Functional

Functional medicine is a form of alternative medicine that focuses on interactions between the environment and the gastrointestinal, endocrine, and immune systems. Practitioners develop individualized treatment plans for people they treat.

Overview[edit | edit source]

Functional medicine refers to a range of therapies that aim to treat the underlying cause of disease, rather than simply treating the symptoms. This approach is intended to address the healthcare needs of the 21st century, by focusing on prevention and finding the underlying causes of serious chronic disease.

Principles[edit | edit source]

Functional medicine is guided by six core principles:

An understanding of the biochemical individuality of each human being, based on the concepts of genetic and environmental uniqueness.
Awareness of the evidence that supports a patient-centered rather than a disease-centered approach to treatment.
Search for a dynamic balance among the internal and external factors in a patient's body, mind, and spirit.
Interconnections of internal physiological factors.
Health as a positive vitality, not merely the absence of disease.
Promotion of organ reserve as the means to enhance the health span, not just the life span, of each patient.

Criticism[edit | edit source]

Functional medicine has been criticized for lacking in scientific rigor, overuse of laboratory tests, and that it is a rebrand of complementary and alternative medicine.

References[edit | edit source]

External links[edit | edit source]

Institute for Functional Medicine

Functional Resources
Need Help Finding a Doctor? Need help finding a doctor or specialist anywhere in the world? Explore our world directory. WikiMD's DocFinder can assist you in locating millions of physicians.	Medical Knowledge Access the latest research - Most recent articles Ongoing trials.