Functional and Lifestyle Medicine

The Institute of Functional Medicine defines Functional Medicine as an individualized, patient-centered, science-based approach that empowers patients and practitioners to work together to address the underlying causes of disease and promote optimal wellness.

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.
Thus by addressing the root cause, rather than simply addressing someone’s symptoms or diagnosed disease

Functional Medicine

Functional medicine understands that the body systems do not work in insolation.  That in fact, our body systems work together synergistically and these systems are constantly influenced by our diet, lifestyle, environment and genetics.   It’s with the same token that chronic illnesses also do not develop on their own and they too are also impacted by our lifestyle, environment and genetics.  Functional medicine looks to address the root cause of a person’s chronic illness, by using their symptoms, environment, lifestyle and genes as clues to address the underlying health issues.

This personalized health approach works to optimize’s the individual health, not focusing on their diagnosed disease. It is designed to support the normal healing mechanisms of the body. 

This approach includes thoroughly reviewing the person’s health history, assessing their current condition, exploring daily habits and routines, and utilizing specialized testing that provides clues into how their body’s basic and fundamental processes are functioning.

Lifestyle

The lifestyle component of the program aims to provide the individual with the knowledge and support so that they can incorporate healthy lifestyle practices and activities into their daily routines. Every choice we make on a daily basis can either enhance our own health or deteriorate it.  Continuing lifestyle choices that do not promote our health can lead to issues in our health.  By removing these damaging lifestyle choices and replacing them with those that enhance health, dysfunction can often be corrected.

Our approach is based on the following core values:

1. We do not treat diseases. We co-create health.
2. All disease starts and ends in the gut.
3. The patient determines the outcome.

We look at the whole picture from lifestyle down to the cellular level, determine root causes and then create strategies and solutions individualized for each patient.