Why Functional Medicine Is Important

Common treatments of diseases often only affect the symptoms and not the cause. Most doctors prescribe treatments that mask the symptoms, pain, and discomfort but do not actually cure the problem.

 

The opposite is true in functional medicine. Functional medicine doctors address the underlying cause of a disease instead of focusing on the symptoms alone. They look into how the body works as a whole and identify various factors that resulted in the damage and breakdown of body functions and organs.

 

Functional medicine uses a systems-oriented approach that is patient-centered instead of disease-centered. Simply put, they address the whole person not just the symptoms.

 

What makes functional medicine different from conventional medical practice?

  • Focuses on the cause, origins, treatment, and prevention instead of the symptoms of a disease.
  • Promotes health for overall vitality instead of just the absence of disease.
  • Follows an integrative science-based approach to health care.
  • Functional medicine doctors look into a patient’s lifestyle, history, and physiology to identify the origins and cause of an illness.
  • It takes into account various factors that affect total functioning, such as unique genetic makeup and internal and external factors.
  • Integrates the best medical practices from traditional western medical practices with alternative or integrative medicine.
  • Combines a range of healthcare techniques, from prevention through diet and nutrition to laboratory testing and other diagnostic techniques.
  • It is centered on the premise that the body can heal itself with its capacity for self-regulation.

Why does functional medicine matter?                         

 

Helps treat complex and chronic diseases

The number of people suffering from diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and other chronic diseases is on a sharp rise. It is no longer enough to treat symptoms, because complications occur all the time.

 

Improves the system used in medical practice

Most physicians provide acute care, prescribing drugs and surgeries that treat the immediate problem. The diagnosis and treatment are of short duration which, in some cases, are not enough.

 

Provides the basis for better patient care

The acute-care approach to medicine does not take into account other factors that affect a patient. These include environmental exposure to toxins and the genetic makeup of each individual. This is mainly because it lacks the proper methodology and tools to not only treat a complex, chronic disease but also prevent it.

 

Helps bridge the gap between medical practice and research

There is a gap between the way doctors practice medicine and the new emerging research in basic sciences. What is in practice today is half a century older than the research currently being conducted. This is especially true in the area of chronic illnesses.

 

Pushes for better medical training

Unlike functional medicine doctors, most physicians are not trained to identify the underlying causes of a chronic disease.

 

Most of them prescribe treatments based on surface level issues alone. And most of the treatments they prescribe do not include other strategies that can impact a patient’s well-being, such as exercise, diet, and nutrition.

 

Their primary goal is to treat the illness instead of curing and preventing it.

 


FX Med Centers is proud to offer its services out of Paramus and Ramsey, New Jersey and their surrounding areas. Contact Us today for more information, your initial telephone consultation is free and we will match you to the right provider to fit your personal needs!

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