Everyone wants to be healthy, and it’s easy to see how much better your quality of life is when you’re feeling good. You can do things that you love, play with your kids and grandkids, and enjoy life to the fullest. Functional medicine is one way to achieve optimal health and well being. But what’s it all about?
The cornerstone of Functional Medicine
Functional medicine relates to the practice of medicine that helps a patient prevent disease not just treat disease that might have already started. It looks at the patient as a whole and considers all the elements of their body including spiritual, mental, and emotional health. When all elements are in balance, a patient could realistically expect to be healthy and disease free.
Caring for spiritual health with functional medicine
Studies have shown that people benefit from connection with others and from having a purpose. If they no longer feel either of those things, then their physical health will quickly begin to deteriorate. Functional medicine doctors can help patients in this area by talking to them about the importance of connection and purpose and offering suggestions on how they can improve both in their lives.
Caring for mental health
Mental health is another important aspect of overall health and wellbeing. When we’re feeling off, we’re not as likely to seek out connection with others, eat well, take medication, and even get exercise. It’s important to nurture one’s mental health and a functional medicine doctor can help patients do just that.
Optimal physical health
The main goal for a functional medicine doctor is to help their patients achieve optimal physical health. They do this by looking at the patient as a whole—their habits, behaviors, relationships, professional life, connections with others, and so much more. They believe that by addressing deficiencies in any of these areas, they can help their patients avoid disease.