Oftentimes in health and wellness circles the term "functional medicine" is used to describe a certain approach to analyzing and promoting the health of an individual.  However, the vast majority of people are left confused or wondering how functional medicine can help them and what makes it different from "regular medicine."  Let's do our best to outline the differences.

 

Traditional Western Medicine, or "regular medicine," is generally used when something is noticeably wrong or symptoms become so unfavorable that patients are seeking immediate relief. Treatment typically involves powerful drugs and or surgery to try to alleviate symptoms.  In some cases, such as severe traumas and major illnesses, these approaches can be very important.  However, the majority of individuals are not in these scenarios, the are existing somewhere between health and disease (dis-ease).  This is where functional medicine fits in.

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Functional medicine views the body as a whole and looks for signs of early dysfunction in an organ, a process or a system; oftentimes before obvious symptoms are even present.  There are various ways of testing and analyzing for a health challenge depending on the practionioner and their technique.  Treatment will typically involve changes in diet, nutritional support and patient education on lifestyle improvements.  At Power of Life we use a functional medicine approach known as Nurtition Response Testing to determine how well an individual's body is functioning and what processes are most in need of support.  One of the most incredible aspects of Functional Medicine are Nurtition Response Testing is seeing what a powerful difference proper whole-food nutrition, along with a healthy lifestyle, can make in an indivudual's life.  People often prioritize many things before their own health and wait until there is a major health challenge to make important changes.

 

Take the time today to schedule a visit with Dr. Kandace, learn how well your body is currently functioning and ways you can best support it in dealing with the various stressors of modern living.