What does “functional” even mean?? We’ve gathered that a lot of you have such questions. So to begin with, let’s get some basics out of the way. Shall we?
The entire history of how modern mainstream medicine started and came to be what it is today is a whole other rabbit hole we don’t want to get into today. But know that mainstream medicine, as it stands today, is far from being the most evidence-based and cutting-edge form of medicine- which is what most people still consider it to be. And will spend a fortune to get to the most expensive private hospitals and doctors.
Mainstream medicine is highly restricted by the centralised government institutions that control it, which are themselves largely corrupt. It is a very poor implementation of the current medical literature and its vast possibilities.
Mainstream medical treatment of chronic health conditions is focused on using pharmaceutical drugs to suppress symptoms- at the cost of not only significant side effects but often making the underlying condition worse in the long term. The impact of diet and lifestyle interventions, natural therapies, herbs and nutraceuticals is largely ignored despite resounding scientific evidence behind them.
It is a system of disease management only and doesn’t actually heal people. It’s often criticised as being “sickcare” instead of healthcare.
As a result, in developed parts of the world where the free market economy allows it, alternative and complementary forms of evidence-based medicine have boomed in recent years. Among the different modalities, functional medicine has largely emerged as the most dominant.
Functional medicine is a holistic form of medicine that aims to uncover the root causes and underlying imbalances behind your health issues- to permanently fix them. It works to improve your overall health by enabling your body to “function” (get it?) better by restoring the balance between different organs. Besides eliminating disease, it boosts your general well-being and leads to better energy levels, better sleep, better mental health, lesser brain fog, better digestion etc.
Your first consultation with a functional medicine practitioner will typically last half an hour or more during which they’ll understand your complete health history, health issues, diet and lifestyle The diagnosis process that follows this is far more comprehensive with a lot more data points and advanced tests such as gut microbiome analysis, hormonal panels, toxins, genetics, allergens etc.
The interpretation protocols for blood tests are much more stringent and utilise what are known as optimal reference ranges- obtained through extensive research for supporting the best health outcomes- as compared to the normal reference ranges used in mainstream medicine which are just an average of the lab data.
Besides supplements and medications, a functional medicine practitioner works with you to optimise everything from diet and lifestyle to sleep and psychological well-being.
Functional medicine is medicine as it was intended to be. It doesn’t discriminate between pharmaceutical interventions and natural remedies and just follows what the medical evidence shows to be the most beneficial for the individual.
Functional medicine is an unregulated practice. There is no authority that defines what or what does not constitute “functional medicine” and thank God for that. Our take on the subject is no more valid than what you’ll read on some Reddit thread. Or on the website of the Institute of Functional Medicine in the USA which is perhaps the best known organisation for functional medicine.
Don’t lose your head trying to decipher the differences between functional medicine, integrative medicine, naturopathic medicine and so on. Quite like intricate subgenres of music, these definitions are open to debate. These different modalities of alternative medicine all share the common goal of delivering natural, holistic healthcare solutions.
Different functional medicine practitioners often have very different approaches and protocols although the basic idea to address root causes and improve overall health remains constant.
The popularity of functional medicine has grown exponentially over the last couple of decades. Because it works so well and people are seeing results. Top functional medicine practitioners like Chris Kresser, Mark Hyman, Amy Myers, and Terry Wahls have helped hundreds of thousands of people recover from difficult chronic conditions and have become popular names globally.
“Functional Medicine is a hidden movement sweeping across the globe.”
-Mark Hyman, world-renowned functional medicine practitioner and founder of The Ultrawellness Center
US-based hospital chain Cleveland Clinic which is constantly ranked as the best hospital in the US recently opened a branch for functional medicine.
A whole lot can be changed in mainstream medicine today to make it work better. But it is a system that, from the ground up is designed to just keep people alive and eliminate serious risk of disease only (as is evidenced in the numbers with death rates declining but the rate of chronic diseases flying up). It doesn’t promote health and wellness. No matter how expensive the hospital or doctor gets, their foundational practice remains one that remains rooted in this philosophy of scarcity.
Functional medicine, on the other hand, is a premium form of healthcare that, in its complete form, will probably never make it to the masses or be included in free healthcare programs. The advanced diagnostics and the high level of care wherein practitioners have long in-depth consultations with you to optimizeoptimise everything drive up costs quite a bit.
It continues to be reserved for the high-income class looking to optimise their health to the fullest or to use it for preventive healthcare to stay ahead of diseases. The other big category of consumers are people suffering from complex health conditions who have found no relief from conventional medicine and are willing to spend the extra buck.
The only thing mainstream medicine remains good for today is emergency care and acute health conditions because obviously, it controls the entire infrastructure for this kind of treatment. For anything else, if you have the money, you’re much better off taking it elsewhere.