Functional Medicine-- A practice of medicine focusing on identifying and addressing the root cause of disease is the focus. The "What" is not the focus, the "HOW" is the focus. It seems to be common sense; but if you have been to the doctor's office lately you will notice the it is NOT the norm. For example: if you go to your doctor for depression you will likely receive a prescription and an order for lab work. You may also hear something mumbled to you about "going to a therapist"; and then you are dismissed until your follow-up appoint in 3-6 months. This cycle WILL repeat for the rest of your life. The picture below (credit: IFM.org) depicts many possible root causes of depression (on the left) which your doctor may not be aware of or may not have the time to address. The image on the right illustrates that inflammation can also cause not only depression, but so many other disease processes.
This is what we seek to address in Functional Medicine. WHAT IS THE CAUSE AND HOW CAN WE REDUCE OR ELIMINATE IT!!!