Take a Deeper Dive with Functional Medicine
Functional medicine (FM)is a patient-centered, systems biology-based approach to treating chronic disease that focuses on identifying and addressing the root cause of symptoms. It's based on the idea that each patient is unique and that many factors, such as family history, lifestyle, and environment, interact with each other to contribute to disease. For example, if someone is diagnosed with heart disease, it could be due to a combination of genetics, diet, stress, and other lifestyle factors.
It differs from Integrative Medicine by taking a deeper dive into a person’s disease. It is often utilized when illness hasn’t responded to traditional treatment.
An Illustration of Functional Medicine
As shown in the graphic, a diagnosis can stem from multiple causes. For instance, depression can arise from various factors, such as inflammation. Similarly, inflammation can result in different diagnoses, including depression. The specific outcome of each cause varies based on an individual's genetics, environment, and lifestyle. Effective treatments must target the correct cause to provide lasting benefits beyond merely alleviating symptoms.
MiddleWay Wellness healthcare providers are uniquely qualified to offer Functional Medicine (FM) having both completed all of the modules through the Institute for Functional Medicine, the world’s leading education center for FM. While caring for patients they can seamlessly weave in the powerful techniques and approaches of FM when necessary.
