07 Mar Restore Fun in your Life with Functional Medicine
If you have been watching Dr. Oz or just perusing through the internet you may have stumbled upon the term “functional medicine.” Functional medicine is concerned with helping an individual with their symptoms in a natural, holistic manner first prior to integrating conventional medications. Many of the illnesses today are based on lifestyle factors – not enough sleep, eating processed food devoid of nutrients, not exercising, too much work/school/family stress, etc. These lifestyle patterns can cause many conditions that range from autoimmune diseases (celiac, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, etc.) to mental illnesses (depression, anxiety, dementia, etc.) to cardiovascular issues (high cholesterol, blood pressure, and triglycerides) to even pain syndromes (migraines, joint pain, etc.)!
A functional medicine practitioner takes all the lifestyle factors into account and seeks to find ways to help a person naturally through diet modifications, exercise routines, and stress reduction strategies. They may run blood tests to see if you are reacting to any foods that may be causing inflammatory damage in your body and subsequent autoimmune disease states. Furthermore, they may recommend certain natural supplements or suggest certain cleanses to help heal the gut and body.
Just as important, however, is that they recognize when a patient needs conventional medicine intervention. For example, a strep infection requires antibiotics and if a person is in dire depressive state, they may need that anti-depressant initially to get them on the right track while you change lifestyle changes slowly.
Dr. Michael Teytelbaum, board-certified in Chiropractic Functional Neurology, incorporates functional medicine in practice as well. For more information, you can schedule a phone consultation at 973-467-9011 or Email Dr. Teytelbaum directly at ChiroMikeT@gmail.com