What is Functional Medicine?
Functional Medicine is also known as "Root Cause Medicine." The reason for that is we see the body as one complex ecosystem, not individual systems working independently of one another. This is just not how the body works. Each of our systems intertwines and works with the others very intimately, but so many of us have dysfunction or disruption of one or more systems which then causes downstream effects in other areas of the body. Symptoms matter, but focusing solely on symptoms is often a poor way to know what is actually going on in the body and with your health. For example, if you have thyroid struggles, did you know this can actually start from an issue with absorption in your gut? Or if you are struggling with chronic fatigue, chronic pain, hormone dysregulation etc, these issues are so often also related to gut health, but also stress and inflammation in the body.
I often get the question about what the labs can show. People often say they have had their blood work done at the doctor, and when I show what our functional labs look like, everyone is blown away at the detail and depth they show. If you are interested in taking a look at just a few examples of common labs we do, click on each of these below for a sample report!
Comprehensive Stool Analysis and Parasitology
Gut Barrier Panels (to diagnose "leaky gut")
Metabolic Health Panel
Adrenal Stress Profile
DUTCH + Hormone Panel
FIT testing (Food Intolerance Testing)
Genetic Testing: DNA Health Panel
Genetic Testing: DNA Diet Panel
Genetic Testing: DNA Mind Panel
Getting to the ROOTS of what is going on in your body takes a comprehensive deep dive into your health history, your habits, your lifestyle etc. From there we can order the appropriate lab work to show us exactly what is going on in your body to help us strategize how to help you heal. This will require lifestyle changes, nutrition changes, and potentially the need for supplements as well. Each person is unique and not like anyone else. So, my approach is not a cookie cutter program where everyone gets the same recommendations. I spend time with you to figure out what works for YOU!
