I have been hearing a lot of great reports lately from clients who have worked with a Functional Medicine practitioner. I decided to do a little research and ask a good friend, Kamal Parmar, who is a Functional Medicine Health Practitioner to tell me a bit more about this new 21st Century arm of our Health Care System. Here’s what Kamal shared:
Functional Medicine: The Core Philosophy
Functional Medicine is an evolution in the practice of medicine that better addresses the healthcare needs of the 21st century. This new form of medicine addresses the whole person, not just an isolated set of symptoms.
I think it is exciting that the guiding mandate of Functional Medicine is :
1.To promote health by providing individualized attention to the patient’s story. To give guidance effectively, comfortably, and safely move his/her physiology to a more healthy, balanced state.
2. To clear the muddy waters and get to the root cause of patient’s health problems. In many cases, I may start with correcting imbalances in the gut .
Functional Medicine uses a comprehensive approach to treatment:. Studies have shown that Lifestyle management is a very effective tool, as far as modern day chronic diseases are concerned. It is not the ‘what’ but finding the ‘why’ /root cause of disease , that contains the cure. Self-management is the key towards gaining optimal health.
How does a Practitioner work with you?
A Practitioner begins with an hour/45 minutes online (audio/video) consult with the patient, followed by a follow-up of half an hour, depending upon the patient’s current level of progress.
Practitioners offer customized plans with a judicious combination of supplements, botanicals, as well as lifestyle modifications such as diet, exercise, stress/emotional status and sleep management are given, after careful assessment. Diagnostic testing , if needed, to ‘dig deeper’ into the root cause of any disease. The ‘why’: using a matrix outlining the Mediators, triggers and antecedents which are the basic markers of any compromised body issues
Are Practitioners covered by Extended Health Care?
FM Practitioners work closely with the patient’s healthcare providers & are also paid for by many Extended Health Care plans.
If you are interested in working with a FM Practitioner, most will will provide you with a free 15 minute consultation.
History and More Information
I have found a few really interesting articles on what functional Medicine is and how this new Healthcare system got started. The best articles I found were from The Institute of Functional Medicine. I think you will find them a most interesting read.
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