Functional Medicine and Chronic Disease
When it comes to treating urgent or acute medical needs, the traditional western medical system has a pretty good system in place. Hospitals are available for urgent medical care around the clock, and doctors are trained in highly specific issues so they can diagnose, treat, and analyze those specific health concerns with expert perspective.
This all works great when there is an urgent and sudden medical problem, but these highly specialized medical care teams aren’t quite as helpful when the problem isn’t so cut-and-dry. If there is one area in which western medicine greatly lacks value it is in the diagnosis and care of underlying chronic diseases. These are the types of conditions that often go undiagnosed for years, and only over time lead to the onset of severe symptoms and eventually the development of an urgent care issue.
Caring for these underlying chronic health disorders can reduce the urgency of health-care needs by addressing health holistically from early on. This is where functional medicine differs from traditional western medical practices.
The Benefits of Functional Medicine on Chronic Disease
When it comes to treating chronic disease, you can’t rely on textbook symptomology and clear-as-day medical issues. Many chronic diseases manifest gradually over-time, and often have a compilation of health consequences that range from skin rash to headaches to bowel issues—the type of variation that make it seem like one issue may not be related to the other.
The types of chronic disease that functional medicine is ideal for addressing includes:
- Autoimmune disorders, including Crohn’s disease and Multiple sclerosis
- Asthma
- Hypertension
- Hyperthyroidism
- Obesity
- Epilepsy
- Diabetes
- Mood and anxiety disorders, including depression and bipolar disorder
Functional medicine doctors don’t limit their focus to just one aspect of symptomology, but instead evaluate the body as a holistic vessel that requires comprehensive analysis. This sort of treatment recognizes that one issue can easily connect to another, and this may set off another concern somewhere else in the body. Improving health cannot be done by covering up symptoms or delivering patchwork coverage until the individual feels better. Instead, true health care looks inside and works its way out, finding the core of the health concern and finding ways to address the issue so that the symptomology takes care of itself.
For more information about treating the underlying causes of health concerns and addressing chronic diseases comprehensively through functional medicine practices, contact us.