Working with a Functional Medicine Practice
Maybe its because of the industry I’m in or who I follow online, but it feels like there’s an increased desire to learn more about functional medicine and holistic health.
I think social media has opened the door to new approaches, alternate opinions and has provided more exposure to things that we might not have stumbled upon before. I also believe the last few years forced everyone to dig into more immune supporting supplements, non-GMO foods, non-toxic swaps and ways to better their families overall health and wellbeing. Simultaneously I hear folks frustrated with their current healthcare provider, feeling like their current health concerns and needs are not being met.
Conventional medicine is without a doubt clutch for life-saving surgery and emergency care. However, I do feel like we’ve lost the plot somewhere along the way. Why do we put a band-aid on symptoms instead of searching upstream for the real culprit? Its for these reasons, I think more and more individuals are seeking a root-cause methodology and long-term preventative care.
So I thought it would be fun to share my functional medicine journey with you, providing my thoughts, a detailed account of the process and introducing a model of healthcare you might not know much about.
First things first, what is functional medicine? It is referred to as root-cause medicine, focusing on the root issue that’s causing a patients symptoms. Rather than focusing on suppressing and managing symptoms, functional medicine integrates the understanding of our body, genetics and external factors to treat underlying causes of the disease.
The functional medicine practice I joined is membership-based where you gain access to a team of functional medicine specialists, taking a deep dive into your current health and addressing any concerns. However, one option also includes primary care if you have insurance, which is what I chose.
Due to demand (business has nearly tripled for them in the last couple years) and a delay on my part (I procrastinated in completing necessary paperwork on time), I was unable to have my initial doctor appointment right away, so they scheduled two health coaching appointments in the meantime.
In filling out the paperwork, you realize right off the bat how detailed, and in-depth they go to analyze and understand your health, its truly remarkable. Everything is provided in an online portal with loads of questionnaires and forms to fill out from family history, diet, sleeping habits and stress levels, to forwarding past medical records and everything in-between.
My first appointment was meeting with my health coach, whom greeted me with a smile in the lobby and proceeded to lead me to her office, where we had a friendly conversation as she skimmed the comprehensive details I provided them prior. We discussed potential problem areas that stood out to her like proper water intake, which has always been a struggle for me, so that’s a goal. In knowing my recent education in integrative nutrition and holistic health, she jokingly said “How can I help you, you’re so healthy!” I laughed and said, “Just wait till we get the labs back and get going, I’m sure more will surface.”
Right away in our discussion she called out a couple things we’ll want to explore more in the future. One in particular centered around mold exposure I had about 12 years ago and how it might be affecting my health today. She has personal experience with mold and mycotoxins and already has been a wealth of information and provided some great resources to look at. I’d be willing to bet one of my labs requested by my doctor will be checking for mold exposure.
I also took an InBody scan providing a full body composition assessment of water, fat and muscle components, instead of relying on one misleading number on the scale. Any session notes, additional resources or handouts, can be found on the portal such as their 6 pillars of health handout. It shares how stress management, exercise of the body and mind, environmental optimization, diet, sleep and social connection are cornerstones for overall wellness and provides helpful info in each area. They are speaking my language, let me tell you! It feels like home.
Tomorrow I sit down with my doctor for the first time. I’m eager to see what she says, how it all goes and what potential labs she’ll request.
Turning 40 and not really having a primary doctor since I moved a few years back, is part of what motivated me to seek the right fitting healthcare practice. I also have experienced some consistent skin and eye irritations, and know its my bodies way of telling me something more is going on and functional medicine will help me figure it out. Lastly, I’ve done a couple past labs but nothing extensive. So this provides me the opportunity to dive a little deeper and see what I may be deficient in, what levels look a little low or high, just a better picture of my overall health.
Stay tuned for details on how my doctors visit went on the next blog post and feel free to ask me questions or comments as we go along!