Over the last several decades, healthcare for many has turned into “sickcare.” And, for good reason! The number of people suffering from acute illnesses and chronic diseases has skyrocketed. Factor in the complications that result from treatment side effects, and conventional medicine has started to look a lot like firefighting – put out the biggest fire first, and deal with the damage later.
It’s time to get back to healing. Doing this requires more than diagnosing and treating the immediate problem. It involves asking why. Why do you have this illness or condition? What aspects of your lifestyle and environment are enabling it? Are there underlying biochemical issues present? How are you different from the next sufferer?
Functional medicine takes a deeper and more nuanced look into the patient’s background, lifestyle, environment and habits to optimize wellness. As functional medicine practitioners, we must understand where each patient is on their wellness journey, where they’ve been and where they want to go. Our holistic approach to care puts the whole patient at the center of care.
The goal of functional medicine isn’t just to cure the condition – it’s to restore wellness. At THRIVE Integrated Health, we want to give our patients the confidence and tools to enable their own resilience and regain vitality. To that end, functional medicine focuses heavily on nutrition and body-mind centered treatments rather than prescription pad therapy. Some of our patients use functional medicine exclusively on their path to wellness; others use it in conjunction with conventional medicine therapies.
Functional medicine is a scientifically-based, proven approach to healthcare and wellness. The practice of functional medicine has gained significant momentum in the last decade. Why? Because medical research proves that it works. More physicians are embracing functional medicine as they realize the limitations that conventional medicine has in addressing the complicated nature of common health conditions.
If you want to learn more about functional medicine, let us know. Or, check out these resources:
• The Institute for Functional Medicine
• Thomas A. Sult, MD, author of “Just Be Well”
Whether you are just getting started on your wellness journey, or need a new perspective, reach out to us. Let us help you THRIVE, not just survive!
