Heard about Functional Medicine but aren’t sure what all the hype is about? This article dives deep to help you know if a functional approach is right for you!
“I had been going back and forth to the doctor’s for approximately 18 months with a lot of different symptoms, all of which they couldn’t supply an answer to why I was feeling the way I was. I was feeling more and more unwell, with no hope of a diagnosis…” (Alison, London)
Does this sound familiar?
When deciding on a healthcare approach, it can feel like standing at a crossroads. On one path, you have conventional medicine with its well-trodden approach to diagnosis and treatment, primarily focusing on symptoms and diseases as they appear. Think of it as the usual go-to when you’re feeling sick or dealing with a medical issue—where treatments and medications are the standard.
On the other path you’ll find functional medicine, which is like having a health detective by your side. This approach is all about you—the individual. It’s an investigative process that explores your personal health story to uncover the underlying causes of health issues. It’s a method that examines not just your symptoms but how various body systems interact, using personalized strategies to optimize wellness and prevent illness from arising in the first place.
Key Takeaways
- Conventional medicine often focuses on treating symptoms, while functional medicine seeks to address the root causes of health issues.
- Functional medicine treats the body as an interconnected system and tailors treatments to the individual for comprehensive care.
- By focusing on prevention and overall wellness, functional practitioners provide a proactive approach to maintaining and improving health.
- While this review discusses the paradigms in general, and not individual providers specifically, it’s important to note that every practitioner may have their own approach.
Fundamental Differences
Let’s look at functional medicine and conventional medicine to understand how their core philosophies and methods of treating patients differ, especially in chronic disease management and the level of personalization in healthcare.
Defining Functional Medicine
Functional medicine is a holistic and personalized healthcare approach. It emphasizes understanding the root causes of chronic diseases by examining various bodily systems and their interconnections. This approach employs comprehensive assessments and diagnostic testing to reveal health issues’ underlying factors. It’s not just about treating the symptoms; it’s about nurturing your entire wellbeing, which includes a holistic approach to your lifestyle—from diet to stress management. Even the Cleveland Clinic has a Functional Medicine department!
Defining Conventional Medicine
Conventional medicine, often referred to as “traditional,” “regular,” or “allopathic” care, is currently the dominant model in the healthcare system. It often excels in treating acute medical conditions and emergencies. This approach tends to focus on symptoms and diseases, usually with established protocols involving medication and surgeries. Conventional providers are trained in pathology and disease, not healing and optimal function.
Comparison of Approaches
Functional medicine is a patient-centered model that views your body as one integrated system, addressing chronic diseases by creating a tailored and dynamic health plan for you. This plan might include a diet targeted at managing your specific health challenges, lifestyle changes to promote rest and reduce stress, and supplements to support your body’s needs.
In contrast, allopathic medicine generally addresses acute conditions with standardized (one-size-fits-most) treatments, primarily focusing on chasing and relieving symptoms. It offers a more compartmentalized view, treating individual body systems separately. For example, you might receive medication to manage high blood pressure, but not necessarily an investigation into the lifestyle factors contributing to the issue. You might receive a prescription for a statin from the cardiologist, with no conversation about the impact it may ultimately have on your liver.
Conceptual Differences
Functional medicine and allopathic medicine have fundamentally different ideologies and approaches to your wellbeing.
Root Cause Whole Person vs. Mechanistic Systems View
In functional medicine, the focus is on identifying the root causes of your health issues, rather than just managing symptoms. It’s about seeing you—the whole person—taking into account not only your physical but also emotional and environmental well-being. Traditional western medicine, by contrast, tends to operate within a mechanistic view, where each part or system of the body is treated separately, often with systemic medications.
Opt-In Model vs. Medications for Life
Functional medicine presents an opt-in model for managing health, centering on a personalized and holistic approach that encourages you to take an active role in your healing. It pivots away from a default reliance on long-term medications, which is commonly seen in the conventional healthcare system that often prescribes medications for life as a solution to chronic disease.
Individual Responsibility vs Victim Mindset
Your journey in functional medicine is one of individual responsibility, where you collaborate and create a personalized plan to restore balance in your body. The standard healthcare system may inadvertently foster a victim mindset, positioning you as powerless against your ailment, with limited options outside of pharmaceutical interventions. Or worse, lead you to believe that your problem is “genetic,” and therefore unavoidable. (Less than 15% of illnesses and diseases are truly genetic, like Down’s Syndrome. The rest are triggered by lifestyle, which means you can change them!)
Hope vs Acceptance
Functional medicine fuels hope—the belief that you can regain control of your health and work towards metabolic harmony. It shifts away from acceptance of chronic disease as an immutable verdict that requires symptom management.
Goal of Interventions
The goal of interventions in functional medicine is to achieve tangible, lasting results for the client, with less emphasis on profit for stakeholders like Big Pharma and Health Insurance Companies. Allopathic medicine, while useful for acute conditions, can get entangled with the interests of these powerful entities, affecting the types of treatments offered and promoted.
Perception of the Individual
When deciding whether to choose functional medicine or regular medicine, consider how you’re viewed in the process of healing and decision-making.
Individual as Part of the Solution vs Passive Participant
In functional medicine, you’re not just a bystander in your care. Rather than being seen as a passive participant awaiting instructions, you become an active player. This approach recognizes that your unique experiences and insights are vital to uncovering the root causes of your health issues. Your personal story and lifestyle choices help in crafting a tailored wellness plan.
Individual as Pseudo-Expert vs Doctor is the Only Expert
Regular medicine often positions the doctor as the primary expert, with patients typically following prescribed treatments without significant input. Functional medicine, however, values your input and encourages a partnership to optimize a patient’s health. While not suggesting that you’re a medical expert, this approach acknowledges the importance of your intimate knowledge of your own body and health experiences in devising effective treatments.
Diagnosis
When it comes to diagnosing health issues, the perspective and approach between functional medicine and traditional medicine differ significantly. Let’s break down the nuances to help you understand how these approaches manage your health concerns.
Average Time Spent with the Individual
In functional medicine, practitioners typically spend more time with you during appointments. This extensive one-on-one attention allows them to comprehensively assess your lifestyle, diet, and multiple health systems. Complex and interwoven health issues can’t be understood and solved in 30 minutes. In contrast, conventional medicine often works within time constraints, meaning appointments are brief and focused only on immediate concerns.
A recent study shows that over 80% of conventional providers spend an average of only 24 minutes per visit with a patient. Additionally, primary care clinicians would require 27 hours per day to provide all guideline-recommended preventive, chronic disease, and acute care to a typical patient panel.
Metabolic Chaos vs. ICD10 and DSM5
Instead of categorizing health issues strictly based on ICD10 and DSM5 diagnostic codes, functional medicine addresses “metabolic chaos.” This broader view recognizes the complex interactions within your body, which can lead to personalized treatment plans beyond standard medication. It’s about understanding the web of causes behind your symptoms, not just ticking off a checklist of diagnostic codes.
In contrast, allopathic medicine is all about the diagnosis. The diagnostic “bible” (The International Classification of Disease, 10th Edition, or ICD10) contains a staggering 69,000 diagnostic codes. There are another 3,000 mental health diagnostic codes contained in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th Edition (DSM5).
Advanced Functional Tests vs Outdated Blood Tests
You’ll find that functional medicine uses state-of-the-art functional testing, going beyond outdated blood work to get a detailed picture of your health. These tests can uncover H.I.D.D.E.N. stressors—Hormones, Immune System, Digestion, Detoxification, Energy Production, and Nervous System—that could be causing you distress. In traditional settings, lab testing may not be as comprehensive, often sticking to established protocols that might miss underlying issues.
Identify Healing Opportunities vs Full Blown Disease
Functional medicine shines in identifying healing opportunities before they become full-blown diseases. By examining everything from your diet to your stress levels, functional practitioners aim at symptom resolution, not just symptom suppression. This contrasts with the allopathic practice of prescribing pharmaceutical drugs once a disease presents itself, which might only mask your symptoms.
Treatment
When looking at how functional medicine and traditional western medicine approach treatment, there are some clear distinctions.
Custom vs Cookie-Cutter
In functional medicine, your treatment is as unique as you are. Unlike conventional methods, which often rely on standardized protocols, functional treatment plans are personalized. Allopathic medicine tends to apply one-size-fits-all solutions, but a functional approach crafts a custom blueprint aimed at metabolic harmony.
D.R.E.S.S. vs Prescriptions and Surgeries
Some functional medicine practitioners utilize the D.R.E.S.S. protocol – Diet, Rest, Exercise, Stress Reduction, and Supplements – to address health issues systemically rather than just managing symptoms. The focus is to resolve underlying imbalances, so the body works properly.
In contrast, conventional treatment may hinge more heavily on medication, prescription drugs, or surgeries without fully integrating lifestyle and diet modifications. The potion or pill is matched to the symptom with the goal of reducing or eliminating the symptom instead of the underlying cause.
Treat Nothing and Everything vs Treat the Paper
Functional medicine looks for metabolic chaos across all systems—it’s a holistic “treat nothing and everything” strategy, interpreting lab results in the context of your whole health. Conversely, allopathic medicine often focuses on treating the paper, meaning they address specific lab results rather than the broader picture.
Resolution and Healing vs Management and Control
Your pathway to resolution and healing is at the core of functional medicine. The aim isn’t to suppress symptoms but to resolve them, fostering long-term wellness. On the other hand, conventional approaches focus on management and control, which may rely on continuous medication without fully addressing underlying causes.
Prevention and Wellness
When focusing on your health and wellness, the emphasis often lies in the proactive steps you can take to avoid future health issues. Both functional and allopathic medicine seemingly offer paths to better prevention, but they approach it differently.
Lifestyle and Prevention in Functional Medicine
Functional medicine providers direct lifestyle changes that foster overall wellness. This might entail dietary adjustments such as integrating more whole foods that suit your unique metabolic type, which can not only help in weight management but also boost your energy levels. Prioritizing adequate sleep, functional medicine recognizes its essential role in rejuvenation and maintaining a sharp, focused mind.
Importantly, this approach also targets stress reduction, as chronic stress can silently erode your well-being. Techniques like guided breathwork and cognitive-behavioral strategies are often included to enhance mental wellness.
- Diet: Tailored to restore balance in your body.
- Exercise: Customized to improve your vitality.
- Sleep: Optimized to enhance recovery and mental clarity.
- Stress: Managed through specific techniques for resilience.
“Prevention” Strategies in Allopathic Medicine
In contrast, what regular medical providers call “prevention” is actually early detection. Periodic health screenings and tests are critical components in this model, as they try to catch issues like high blood pressure or cholesterol early.
- Screenings: Regular check-ups and tests for early detection.
- Nutritional Guidelines: If discussed, generally follow the “Standard American Diet,” which is a prescription for development of chronic illness.
- Physical Activity: Generic exercise guidelines for maintaining health.
Conclusion
In evaluating the merits of functional medicine compared to allopathic medicine, it is essential to look at the individual needs and expected outcomes. Functional medicine is about asking WHY and tailoring treatments to your unique physiology, diving into the root causes of any imbalance. It examines critical areas including hormones, immunity, digestion, detoxification, energy production, and nervous system to create a comprehensive wellness strategy through D.R.E.S.S. (Diet, Rest, Exercise, Stress Reduction, and Supplements).
Allopathic medicine tends to focus on symptom management and standardized treatments. It’s about suppressing symptoms instead of resolving the factors that cause the symptoms. Traditional western medicine is grounded in established protocols that are applied broadly across patients with similar symptoms. This approach is powerful for acute conditions and critical care, where immediate stabilization is needed.
The choice between functional and allopathic medicine isn’t necessarily exclusive. Both can intersect, complementing one another to provide a more holistic healthcare experience. Your journey is unique, and your healthcare approach should mirror that, focusing on what brings you to your best state of health.
Remember Alison, from the start of this article? Here’s the rest of her testimonial: “…so I decided to take a chance and sign up with Raewyn. I don’t have a lot of spare income so was skeptical about spending the money I had but decided I needed to do something. I’m so glad I did! I’m just so grateful that I now know what’s wrong because that means I can do something about it.”
For those seeking transformation and personalized care—especially high-achieving individuals aiming for optimal health and performance—functional medicine presents a data-driven, comprehensive path forward. You’re not just aiming to alleviate symptoms; you’re looking to enhance your entire state of being, from increasing your energy to achieving peace of mind and greater personal freedom.
Could your testimonial be the next one I share? To learn more about the functional approach to health, subscribe to my YouTube channel!
Frequently Asked Questions
Digging into the details about functional and conventional medicine can sometimes be overwhelming. This FAQ section aims to clear up common confusions with straightforward answers.
What’s the real difference between a functional doc and my usual GP?
Your general practitioner (GP) focuses on managing symptoms and disease with traditional methods like medication and surgery. In contrast, a functional medicine provider looks for the root cause of disease or dysfunction and addresses health issues by considering your entire body and lifestyle. Both models of care are considered science-based medicine, but the functional model relies heavily on cutting-edge advances.
Do functional medicine practitioners hold the same credentials as conventional doctors?
It depends. There are a wide variety of professionals who practice functional medicine. Your provider may be a health coach, a nurse, a medical doctor, a chiropractor, an integrative medicine provider, or a DO. Whatever their initial training, they should have received additional education in Functional Medicine. This wide variety of backgrounds makes it possible to find a practitioner with a unique set of skills to help your unique challenges. Functional practitioners spend time with their patients or clients to discover the root causes of metabolic chaos and provide treatments that address imbalances so your whole body functions better.
What should I expect from a functional medicine model that regular healthcare won’t offer me?
Expect a thorough exploration of your health and medical history, lifestyle, and genetic factors, leading to a tailor-made wellness plan. Expect to dig deep to identify the root causes of your challenges and chronic conditions. The collaboration of provider and client enhances the effectiveness of functional medicine. Regular healthcare might not typically offer this depth of personalization or focus on preventative care to the same extent.
Can I work with a functional medical team that focuses on women’s health?
Absolutely! High-performing executive women trying to balance their careers and their vitality are my specialty!
I want to take a comprehensive look at my current health and long-term health, but I don’t have a chronic condition.
Yes! The functional model is a holistic approach to treat chronic conditions, but it also restores healthy function through a personalized plan whether or not you have a set of symptoms. Your individualized plan includes lifestyle factors that can influence vitality, advanced laboratory testing, and other aspects of health you may not have considered. Even healthy people can benefit from working with a functional medicine practitioner!
Are more doctors offering functional services?
We know that the absence of disease does not equate to longevity or vitality. The traditional western model that emphasizes disease states cannot provide a personalized patient experience. A transformation of healthcare is necessary. More providers understand the current practice of medicine is not sustainable and are taking functional medicine courses to help patients.
