Overview
Functional medicine is a systems-oriented approach. Instead of focusing on providing a prescription for a symptom, we strive to choose treatments that impact multiple body systems. Because the brain, hormones, gastrointestinal and immune systems are in constant communication, it is especially important to evaluate and consider how the patient’s bodily systems function as a whole. Functional medicine providers search for the underlying causes of disease, including genetic predisposition, food intolerances, infectious diseases and environmental toxins. Because of its multi-faceted nature, functional medicine incorporates a variety of modalities to treat patients. This can include nutritional science, exercise coaching and treatment recommendations that take into account the patient’s individual genetic profile.
Principles
Practitioners of functional medicine focus on what is unique to the patient’s symptoms, lifestyle, environment, and genetics. Assessment incorporates the interaction of these factors and how they may be impacting imbalances and causing illness within the body. Treatments are then tailored to fit the needs of the individual, effectively restoring balance and functionality to the body’s systems.
Conditions
Any chronic health issue in children or adults can be treated using a functional medicine approach.
Services
The goal of treatment is to maximize functionality at all levels of body, mind and spirit.
Why Choose Us?
Functional medicine is an integral component of the care we provide at the Samueli Institute. It allows our providers to analyze a condition or illness from multiple angles, better determining the appropriate treatment plan to heal the root cause.