Functional Medicine

Functional medicine is an approach to healthcare that focuses on treating the root causes of health problems, rather than just managing symptoms. It looks at the whole person, considering factors such as genetics, lifestyle, environment, and diet to understand how they contribute to a person's overall wellbeing.

Instead of just prescribing medication to alleviate symptoms, functional medicine practitioners aim to identify imbalances or dysfunctions in the body's systems. They use a combination of traditional medicine and alternative therapies to address these imbalances and promote optimal health.

Functional medicine views the body as a complex web of interconnected systems, and believes that imbalances in one system can affect the others. By addressing the underlying causes of these imbalances, functional medicine aims to restore balance and support the body's natural healing abilities.

The approach involves personalised treatment plans that are tailored to each individual's unique needs. This may include changes in diet, exercise, stress management techniques, nutritional supplements, and sometimes medications. The goal is to optimise the body's functions, improve overall health, and prevent future health problems from occurring.

Functional medicine also emphasises the importance of a strong practitioner-patient relationship and collaborative decision-making. Practitioners spend more time with patients, listening to their concerns, and taking into account their individual circumstances to develop a holistic treatment plan.

A Functional medicine approach may involve testing if appropriate. This may involve blood testing, gut microbiome (stool) testing, allergy testing, hormone testing i.e. thyroid testing or nutrigenomics - how our genes influence our body systems.

Any testing indicated will be discussed on an individual basis, there is no one size fits all for testing.