Functional medicine can be considered as the future of conventional medicine. This approach seeks to identify the root cause of the disease and addresses the whole person, not just the isolated symptoms of a condition. Functional medicine is an evolution in medicine that views the body as an integrated system instead of a group of independent organs that are divided up by medical specialists. It uses a systems-oriented approach that engages both the practitioner and the patient, bringing them into a therapeutic partnership.
Functional medicine is not a disease-centred approach but a patient-centred one, and takes into consideration the histories, and looks at the interactions among genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors, making for a support system for the unique expression of health and vitality in every individual.
The Indispensable Need for Functional Medicine
The present system of medicine is more oriented toward acute care which has led to the need of a new paradigm in the field. The need of the day is of a medicinal approach that focuses on prevention and control instead of waiting for the end manifestations of end-organ disease. The acute approach of treating symptoms cannot prevent or treat complex and chronic diseases, and it does not take the genetic makeup of individuals or lifestyle factors into account. With constant application of specific, prescribed treatments, medicine today faces a huge gap between research and practice; a dilemma that we might be closer to solve by looking at root causes of illnesses rather than the manifestations.
Who Should Opt for Functional Medicine?
People who are suffering from complex, chronic diseases, and have yet failed to achieve significant improvements in their health should consider functional medicine. These diseases may include:
Treating the body as a whole, taking all influencing factors into consideration, and treating an illness directly at its roots are aspects which make functional medicine result-oriented and effective.