fit inside a specific box, so a “copy/paste” approach to care doesn’t work in that scenario. If you want in-depth, customized care that is centered around your wants and needs, seek the functional medicine approach.
Is Functional Medicine Evidence Based?
In a way, functional medicine bridges the gap between conventional health and alternative health because it combines modern day science (objective lab results and evidence based data) with natural, holistic herbal remedies and supplementation. Utilizing herbs and supplements is better for the body long term (if used appropriately) due to far fewer side effects and risks. This approach also supports the body to fight its battles instead of just suppressing symptoms. Alternative health approaches like herbalism alone lack the specificity and data of functional medicine. This gives functional medicine the upper hand when it comes to clinical results and patients feeling better faster.
Does Functional Medicine Help?
An increasing amount of research is coming out about conditions that have improved significantly more compared to the conventional approach. Here are just a couple of conditions where functional medicine has shown better outcomes than conventional medicine:
If you struggle with any chronic health issue, just taking medication(s) to suppress symptoms will never help you discover the root cause of your condition. Medications can save lives and they can definitely help people feel better, but if you are looking to truly “solve” the problem by finding and correcting the cause, you need to look into functional medicine.
Curious if the functional medicine approach can help with your health issues? Get in touch with one of our doctors at Lighthouse today! Our doctors are trained to find the root cause of any health issues you are experiencing. Visit the rest of our website to learn more about our unique approach to functional medicine and what we have to offer!
