After 20 years in medical practice I can tell you that not all patients heal according to the textbooks. I have discovered that healing is dependent on a combination of factors. Those factors include physical, emotional, mental and even spiritual elements.
Several patients of mine have commented to me that they appreciate my holistic approach. I feel a better description is complementary. I therefore refrain from the use of terms such as holistic, naturopathic, eastern or alternative. It makes no difference to me what patients do to heal themselves.
Whether it is from a pill that I prescribe or from acupuncture, it doesn’t matter. All forms of treatment are acceptable as long as they help.
This approach to healing is gaining momentum as a new philosophy of practice called functional medicine. Functional medicine is a marriage between East and West. The intention of functional medicine is combining all available healing modalities together to accommodate and improve Western allopathic medicine.
Functional medicine leaves no stone unturned in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Everything counts, and all forms of available treatment are considered equally valid. Nothing is excluded from consideration.
Our state of health is expressed by symptoms. If something is wrong, you’ll feel it expressed as a symptom. Functional medicine shifts the focus from the symptom back to the patient as a whole. Many times a patient will go to a doctor with a symptom and a prescription for a medication is given to address the symptom. However, the underlying disease process still remains.
Arthritis is a great example. I will prescribe ibuprofen to treat the symptoms of arthritis. Getting to the root cause of the arthritis requires a different approach. Arch supports, injections, supplements, acupuncture and surgery are all valid choices to help resolve the arthritis.
Functional medicine will also consider nutrition. In the case of arthritis, perhaps the patient is deficient in vitamin D. The treatment for vitamin D deficiency is supplementation, not an arch support or giving an injection. Functional medicine therefore requires good detective work. Treat the underlying problem, not just the symptom.
I recently visited a specialist in functional medicine. My first appointment was two hours long. The initial paperwork for that first visit was more than 20 pages of questions. The doctor wanted to know everything about me from my exercise program, my family history, how I sleep, any past traumatic experiences, any exposure to toxins, my diet, my colon health, my stress level. You name it, it was covered.
The clinic I went to not only had medical doctors, but acupuncturist, chiropractor, nutritionist and psychologist all under the same roof. This was a fully integrated medical facility acknowledging and accepting all forms of medical treatment.
Functional medicine requires the patient to be proactive. It is a partnership between doctor and patient, individually tailored to that patient’s needs, objectives and intentions. You as the patient have to be willing to make changes. Changes to your lifestyle, and changes to your diet are likely going to be recommended. If you want a passive approach to healing where you just want a prescription for medication, functional medicine is not for you. However, if you’re proactive and willing to change your life a functional medicine approach may be something to consider.
Matthew McQuaid, DPM, is a board certified foot surgeon practicing in Lakeport. He has a particular interest in Mind/Body medicine and its impact on healing. He is an award winning author and teacher. For more information call (707) 263- 3727 and visit www.drmcquaid.com.
