What is Functional Medicine?
Functional Medicine is the holistic approach to medicine that focuses on locating and handling the root or underlying cause of complex or chronic illnesses and diseases. Functional medicine doctors and practitioners use specialized testing and techniques to locate the underlying or root cause for pain or illness.
Functional Medicine is not a band-aid approach, and is the opposite of “one size fits all” medicine which tends to focus on dealing with symptoms. It is an individual, personalized path to getting an individual back to good health.
As an example, rather than offering you anti-depressant medication, a Functional Medicine practitioner may find, after running hormone tests, that your thyroid is not properly functioning and thus causing depression. They may then “prescribe” a program to handle your thyroid gland – which may consist of diet change, proper sleep, exercise, or even medication.
A functional doctor may be able to locate the underlying condition causing multiple symptoms, or may locate multiple conditions causing one symptom.
A functional practitioner may ask you about your sleep habits, diet and nutrition, exercise, medical history, personal relationships, stressors, and more to locate the underlying cause of your illness or situation.
Functional practitioners often spend more time with you than a conventional doctor. They also rely more on a partnership with you to ensure the success of the program and your betterment. With frequent follow-ups to ensure your program is working for you, or to make changes as needed.
What Sort of Illness does a Functional Medicine Doctor Address?
Most functional medicine doctors work to solve complex, chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, mental illness, and autoimmune disorders like Hashimoto’s, Lyme disease and Crohn’s disease.
However, functional medicine isn’t just for chronic or complex diseases as it also has a strong focus on preventative care.
Functional Medicine in Nashville
At Nashville Regenerative Orthopedics, we are in the business of getting you back to living your life pain-free. Your health is, and will always be our priority.
That is why we have added on an experienced, top-rated practitioner of Functional Medicine – Lou Higuera.
Lou is a board-certified nurse practitioner with a passion for treating and eliminating the root causes of chronic illnesses, especially autoimmune disorders. Her focus towards functional medicine began in 2009 while working in the emergency department, seeing patient after patient present with flares of chronic disease. Conventional medicine was not serving these patients effectively, and in most cases were just covering up symptoms.
To you living your best life!
Dr. Ethan Kellum
NOTE: This blog post provides general information to help the reader better understand regenerative medicine, musculoskeletal health, and related subjects. All content provided in this blog, website, or any linked materials, including text, graphics, images, patient profiles, outcomes, and information, are not intended and should not be considered or used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please always consult with a professional and certified healthcare provider to discuss if a treatment is right for you.