Functional Medicine

Functional Medicine is an approach that is patient-centred rather than disease-centred. It gives outstanding results since it focuses on achieving health through optimising physiological function, so that the body can deal with the cause of the symptoms directly. The fact is that diseases don't just happen. They result from complex, interacting factors unique to each individual. In Functional Medicine, the medical tests and treatments link current scientific research with emerging options in clinical care. The tests uncover imbalances in body's biochemical function. The therapies help to detoxify and to improve the nutritional status so that optimal health can be restored and maintained.

The human body and its body systems (muscular, skeletal, digestive, circulatory, etc.) are masterpieces of design. Every part has its specific function as well as an interrelationship with the whole. When symptoms are experienced, it is the body's way of signalling that there is an imbalance. Functional Medicine helps to determine what is not functioning, why, and what course of action might restore normality.

Functional Medicine uses a holistic, supportive, patient-centred approach to healthcare that benefits patients of all ages and conditions. Functional medicine practitioners consider the individual function and the interactions that occur among the following body functions:

 Nutritional status
 Digestive function
 Detoxification function
 Immune system function/inflammation
 Energy metabolism
 Hormonal function
 Structural function

The initial diagnosis includes taking the patient's medical history, a physical examination and laboratory tests. Once the root causes of dysfunction have been identified, specific treatments and therapies are recommended. The practitioner makes suggestions that are user-friendly, in partnership with the patient. This may include the introduction of dietary changes, nutritional supplementation, herbal medicines, exercises, stress reduction techniques and mind-body medicine where appropriate.

Functional medicine is also used to assess the risk of developing certain health conditions and to prevent chronic illnesses from occurring. In this way, the treatments move away from reactive approach, to a proactive approach. The assessment can help to determine what factors are producing susceptibilities to illness. One of the newest approaches is functional genetic testing. Although no one can change the “hand of cards you have been dealt” genetically, genetic information can assist in “playing your hand” in a more effective way. This approach offers significant promise regarding the prevention of cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis, as well as successfully addressing a number of common maladies.

The purpose of functional medicine laboratory testing in the clinic is to evaluate nutritional, biochemical, or physiological imbalance and to determine any need for medical referral. These lab tests in the clinic are not intended to diagnose disease. The following tests and services are available from the Good-Medicine-Clinic:

 Biological Terrain Assessment (BTA)
 Live Blood Analysis
 Vitality and Longevity Analysis
 Food Allergy / Intolerance Test
 Frequency Specific Microcurrent (FSM) - for pain relief
 Far Infrared Sauna (FIRS) – ‘Detox Box'
 Nutritional Counselling

For more information, visit www.functionalmedicine.org