There’s a saying that goes, “there’s more than one way to skin a cat.” While this adage may sound rather grotesque, it basically means that there’s more than one way to go about something. When it comes to several aspects, this is true.
In medicine, for example, there are several ways by which a doctor can approach a patient’s problem. However, whatever the method may be, the goal is to always help a patient with their ailment. Whether it be a definitive cure or a way to help them live a good life despite their illness, medicine aims to help the patient live a healthy life.
Of course, medicine is a rather extensive field, composed of different specializations that offer their own method of solving specific problems. Among the many various medical fields and practices out there, functional medicine takes a more unconventional route than the majority of the medical field. With a functional medicine practitioner, you have someone who offers you an alternative to the current conventional medical solutions being offered to you. Much like any other field of medicine, this approaches your illness in its own unique way.
Functional Medicine and You
Before anything else, you might be wondering what functional medicine is and how it’s different from conventional medicine. So, with that in mind, it’s time to give you a little briefing on what functional medicine is.
While functional medicine is like any other medical practice in so far as it tries to solve a medical problem you have, the approach takes a more unconventional route. Of course, a functional medicine practitioner will still try to assess your illness. But whereas conventional medicine will address the illness head-on, functional medicine will look at the root causes of your disease and address those factors.
So, with that in mind, what can functional medicine do for you that conventional medicine cannot?
Tailored To You
While conventional medicine does try its best to give you a treatment for your disease, sometimes the treatment focuses more on the condition than it does on you. Sometimes, there are some parts of your treatment that you might not really enjoy or like. Of course, while it might still offer you some good, it might not be an overall pleasant experience for you.
With functional medicine, you’re getting treatments that take into account all the nuances and unique characteristics of your body. So, in a sense, a functional medicine practitioner is not treating your disease’s symptoms. Instead, it’s treating your body to help combat your disease or illness. It’s a treatment that becomes more personal and fit for only you. Read more about What’s the Medical Term for “Abnormal Narrowing of an Artery?”
Accounts for Your Entire Life
Aside from being tailored to your body, functional medicine also does its best to consider your entire life. Of course, this doesn’t mean noting every significant event in your life. Instead, functional medicine does its best to ensure that your treatment doesn’t negatively impact your quality of life.
Whereas other treatments may make you feel uncomfortable or experience difficulty in your daily life, functional medicine treatments make sure they only improve your quality of life. So, as you continue your treatments, you can at least be assured that you’ll be as comfortable and happy as you can be.
Keeps It Natural
Whereas conventional medicine focuses a lot on pharmaceutical products for your medication, functional medicine looks toward what nature has already provided. So, whereas conventional medicine would have you taking drugs to treat your ailments, functional medicine would take the food and herbs nature has provided to help cure you.
Considering that your body can heal itself, all it would need would be the nutrients and right foods that you can find out there. Once you begin eating them, functional medicine believes that you’ll kickstart your body’s healing process. As a result, you’ll be nursed back to health in no time!
Conclusion
In medicine, there are several ways to go about treating an illness. Considering the different specializations in the medical field, each has its own unique way of solving a problem. However, sometimes these can still come short. Where conventional medicine comes short, functional medicine aims to succeed. By looking at all aspects of the patient’s life and tailoring treatment for them, functional medicine aims to give the patient an alternative cure to their disease–one that seeks to address the underlying causes instead of the symptoms. As a result, the patient ends up being fully healed and recovered, able to live a healthy life once more.
