What is Functional Medicine?

Functional medicine is arguably the practice of medicine that best addresses the healthcare needs of the 21st century. The term and practice is something completely different than what we in the western world have come to know as conventional medicine. By shifting from a disease-centered to a more patient-centered approach, functional medicine determines how and why disease and illness occurs. It is PERSONALIZED medicine that addresses the root cause of your symptoms and health concerns. Functional medicine practitioners treat the body as an organic whole rather than as a summation of separate, independent parts. We believe that the most effective way to deal with health issues, especially chronic ailments and pains, is by first conducting exhaustive research on the patient’s history, their habits, and lifestyle. From there, we use functional lab testing to screen your blood for imbalances, toxins, inflammation, and more.

This holistic approach integrates different forms of alternative and supplementary medicine with the most modern methods of diagnosis. Treatment is individualized and 100% catered to each particular patient. In short, Functional Medicine is a therapeutic partnership between patient and practitioner whose mutual goal is to get to the root cause of your symptoms.

“Functional Medicine determines how and why illness occurs and restores health by addressing the root causes of disease for each individual.” -Dr. Hyman ( Watch Dr. Mark Hyman talk more about Functional Medicine.)

What do Functional Medicine Practitioners treat?

Functional Medicine practitioners focus on a number of different aspects of a patient’s clinical and personal history, as well as  their dietary habits, daily routines, and behavioral characteristics. Some of the features that Functional Medicine assesses are:

1. Diet and nutrition
2. Overall deficiencies analyzed through diagnostic testing
3. Physical an d mental symptoms
4. Exposures to environmental toxins, mold, etc.
5. Health of the gastrointestinal, endocrine, and immune Systems
6. Presence in the body or prolonged exposures to metal toxicities or heavy metals (in amalgams and fish)
7. Assessment of essential  nutrients in the body
8. Hydration and tests of alkalinity and acidity

Types of Functional Medicine Treatments:

The following are just some of the treatments that Functional Medicine utilizes to achieve its goals of improving each patient’s health through an approach that is both holistic and individualized.

1. Chelation Therapy is used to remove heavy metals from the blood and treat issues such as mercury poisoning. This is done through intravenous injections of synthetic amino acids that operate as chelating agents.
2. Natural Hormone Therapy, also known as bio-identical hormone therapy. Especially effective for pre and post-menopausal women. Bio-identical hormones are hormones whose molecular structure is equal to those produced by the female body. Some benefits of this therapy: your sleep will improve, your concentration will sharpen, your overall energy will surge, and your libido will reawaken.
3. IV Vitamin Therapy
4. Vitamin Supplementation
5. Micronutrient Testing assesses the performance of a number of nutrients in the body. These include vitamins, amino acids, minerals, and antioxidants within our blood. This has proven to be a highly effective way to detect nutritional deficiencies that work against the overall harmonious functioning of our organism.
6. Ozone Sauna Therapy

Five Principles of Functional Medicine:

1. The patient is and must be at the center of a functional medicine (and any healthcare) approach.
2. Functional medicine is deeply science-based and collaborative.
3. Your body is intelligent and has the ability to heal and prevent nearly all diseases of aging.
4. Dietary and lifestyle factors are major determinants of health,
5. Wellness is not just the absence of disease, but a state of vibrant health.

Functional Medicine does not work against traditional medicine; it works alongside it. We use conventional testing and diagnosis techniques, but direct our efforts to treat the body as a vast and completely interdependent organism with its own particular and unique history. Our goal is to cater to you as an individual with specific needs and characteristics, instead as an anonymous collection of organs and symptoms. By knowing you and your history, we can get to the root of whatever it is that is afflicting you.

Call today to schedule your functional medicine consultation at Tringali Vibrant Health: 561-283-1166