Your body is like a complex machine. It only functions appropriately, when the cogs and wheels are working optimally. People often complain of cryptic pains and unexplainable fatigue that does not show up in X-rays, USGs and blood tests. However, both you and the doctor know that the pain is real and so is your suffering.
Functional medicine is a new way of looking at these age-old, unsolved health problems from a new perspective. It leverages a new-age concept that can either prevent or manage chronic illnesses. While it does take care of the symptoms, it mainly focuses on treating the individual entirely. In short, you could see functional medicine as medicine by the organism and not by the organ.
What determines the overall health of a person?
Doctors of functional medicine spend time with their patients and get to know them better. Sometimes, when a person complains of headaches doctors merely label them as a case of migraine and prescribe them the latest painkillers. However, in most cases, these are symptoms of a number of underlying conditions. Here are some of the factors that influence a person’s overall health –
- His or her genetic makeup
- A person’s lifestyle choices including diet, activity, and stress
- Multiple environmental factors including exposure to pollution and toxins
How is functional medicine helping chiropractors treat their patients better?
Modern chiropractors are working with functional medicine doctors to learn more about the health issues of their patients. Visit https://columbuschiropractors.com/functional-lifestyle-medicine/to learn more about the benefits of functional medicine in chiropractic care. Many chiropractors are learning functional medicine to help patients with certain health conditions including –
1. Neurological and psychiatric disorders
Symptoms of depression, excessive anxiety, recurrent panic disorders, ADHD, Parkinson’s and even migraine headaches respond to a combinatorial treatment of chiropractic therapy and modern functional medicine.
2. Chronic digestive disorders
Irritable bowel syndrome, chronic pancreatitis, peptic and gastric ulcers, diverticulosis and chronic acid reflux, are manageable with such treatment approaches.
3. Joint problems
Chiropractic can always treat joint and mobility problems that include arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, old pain from trauma and spondylosis. Getting to learn about the aspects of functional medicine has helped chiropractors treat their patients appropriately.
What is a personal treatment or care plan?
Most chiropractors with the knowledge of functional medicine can chalk out complete diet plans and personalized care plans for their patients. Such plans usually consist of the following –
- Stress management
- Detoxification treatments
- A combination of a balanced diet, exercise, and changes in lifestyle
- Nutritional supplements and prescription drugs
- Natural supplements or medication to help with the condition
These plans typically depend upon the metabolic status of a patient. Someone with diabetes will not receive the same advice as an individual with a history of cardiometabolic diseases. Similarly, the plans will depend on age, sex, and a person’s profession. For example – an office executive is likely to receive advice regarding increased exercise and decreased consumption of junk food and alcohol.
A combination of Functional medicine with chiropractic care provides the exact personal treatment plan that a person needs to address his or her chronic illnesses. It can finally provide you with all the answers you need to improve your overall health.