Many of us have been misled into thinking pain is a

problem: Headache? Numb it. Gall bladder malfunctioning? Remove it. Sore throat? Soothe it. Unfortunately, all of these so-called “solutions” make the symptom the problem rather than attending to the underlying cause.

What if you approached your car the same way? Engine noise? Turn up the radio. Annoying vibrations at highway speeds? Drive slower. Squealing brakes? Turn the radio up

even louder! Ridiculous, but many of us employ this attitude when it comes to our body.

If we listen, this miraculous, self-healing body of ours warns us when things are amiss. First, with a little whisper. Then a serious warning. Or finally by SHOUTING! Then we have a choice: address the underlying cause (fix) or merely quiet the warning sign (patch).

Chiropractic care produces great results by attending to the cause, rather than merely “turning up the radio” and suppressing symptoms!

Functional Medicine is the future of medicine.  It focuses on the process of the disease and not the disease itself.  Although the pathological stage is important, why and how you got there is more important.  Functional Medicine looks at you (your individual biochemistry, what you eat, your daily activities, your work environment and more) to determine imbalances in your life that pushed you into an unhealthy state causing or developing a disease condition.  The basis of Functional Medicine is very individualized.

Functional Medicine practitioners use “Challenge Tests” (urine, blood, serum, saliva) rather than diagnostic tests to determine biochemical imbalances.  Nutritional supplements are prescribed in place of or at times in conjunction with western drugs to treat these imbalances.  The goal is to restore the body’s natural balance rather than just treat symptoms of the imbalance.

Functional Medicine is used by all disciplines of medicine (including: medical, chiropractic, acupuncture, nutrition, osteopath, naturopath, etc.) who are interested in the outcome rather than just controlling symptoms.

Who can benefit from the Functional Medicine approach?

If your health problems don’t fit into a simple category, the Functional Medicine approach may be for you. 

Common categories of Functional Imbalance

• Oxidative Stress
• Nutritional Imbalances
• Intestinal Dysfunction
• Impaired Detoxification
• Immune/Inflammatory Imbalances
• Endocrine Imbalances.

To learn more about Functional Medicine and how it may benefit you or your condition please contact my office.