While governments and healthcare business professionals debate the economics and systems for providing healthcare, a silent revolution is taking place outside their system, and the most significant benefit will be excellent health for all. It’s a paradigm shift of epic proportions that can lead to good health faster and can be more cost-effective than what we are traditionally used to.
What is Chronic Illness?
Chronic diseases are described as illnesses that last a year or longer and necessitate continuing medical attention, impede everyday activities, or both. In the United States, chronic diseases like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease are the main causes of mortality and disability. OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) is a prevalent problem with all the symptoms of a chronic illness. Like all chronic illnesses, it necessitates continuing treatment and management, including residual symptoms, impairments, and co-morbidities.
When diagnosed with a chronic ailment, most individuals experience a similar situation: a diagnosis is established, medications are prescribed and provided, and the focus is on “functioning with” or “managing” the condition. But most of the time, no one asks the most important questions: “Why?” and ?What caused you to develop this illness? What factors are at the root of the problem? Is there anything that can be done to fix what went wrong and restore health??. This is where Functional Medicine comes in.
What is Functional Medicine?
Functional medicine looks for genetic, environmental, and behavioral factors that have an impact on health and chronic disease. To restore normal bodily function, biochemical irregularities and nutritional deficiencies are identified and treated. In many cases, symptoms fade away as the body performs as it should, and treatment may become redundant.
Given that lifestyle decisions are the cause of the majority of diseases, functional medicine takes a comprehensive approach that promotes the patient’s participation in their health. Patient conduct is just as vital as anything else and mental attitude, healthy food, regular exercise, getting more than enough quality sleep, and stress management are important to consider.
Traditional medicine is primarily concerned with symptom alleviation via prescription medications. While treating symptoms may help the patient to feel better, it does little to address the problem’s core cause. Symptoms will most certainly recur if you stop using the drugs. It is a matter worth contemplating; headaches are not caused by a lack of aspirin. Furthermore, many of today’s prescription medications have a long list of potentially serious adverse effects.
Functional medicine, on the other hand, aims to find the root of the problem. Symptoms will lessen as a side effect of restoring health if the root cause can be effectively addressed.
What to Expect if you Choose Functional Medicine
During an examination at a center for functional medicine, the doctor will obtain your complete medical history and factor in any additional information that they require to solve your specific health problem. The doctors at centers such as the Ruscio Institute use the information gathered during the test to create a therapy blueprint and master plan for you. They provide care that is both practical and cost-effective, as well as scientifically established. The total cost of treatment is highly dependent on the individual. The Ruscio Institute for FM specialists always use the least invasive treatment feasible, and their objective is to bring the patient to the point where they don’t need treatment as soon as possible. Some individuals feel better in a matter of days or weeks, while others may take months. For more information, check this resource.
Benefits of Functional Medicine
Functional medicine practitioners treat everyone as unique. Consideration of your individual situation, background, and way of living are all used in a holistic approach to patient care. Relationships between patients and clinicians are prioritized in functional medicine. In-depth consultations and thorough personal histories are conducted by doctors. This technique helps your doctor to collect the exact details needed to understand the nuances of your health state. Furthermore, it establishes a bond of trust and open communication.
Functional medicine can assist you in determining what must be changed for you to be healthy. Then your doctor acts as a coach for you, tailoring a strategy to your schedule and needs to assist you in becoming the healthiest edition of yourself.
Types of Treatment used in Functional Medicine
Wherever possible, functional medicine uses natural supplements to treat abnormalities and irregularities in the body. Functional medicine aims to solve health problems through natural means. Diet, exercise, sleep habits, stress levels, and other components of lifestyle choices are all emphasized in functional medicine to cure health problems.
Acupuncture, naturopathy, massage therapy, chiropractic practices, osteopathic medicine, body movement treatments, meditation, tai chi, and yoga are all examples of functional medicine strategies used.
Functional medicine is science-based, accurate and unbiased. It is not only advocated by top medical professionals but is also patient proven. Functional medicine is the key to seeing through symptoms and treating the root cause and helping those with chronic illnesses get healthy, faster.
