Functional Medicine
Functional medicine is an approach that focuses on assessing complex body systems to search for imbalances as well as explore potential external risk factors, which could contribute to a health condition to aid prevention and treatment of chronic diseases.
Its purpose is to identify and address the “root cause” of health complaints by looking at the person as a whole individual unit and the interactions between different internal and external factors leading to health concerns, rather than focusing on an isolated set of symptoms or diseases.
Functional Medicine Model
Functional medicine recognises that our body functions as one complex unit, and each system in the body, such as hormonal, cardiovascular, immune, digestive, are interconnected. Hence dysfunction in one system could have a knock-on effect on another. Many chronic conditions are often a result of imbalances between more than one of these systems, nutritional deficiencies, and input of several other factors, including emotional, physical, dietary, environmental, lifestyle, etc.
What to expect from a Functional Medicine Practitioner
Functional medicine practitioners are trained to take all these factors into account and work together with clients on an individual level to reveal as well as address potential drivers of ill health.
Each client will receive a tailored recommendation programme, unique to their goals, needs, and current lifestyle, to help them reduce symptoms and improve health.
Furthermore, emphasis is also given to sharing knowledge and educating clients on how the body’s functions could respond to various external factors and lead to health complaints. This is to help clients understand the impact of their diet and lifestyle choices on their health and empower them to take control of their health and wellbeing on an on-going basis.
Functional Testing
As part of a functional medicine approach and where an NHS test is not available, I offer functional laboratory testing.
