Source: Freepik.com
You are enjoying your conversation with your dear ones and suddenly the next topic is about body pains and aches. Everyone starts discussing and sharing stories regarding their medical conditions. You might notice that even two people with similar conditions would have different symptoms and doctors would treat similar diseases with different symptoms differently. Have you ever wondered about it?.
Well, It is because when the matter involved is medical like any chronic disease or any other medical condition, there is no one solution-all approach. This is exactly the principle that is followed by the domain of functional medicine. It is a holistic field that is new to many people. There are a lot of benefits of functional medicine, but the most essential ones have been discussed ahead.
1.Focused on Root Cause Instead of Symptoms
Functional medicine works on the principle that every person’s body is unique and is exposed to different environmental and living factors, thus should be treated with personalized solutions. The main focus is on the actual cause of the disease which may differ for every person. Then instead of only pacifying the symptoms, this discipline focuses on treating the root cause of the disease with individual solutions. Once you are aware of the actual cause of the disease, that knowledge can be utilized to prevent the disease in the first place just by making certain lifestyle changes.
2.Effective Yet Science-Based
This approach is scientific as it relies on the gathering of data to find out the causes of the disease that have made the person sick. The practitioner following the functional medicine approach goes deep into the medical history of the person. He/she also dives deep into determining other factors like genetics, physiology, biochemical conditions, and environmental and lifestyle factors. These factors help the practitioner in assessing the root cause of the disease and also help in charting out the treatment plan that can be effective for the person.
3.Highly Personalized Treatment
This principle is focused on figuring out all the details about the patient from medical history to environmental factors. Thus, it easily assesses how and why two different people suffering from certain diseases exhibit different symptoms. The knowledge gathered by the practitioner speaks volumes.
Therefore, the plan they chart out for two people having the same diseases is different as they manifest different symptoms caused by different reasons. The main focus of this approach is the patient itself. The treatment plan is not only highly personalized but also so effective that it yields highly improved outcomes.
4.Multi-Disciplinary Approach
One other significant benefit of functional medicine is that it touches numerous fronts. For the treatment plan, functional medicine not only relies on medications instead it also takes into account other options like herbal, botanica, vitamins, detox programs or supplements etc. The plan often includes working on lifestyle changes such as better sleep cycles, nutrition, a diet filled with healthy fats, maintaining healthy body weight, avoiding sugar, exercising regularly, and stress management.
