This is a great (and common) question I get that’s important to address. One of the values of functional medicine is to empower you in your health journey. Knowing the answer to this question does just that: educates and empowers you to make informed decisions regarding your wellness trajectory.
What is Functional Medicine?
Functional medicine is a complementary approach to addressing often chronic and complex health concerns. It entails taking an in-depth and thoughtful health history, systems examination, and potential lab testing to determine root-cause factors contributing to illness. This approach takes a deeper look at an individual’s unique physiology and what factors could be driving the pathology that is cause for their current issues, instead of trying to confine them into a one-size-fits all protocol that may or (more often) may not provide a solution. A personalized approach helps patients repair their health and achieve desired outcomes in a more efficient and lasting manner.
How Can It Help Me?
Functional medicine can help you in many ways. One thing that patients love about the functional medicine approach is that it doesn’t simply name and treat the symptom. Instead, it digs deep to find out why that symptom appeared in the first place. This is such an incredible benefit, because often we find that symptoms are inter-related… and if someone has only one symptom, it’s likely that unless the root cause is addressed, other symptoms will eventually appear as that root cause continues to wreak havoc on the body.
Another benefit to the functional medicine approach is that the diet, lifestyle, and supplements used in correcting the root cause rarely have negative side effects, which is drastically different than the pill-for-every-ill approach of western medicine. (When was the last time you saw a prescription medicine without a seemingly never-ending ‘potential adverse reaction’ list?)
When it comes to my practice in particular, common concerns I help my patients resolve include:
- Fatigue/low energy
- Irregular cycles and hormone imbalances
- Thyroid issues
- Chronic gastrointestinal discomfort
- Brain fog, memory and focus deficits
Does Functional Medicine Always Involve Additional Lab Testing?
Although I don’t always recommend additional lab testing, it is a tool in my toolbox that I find can help to discover the root cause(s) at play. Running labs and analyzing them from a functional point of view allows for a thorough evaluation of health. Comprehensive blood chemistry labs help determine the presence of inflammation, thyroid function, vitamin D level, the status of various electrolytes and nutrients, and much more.
There are also labs available to evaluate hormone levels and pathways, food sensitivities, the gastrointestinal microbiome, toxicant exposures and sensitivities, antibody levels, and other important health status indicators.
Running labs takes the guesswork out of which dietary and lifestyle changes will provide maximum benefit to patients as well as which supplements and at what specific dosage will truly support their healing. In the long run, laboratory testing saves valuable time and money and prevents the frustrations associated with trying multiple courses of treatment that might address and resolve the root-cause of illness once and for all.
If you are interested in learning more about how functional medicine can help you, and if specific lab testing will support your health and wellness goals, please contact 952-949-0676 to schedule a complimentary 20-minute phone consultation with Dr. Kassie (a $102 savings!) through December 31, 2021.
