Functional Medicine Doctor

Functional medicine addresses the underlying causes of chronic disease, engaging physician and patient in a therapeutic partnership. Many patients tell their doctors that they never feel well (e.g., fatigue, stress, mood swings, sleep disorder, fuzzy thinking) and that they know there is something wrong, only to be told that the doctor doesn’t see a problem.

First rate functional medicine doctors, with the assistance of the patient, can usually identify the problem and work with the patient to solve it.

The primary driver of chronic disease is the interaction between genes, activities of daily living (food and lifestyle) and the environment (e.g., toxins in carpets, plastic bottles, the air we breath).

Functional medicine practitioners spend time with their patients listening to their histories and looking at the interactions among genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors that are causing the problem.

The body is an inter-connected web of organs (e.g., adrenal, thyroid) and hormones (e.g., estrogen, progesterone for women, testosterone for men) which must function properly and in synchronicity for internal well being and the best possible outward appearance and looks.

Functional medicine doctors know how the body operates, and by careful examination, with the assistance of the patient, usually can determine why the patient is not feeling well.

Functional medicine doctors strive to find natural solutions to problems (e.g., nutrition, nutritional supplements, detoxification, exercise) rather than prescribe pharmaceutical drugs.