Why We Use Functional Medicine
Our bodies and their systems (organs, muscles, bones, etc.) are masterpieces of design. Every part has its specific functions as well as an interrelationship with the whole. When you experience symptoms, it’s your body’s way of telling you that something isn’t working at its full function. Our role is to work with you to determine what’s not functioning, why, and how we might assist you in restoring your health.
We use a holistic, supportive, patient-centered approach to healthcare that benefits patients of all ages and conditions. As functional medicine practitioners, we consider the following web of interactions:
- Nutrition
- Digestive function
- Detoxification function
- Energy metabolism
- Hormonal function
- Structural function
- Immune system function/inflammation
We investigate the extent of any dysfunction by intensive listening (taking your history), physical examination, and laboratory tests. Once we have identified the root causes of your symptoms, we recommend specific treatments and therapies, including dietary changes, nutritional supplementation, herbal medicines, and exercise and stress reduction appropriate to your lifestyle. We use pharmaceuticals when necessary. We may also refer you for physical therapy, psychological counseling, massage, acupuncture, energy-medicine, or structural evaluation or treatment. We consider ourselves to be your partners in improving your health.
We also use functional medicine to assess your risk of developing major diseases and to prevent chronic illness. In this way, we move from a downstream (reactive) approach, to an upstream (proactive) approach. We can help you determine what factors are “pushing you into the river” in the first place by identifying your susceptibilities.
One of our newest approaches is functional genetic testing. Although you cannot change your genetic “hand of cards”, with this information we can assist you in “playing your hand” in a more effective way. This approach offers significant promise regarding prevention of cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis, as well as successfully addressing a number of common maladies.
For more information, you may visit www.functionalmedicine.org, the website for the Institute for Functional Medicine, where both Dr. Albert and Dr. Wright have studied.