Functional Medicine
What Is Functional Medicine?
Functional Medicine is not new, but it is rapidly emerging around the world. It is the future of Conventional Medicine. It seeks to identify and address the root causes of disease, rather than symptoms, and views the body as one integrated system rather than a collection of independent organs divided up by medical specialties. One condition can have many different causes and, likewise, one cause may result in many different conditions. It treats the whole person mind, body, and spirit.
The Functional Medicine model is a patient-centered, science-based approach that empowers patients and practitioners to work together symbiotically. It is a therapeutic relationship that addresses the underlying causes of disease and promotes optimal wellness as well as prevention of disease, illness and cognitive decline. Ideally before cellular changes have occurred to a degree that the condition is not reversable. It requires a detailed understanding of each patient’s genetic, biochemical, and lifestyle factors and leverages that data to direct personalized treatment plans that lead to improved patient outcomes. Functional medicine seeks to attain the highest possible health status making the individual more resilient to exposures such as viruses or toxins and slow the aging process.
How Does The Functional Medicine Approach Work?
The first step is to construct a detailed history and timeline of life events, stressors, illnesses, diseases, symptoms, environmental toxins, medications to examine to onset of symptoms and correlating factors. Then a matrix is compiled to examine how symptoms across multiple systems are related. This information is paired with any medical tests or images. The provider will generally gather current blood work and order other specialty testing such as stool, organic acids, hormones, toxins, etc. depending on symptoms and history. They will often perform genetic testing as it relates to the individual’s optimal health to best advise them of how to favorably treat their genes. In Functional Medicine we look at much more than if tests are “normal” or not. We look at trends before there is a problem as well as the relationship of these tests to symptoms and function. Additionally, we utilize functional testing that is more accurate than lab values. The relationship should be a collaboration to determine the optimal lifestyle plan for that individual.
All of this information is synthesized into a food, nutraceutical and exercise plan that is specific to you taking into account your current health and lifestyle as well as your genetics. It isn’t a one-size fit all, rather a systemized approach to finding out what your individual needs are to address your underlying root causes of disease and illness. This is done with coaching and resources to help you attain your maximum health. The main focus is on eliminating toxins, bacteria and other blockers to nutrient absorption and promoting your body’s natural healing as the primary intervention.
How Is Functional Medicine Different Than Conventional Medicine?
Conventional or Traditional Medicine relies heavily on diagnostic tests to measure health. It requires a medical diagnosis and utilizes interventions such as medications, injections and surgeries which are designed to ameliorate symptoms or mitigate damage done to organs and tissues. This is particularly useful to keep you from dying if you are in severe crisis, but only brings people back to the place of not showing signs of illness. This is an important distinction as many people have underlying causes of severe illness present decades before Conventional Medicine diagnoses or treats them. This is because most standard lab values are what is "normal" for the majority of a population. In the United States where we have a largely unhealthy population with an 85% increase in autoimmune disorders in the past 30 years and 60% of adults have at least one chronic disease, 40% have two. Who wants to be
"normal" with those statistics? By the time a medical diagnosis is made there can be significant cellular and structural damage that has occurred and may not be completely reversable at that point. Furthermore, by only bringing a person to neutral point of health, the individual is only one illness away from severe health issues. Likewise, most of these interventions address the structural damage or mitigate symptoms without addressing the underlying cause. This is like changing the tires on your car without getting the alignment checked or putting duct tape over your check engine light. Functional Medicine aims to bring people not just to absence of symptoms, but to optimal wellness and vitality.
Conventional medicine also looks at each body system and symptom separately or the branches of the tree. Functional medicine examines the trunk and roots to see why a person might be having symptoms in multiple body systems and addresses the underlying factors for all of them. For example, a person experiencing sinus problems, gum disease and frequent urinary tract infections might have a yeast in their Gl microbiome. In traditional medicine, they would visit a combination of ear-nose-throat (ENT), allergy, dental and gynecology specialists. They might have different medications or topicals prescribed for each symptom whereas in Functional Medicine we would address the underlying yeast causing all of these.
How Is Genetic Vitology's Functional Wellness Program Different?
Even within Functional Medicine, not all programs or practitioners are alike.
Many operate in a similar fashion to Traditional Medicine where they rely only on normal ranges of tests and recommend supplements based on your condition or specific disease. Some only offer lifestyle advise in periodic visits with no tools on how to implement them.
At Genetic Vitology, we offer a complete program to help you succeed with one on one monthly check-ins, interactive patient portal with immediate response to questions, weekly group sessions, educational content and real tools and resources specific to where you are and your needs. Dr. Dyanna Haley-Rezac has been working with people with chronic autoimmune and pain issues for decades and implements a variety of holistic strategies beyond nutrition, exercise, and supplements. These are tailored to each individual client incorporating their values, beliefs, and preferences.
How Does The Functional Medicine Approach Work?
The first step is to construct a detailed history and timeline of life events, stressors, illnesses, diseases, symptoms, environmental toxins, medications to examine to onset of symptoms and correlating factors. Then a matrix is compiled to examine how symptoms across multiple systems are related. This information is paired with any medical tests or images. The provider will generally gather current blood work and order other specialty testing such as stool, organic acids, hormones, toxins, etc. depending on symptoms and history. They will often perform genetic testing as it relates to the individual's optimal health to best advise them of how to favorably treat their genes. In Functional Medicine we look at much more than if tests are "normal" or not. We look at trends before there is a problem as well as the relationship of these tests to symptoms and function.
Additionally, we utilize functional testing that is more accurate than lab values.
The relationship should be a collaboration to determine the optimal lifestyle plan for that individual.
All of this information is synthesized into a food, nutraceutical and exercise plan that is specific to you taking into account your current health and lifestyle as well as your genetics. It isn't a one-size fit all, rather a systemized approach to finding out what your individual needs are to address your underlying root causes of disease and illness. This is done with coaching and resources to help you attain your maximum health. The main focus is on eliminating toxins, bacteria and other blockers to nutrient absorption and promoting your body's natural healing as the primary intervention.
