What is functional medicine?
The functional medicine approach
Functional medicine takes a comprehensive approach to prevention, health, and well-being. It treats root causes of disease and restores healthy function through a personalised patient experience — all while being a vital partner to conventional, allopathic medicine.
We are all unique individuals, with varying health histories, genetics, lifestyles, and psycho-emotional wellbeing, and this is precisely why a large part of functional medicine involves understanding who you are as an individual, your detailed personal and family history, the circumstances around your first symptoms, and the experiences you may have had with other healthcare providers.
This is why we use the symbol of the tree as an analogy of how we approach each individual - the leaves are the symptoms and conditions, and the roots and branches are the various underlying drivers and contributing factors to the development of poor health. As a certified functional medicine practitioner, my aim is to identify and understand the roots of your health condition.
Scroll down to read about what patients can expect from their functional medicine consultation:
A comprehensive approach to health and well-being
From chronic illness to disease prevention, functional medicine systematically addresses the unique physical, mental, and emotional needs of all patients.
Practitioners bring together a wide complement of modern scientific tools, including a deep understanding of biology, physiology, genetics, social and environmental determinants of health, and the vital connection between mental and physical well-being.
By understanding each patient’s genetic, environmental, and lifestyle influences, functional medicine delivers transformative care to promote optimal health and well-being.
A collaborative practitioner-patient relationship
Functional medicine fosters a collaborative practitioner-patient relationship that empowers patients to take control of their health.
Practitioners are trained to ask thorough questions and listen to their patients to better understand the full context of their lives and uncover the root causes of their symptoms.
Patients and practitioners work together to develop a personalised approach to care, prioritising lifestyle changes and individualised interventions.
A personalized treatment plan focused on root causes
As a patient-centered practice, functional medicine provides the framework to identify and treat the root causes of disease, not just the symptoms.
Functional medicine asks how and why illness occurs and strives to restore optimal health by addressing the specific underlying dysfunctions.
It is this combination of focusing on individual patients and applying a comprehensive treatment path that delivers transformational results.