What Is Functional Medicine?
When you’re suffering from an illness or disease, you want relief – bottom line. You want the symptoms to go away and for you to live a healthier, happier life. The question is how exactly to make that happen.
With so many doctors and approaches available, it can be difficult to determine who to make an appointment with. The truth is, though, that if you’re suffering from an illness or disease, you want more than the symptoms to go away. You don’t want a bandaid – you want a treatment that will actually heal the issue. This is where functional medicine comes in.
What Exactly Is Functional Medicine?
Functional medicine Denver is a medical approach that goes beyond a surface-level treatment. While your symptoms are certainly taken into account, they are not the main focus. Functional medicine aims to get to the bottom of the symptoms.
Imagine that you begin to notice you’re always tired, have constant headaches, and having chronic digestive issues. You might just be noticing the symptoms, but chances are the issues haven’t just begun.
Whatever is causing these symptoms has likely been wreaking havoc on your body for some time. Functional medicine providers take this into consideration and aim to determine what the root cause is so that it can be treated as well as the symptoms.
How is the Root Cause Diagnosed?
A functional medicine provider will do a deep dive into your condition to diagnose the true issue. This will include looking into your genetics, your diet, any hormonal changes, and any medicine you’re taking. They will also take a look at factors such as:
- Sleep habits
- Nutrition
- Physical activity
- Any stress you’re experiencing
- Relationships
Anything that might impact your health will be taken into consideration. They’ll also track a timeline of your symptoms to help pinpoint what was going on in your life to trigger them.
After a full diagnosis, a functional medicine provider will develop a treatment plan to address the root cause and the symptoms. This might include lifestyle and diet changes, medication, therapy, and more to ensure that you get the help you truly need.
While functional medicine can be utilized for any issue you face, it is often found helpful for conditions such as arthritis, IBS or IBD, depression, Celiac disease, and other chronic problems. If you’re suffering from a similar disease, or even if something just feels off, make an appointment with a functional medicine provider to get to the bottom of it and find relief.
