Introduction
For all its limitations conventional and wester medicine serves as an extremely important intervention for the masses. There are many medications that are life saving and free or subsidized for many. There are ongoing research and development going into new stem cell therapy which will be the cornerstone for many health issues in the future.. However, the limitations for conventional medicine can be seen with chronic lifestyle diseases which are prevalent due to our diet & lifestyle choices which seem to have no end in sight with rising chronic disease. This is where Functional medicine comes to the fore in its ability to look at the root cause of disease which has shown time after time transformational improvements with the patients that go through this modality of healthcare.
A Functional Medicine Approach
By shifting the traditional disease-approach focus of the current medical healthcare system to a more patient-centred approach, Functional Medicine doctors and practitioners address the whole person, not just an isolated set of symptoms.
Functional Medicine practitioners spend time with their patients, listening to their histories and looking at the interactions among environmental, genetic, nutrition and lifestyle factors that can influence long-term complex chronic disease.
At the Dublin Centre for Functional Medicine, our practitioners and patients work together to bring the patient back to health while empowering the patient about healthy food and lifestyle choices and not just for the period the patient is working with the practitioner, but for life which is an important part of the process. As difficult it can be sometimes to make changes, the value exchange far outweighs any resistance to change and the results and a new healthier version of the individual speak for themselves.
With chronic health conditions increasing year on year, and the conventional acute healthcare model failing to manage this crisis, functional medicine is perfectly poised to bridge the gap and complement an overburdened health system. Functional medicine can be seen as a model that takes the best of integrative, naturopathic and traditional medicine that delivers a personalized approach to individuals with chronic health issues.
Functional medicine employs the latest clinical research that is based on understanding health conditions and seeks to restore the function and pathways of body systems to restore health. One of the main ways this is done is through using diet and lifestyle interventions as well as looking at environmental factors, all of which can have a profound effect on the body.
AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO HEALTHCARE
SCIENCE BACKED
We use advanced laboratory testing alongside a detailed medical history to reveal the underlying issues causing chronic symptoms and imbalances
PERSONALIZED
By looking to understand the unique interaction between our genetics and environment, we aim to individualize lifestyle interventions, nutrition protocols and treatments as specifically and precisely as we can.
TREATS THE WHOLE PERSON
Functional medicine is a systems biology approach that focuses on identifying and addressing root causes of disease looking at the whole person and not just treat symptoms from individual organ.
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The differences between Functional Medicine and Conventional Medicine.
Perhaps the most important difference between functional medicine and conventional healthcare is the understanding that diseases and chronic symptoms can be inherently reversed, rather than simply managed. Functional medicine practitioners take a ‘root cause’ approach to chronic disease, by understanding how diet, environment and lifestyle factors interact with genetics which causes underling dysfunction. Finding out “the why” about person’s disease can help bring about resolution, or greatly stop the progression. A good example of this is one of the most common trips to the doctors with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Treating constipation or diarrhoea with Imodium or a fibrous gel may offer some short term relief but vary rarely does a GP or a specialist look at what is causing the issue.
Another important aspect of functional medicine is that it considers your environment around you including spouse, work environment, social community, hobbies which can have a significant impact on health. Another important aspect of functional medicine is the consideration of our environment we live in around you including spouse, work environment, social community, hobbies which can have a significant impact on health. This also include the types of cookware we use, the skincare we bathe in, and the WIFI system we use in our home environment. In many instances, it’s difficult to avoid exposure, however it’s about empowerment and knowledge if you are presenting with symptoms.
How Functional Medicine Changes Healthcare
- Functional Medicine offers a powerful new clinical model for the assessment, treatment, and prevention of chronic disease to replace the outdated and ineffective healthcare model for the treatment for chronic disease.
- Functional Medicine incorporates the latest in science, systems biology, nutrition and understanding of how environmental and lifestyle factors influence the disease process.
- Functional Medicine enables empowers patients to take an active role in their own health.