What is the difference between Traditional & Functional medicine?
The standard model of care in Traditional Medicine is generally the same, a medical doctor uses pharmaceuticals as therapeutic tools to treat the symptoms that a patient presents with and if this is out of their scope of practice, they will refer to a specialist. This standard of care works works well for acute diseases, trauma, infection, and emergencies - using medication in the short term is a fantastic resource and is often life saving.
Functional Medicine (FM) however works of the model of prevention of disease or if a health condition is present, by addressing the root cause of that condition and treating the cause - not the symptom. By adopting this approach, using FM as part of our health and wellness toolkit, we can prevent ( or often reverse ) all types of chronic disease. Conditions such as allergy, digestive issues, IBS, IBD, hormonal, depression & anxiety, high blood pressure and cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, metabolic disorders including obesity, autoimmune disease and even Cancer.
FM is a collaboration between the practitioner and the patient, empowering us to take back control of our own health by making often simple changes to diet, lifestyle and mindset.
Contrary to what you might read, FM is very much a person centred, science based approach, believing that all of us are unique and therefore we should be treated as such.
Foundational Principles of FM
Personalised Health Care
We are all different; genetically and biochemically unique. FM treats the individual, not the disease, supporting the normal healing mechanisms of the body, naturally, rather than attacking disease directly.
Science based Approach
The body is a network of functional systems which are all related to one another.
Understanding those relationships allows us to see deep into the functioning of the body.
We have a choice to be well
The body is intelligent and has the capacity for self-regulation.
Given the right environment, the body has the ability to heal and prevent disease
Health is not just the absence of disease, but a state of immense vitality.