What is functional medicine?

What is functional medicine and how is it different from traditional Western medicine? Can the two work together?

At its core, functional medicine is a holistic, patient-centered approach to healthcare. It focuses on identifying and addressing the root causes of disease, rather than treating the illness or disease as an isolated event.

In functional healthcare, we recognize that every person is unique—physically, emotionally, and genetically. So, instead of prescribing a one-size-fits-all treatment, we look at each individual’s unique history, lifestyle, genetics, and environment to create a personalized plan for healing.

Functional medicine takes a comprehensive approach to health. We focus on areas like nutrition, stress management, sleep, movement, and environmental factors. It’s not just about the absence of disease—it’s about optimizing well-being and balance in the body.

So, how does this differ from traditional Western medicine?

Traditional Western medicine typically focuses on diagnosing and treating a disease after the symptoms appear. It tends to address the disease using medications, surgery, or other interventions to manage or suppress those symptoms. While Western medicine is excellent for acute conditions, emergencies, and life-saving interventions, it can sometimes overlook the underlying causes of chronic illness. If those underlying issues cause one disease, they can surely cause another.

For example, if someone has high blood pressure, a doctor might prescribe medication to lower it. But functional medicine would ask what is causing this high blood pressure. Is it due to poor diet, chronic stress, lack of exercise, or something else? We dig deeper to identify those contributing factors.

Another key difference in a functional approach is that we use labs, tests, and assessments to evaluate the body as a whole. For instance, rather than just checking cholesterol levels or blood pressure, we might test for inflammation markers, nutrient deficiencies, or hormonal imbalances—things that give us a complete picture of what's happening at the cellular level.

Now, you might be asking: can functional and traditional Western medicine work together?

Absolutely. In many cases, we need Western medicine's precision and effectiveness, especially when dealing with acute conditions, surgeries, or medications necessary to stabilize someone’s health. But, once the immediate crisis is over, functional medicine can help optimize long-term health and work toward prevention.

Functional medicine can help optimize long-term health by addressing the root causes of the issue and working toward prevention.

Think of it this way: Traditional medicine is like putting out the fire, while functional medicine helps you understand why the fire started in the first place, and how to prevent it from happening again or causing other issues.

In optimal health,

The Rooted Nurse