Why Functional Medicine Works (Better)
What is Functional/Restorative Medicine? And why do we need it?
Our current standard medical system was established in a time where the primary concern was acute illness and disease. People did not live into old age as frequently and medical practitioners were still trying to prevent death from what today would be considered common illnesses and infections. In the 21st century however we have a much different need for healthcare. We no longer need a solely acute care approach but also need a chronic health care approach. We can now live longer by preventing many illnesses and diseases with vaccines, antibiotics, anti-fungals etc. But living in modern western society often entails more chronic diseases of fatigue, sleep interruption, poor gut health, obesity, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, dementia and a long list of other ailments. So has our health care system adjusted its approach? Not enough. Our medical system and medical schools are still operating mostly from an acute care approach. We utilize a health care platform that is based on sick care, not health care or prevention. In standard care there is a tendency to find a problem that the practitioner can prescribe a medication for. Many times we are treating the symptoms instead of fixing the cause.
Functional Medicine (or restorative medicine) come from the angle of looking at what is the source or root cause of the illness, disease or imbalance, because the body works synergistically, not in silos. For example, many times skin issues are a reflection of poor gut health, or a hormone imbalance. In standard medicine the patient goes to the doctor and is prescribed a topical cream to apply to the skin. In this example, applying a topical cream to the affected skin may mask the symptom but it will not correct the deeper complication of what isn’t working right in the body. That is what functional medicine does, it looks deeper to see what is the underlying problem causing the issues on the skin.
By working to restore health to the gut or to balance hormones you have not only resolved the skin issue but you have restored optimal health to the individual. So many things are interconnected in our bodies, by maintaining optimal health we can prevent a slew of illnesses and diseases as we age. I often use the example of why parting out bodies out to dermatology for skin issues, endocrinology for autoimmune/fatigue issues, rheumatology for joint pain and GI for heart burn and reflux is like having water leak into your basement from all 4 corners but you keep just patching one corner. Will you still have water leaking into your basement? Yes. To heal, you must address all issues simultaneously and to do that you must find what is causing all of those symptoms because, almost always, all the different symptoms are caused by one main source. By looking at what is off balance we can then focus on restoring that balance and restoring optimal health.
I have built my practice on this premise. People walk through my door every day saying, “Please fix me, I am tired of being told my lab results are normal when I don’t feel good. “ A deeper look is needed in order to restore optimum health of these people. This does not happen in a 10 minute visit with just a few basic labs and a prescription. This involves looking at what symptoms the individual is experiencing: How are they sleeping? How is energy during the day? Are there any skin changes, gut symptoms, hormone symptoms? What about memory, focus? What is the diet like? Physical activity? What stressors are in their lives-work, family, loved ones etc. Do they have a good support system? What habits might be working against them? These are all areas investigated in a functional medicine approach to health.
I attend yearly functional/restorative medical conferences and each year the US falls lower down the scale in regards to health in developed countries. I once asked a colleague why. Why is this country no longer leading the world in the health of its population? He responded “ We are invested in sick people in this country. Insurance, the healthcare system and big pharma make money off sick people while other countries invest in trying to obtain a healthy population and keep them healthy. “
Over the last 3-5 years I have seen a large influx of people who realize this and are seeking to find help to address root cause of illnesses so they can repair and obtain optimal health. We have the ability to live long healthy lives and that is the bottom line for Functional medicine.
Karen A Hanson N.P.