Conventional Medicine vs. Functional Medicine...what is the difference?

Yes, we have started a Functional Medicine Consulting business, but really, what does that mean?

Many people are asking that question and I am here to give you some insight.

Conventional medicine is taught in medical schools and through this training people learn how to diagnose disease due to the patient’s symptoms. There are protocols used to treat diseases. Typically, medications are then prescribed to alleviate  symptoms and prevent disease from progressing. More often than not, these medications have side effects and another pill is prescribed to help with the side effects.

In a case where the patient presents with multiple diseases like Diabetes and Rheumatoid arthritis, in conventional medicine, referrals are made to specialists such as an endocrinologist and rheumatologist.

In Functional Medicine, the body is treated as a whole and not separated into systems but seen as one integrated system, all interconnected. The goal is addressing the root cause of symptoms, prevention, and achieving optimal function in every aspect of the body. This is done through in depth discussions around sleep, diet, movement, genetic makeup, stress management, environment,  and biochemical makeup (lab markers). Each client is treated as an individual without a specific protocol. One size does not fit all. 

Conventional medicine strives for a diagnosis and the right pill to treat it.

Functional Medicine begins with the diagnosis, finds the root cause, then attempts to reverses disease and prevent future illness.