Over the course of the last year as I have continued my study at the School of Applied Functional Medicine, I have found myself in conversations with friends and family where I get asked the same question: “What is functional medicine health coaching and how is it different from visiting my regular doctor? How do I know if I should seek out a functional medicine practitioner?”
Since the question is so often asked, I wanted to take time to explain it a bit here.
The functional medicine approach strives to uncover the root cause of dis-ease in the body, and looks at the body as a whole, a series of interconnected systems. In functional medicine, it is understood that everything in the body is connected to each other. It is also understood that dis-ease precedes disease, and is evidence of imbalance, blockage, and/or impairment of the natural functioning of the body.
In order to achieve wellness, functional medicine focuses on upstream dynamics to stop and reverse trends towards dis-ease before they get to a diagnosable state -- i.e., there is a heavier focus on prevention by identifying symptoms and trends earlier in the process and making changes. There is also a focus on identifying dynamics to optimize function in the body vs. diagnosis of disease to treat. The functional medicine health coach approach to healing is focused on lifestyle change with the use of targeted supplements for specific reasons, and not so much with medication. This is different from many mainstream doctors because in the allopathic model, the patient is usually treated based on a specific part or system in the body, and the treatment usually consists of drugs or surgery. As an illustrative example, a patient would visit a cardiologist for symptoms that seem to affect the heart, or visit a gastroenterologist for symptoms associated with the GI system, or an ophthalmologist for symptoms associated with the eyes, etc. In functional medicine, one would visit with a functional medicine health coach to first assess symptoms occurring throughout the body in seemingly unrelated parts, and the approach would then be to look at what factors could be contributing to and causing a number of these symptoms through a series of interconnectedness (for example, a microbial overgrowth in the gut could be wreaking havoc which manifests in eczema on the skin and achey joints).
Why would one visit a functional medicine practitioner?
If you are struggling with chronic disease dynamics, autoimmune conditions, or feeling not your best but unsure what could be the cause (tired all the time, lacking energy or motivation, feeling the effects of anxiety, or gastrointestinal issues to name a few), and want to get to the true root reasons why you don’t feel your best, then a functional medicine practitioner may be the right step for you. Below is a sample of the types of dynamics that functional medicine practitioners have been successful at helping their patients and clients achieve*:
- Reversing Type II diabetes
- Eliminating the need for cholesterol-reducing medication
- Stopping debilitating menopausal symptoms
- Reversing hypertension
- Alleviating life-long constipation, headaches, or eczema
- Reversing irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Reversing chronic autoimmune activation
- Stopping acid reflux permanently
- Ending chronic low energy, joint pains, tremors, or congestion
- Eliminating anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medications
- Losing weight and keeping it off long-term
Should I visit a functional medicine practitioner instead of my regular doctor?
Functional medicine practitioners usually work in concert with your regular doctor and other healers as allopathic medicine is a very important and needed model, especially when it comes to treating acute and life threatening disease. A functional medicine health coach will not be prescribing medication and will not be diagnosing disease. Instead, the functional medicine health coach will work with you through in-depth sessions (an intake session can last anywhere from 1 - 2 hours) to recommend the best, unique and specific lifestyle changes and supplements that can address your nutritional gaps, toxicity, and stress-induced dynamics which are often major contributors to chronic illness and dynamics like those listed above.
Digging into root cause dynamics is not a small endeavor, but is well-worth it to see true healing, greater vitality, more energy, and better long-term health. It is not a patch over or a quick pill fix, but rather an unwinding of dis-ease causing factors that often took a lifetime to get to a certain state. The end results are also REAL, lasting healing and vibrant health.
To learn more about my functional medicine health coaching practice, you can reach me at payal@arorawellness.com.
*Source: School of Applied Functional Medicine, www.schoolafm.com.