What is Functional Medicine

Functional medicine takes a comprehensive approach to prevention, health, and well-being. It treats root causes of disease and restores healthy function through a personalized patient experience — all while being a vital partner to conventional medicine.

When you work with a functional medicine practitioner, you can expect to feel seen and heard. A large part of functional medicine involves understanding who you are as an individual, your detailed personal
and family history, the circumstances around your first symptoms, and the experiences you may have had with other healthcare providers.

Here’s more about what patients can expect from their functional medicine visit:

A comprehensive approach to health and well-being

• From chronic illness to disease prevention, functional medicine systematically addresses the unique physical, mental, and emotional needs of all patients.
• Practitioners bring together a wide complement of modern scientific tools, including a deep understanding of biology, physiology, genetics, social and environmental determinants of health, and the vital connection between mental and physical well-being.
• By understanding each patient’s genetic, environmental, and lifestyle influences, functional medicine delivers transformative care to promote optimal health and well-being.

A collaborative practitioner-patient relationship

• Functional medicine fosters a collaborative practitioner-patient relationship that empowers
  patients to take control of their health.
• Practitioners are trained to ask thorough questions and listen to their patients to better
  understand the full context of their lives and uncover the root causes of their symptoms.
• Patients and practitioners work together to develop a personalized approach to care, prioritizing
  lifestyle changes and individualized interventions.

A personalized treatment plan focused on root causes

• As a patient-centered practice, functional medicine provides the framework to identify and treat
  the root causes of disease, not just the symptoms.
• Functional medicine asks how and why illness occurs and strives to restore optimal health by
  addressing the specific underlying dysfunctions.
• It is this combination of focusing on individual patients and applying a comprehensive treatment
  path that delivers transformational results.

You can visit http://www.ifm.org to learn more and search for a provider