What is Functional Medicine?
Functional Medicine uses biology to assess, evaluate and then treat the root cause of a disease. It believes that each symptom and diagnosis that the patient has been given over their lifetime, may not be the final answer, but instead be one of many contributing factors to their illness.
Functional Medicine can be used to hone in on any biological system that has been disrupted by stress, burnout, drug and alcohol abuse, anxiety, depression or other signs of poor mental health. Functional medicine assesses the person as a whole, not looking at individual symptoms or weak spots, but understanding that for every individual, it is a combination of genetic predispositions, environment and lifestyle choices that can cause the body’s physiological functions to stop working properly.
The Route to Functional Health.
At our Central London Clinic we have spent time asking ourselves the question, what does it actually mean to have health that functions, and how can we get our clients to a place where they achieve optimal, functional health?
More often than not, when we first see a client, they are far from their optimum, functional health. In fact, their approach to health and wellbeing is usually fairly dysfunctional, result-ing in dysfunctional physiological systems which lead to a sense of “ill-being”. They may arrive presenting with anxiety, insomnia, stress or other mental health disorders, however we know that for dysfunctions to be reversed and for general wellbeing to be restored, it is necessary to treat the whole person and not just the symptoms of chronic disease. Unless we treat the whole person, and not just the presenting symptoms, it is likely that problems will manifest themselves again in different ways. We have therefore devised a route which is able to guide our clients back to a place of optimal, functional health and wellbeing. Functional health as we understand it, is as much a matter of prevention as it is a matter of treatment.
What can be Treated Using Functional Medicine?
At Behavioural Wealth, our diagnostic approach considers the genetic make-up of the patient, their health history, lifestyle and emotional wellbeing. Therefore with our functional medicine pathway we can treat almost any form of mental health issue including, anxiety, depression, burnout, stress, insomnia, drug or alcohol addiction and many more. We carry out a full range of diagnostic tests to determine a patient’s specific needs. These tests cover every possible angle looking at an individuals nutrition, gut and digestive systems, food allergies and intolerances, stress profiles, thyroid function along with many other neuroendocrine, immune and bimolecular tests to determine what needs to be rebalanced. We are then able to design a specific programme to reinforce the immune system, enhance metabolic function, and regularise inflammatory response.
Once we know where to start, we will be able to suggest a programme that helps reduce the levels of toxins in the liver and gastro-intestinal system, stimulate regeneration of tired and abused internal tissue and restore a sense of equilibrium within the body’s cells.
How can I Return to Optimum Functional Health?
Nutrition is a vital part of the functional health process. All of our clients will work with a nutritionist to ensure that they are able to redress any imbalance within the microbiome of the gut. Understanding how important gut health is, is one of the firsts steps our clients must take. An unhealthy microbiome of the gut, for instance, can exacerbate eating disorders. Many other diseases are also the result of homeostatic disruption and chronic inflammation.
At Behavioural Wealth we combine medication, homeopathy, counselling, acupuncture, cognitive therapy, massage and nutrition to bring our clients a comprehensive plan which can not only help arrest presenting symptoms, but also promote positive health and wellbeing in all areas of our clients lives.
