What is Functional Medicine?
The Institute For Functional Medicine defines is as, “personalized medicine that deals with primary prevention and underlying causes.” This is in contrast to most of healthcare that focuses on treating just the symptoms of the patient and therefore masking the underlying cause of the disorder. Through the functional medicine approach, both the patient and doctor can work on providing the therapy the body needs to reach a balanced and healthy level. The FM model works across all forms of healthcare, including chiropractic and relies on all health professionals working together to provide their expertise. At Chirotecture we utilize treatments ranging from simple adjustments for pain to clinical nutrition for chronic illnesses. By utilizing diagnostic procedures including food allergy testing, micronutrient testing for nutritional levels, and biomechanical assessment we will apply the latest techniques to guide us down the right path to recovery.
Clinical Nutrition: Malnutrition in America?
Many healthcare practitioners today believe that there are minimal to no nutritional deficiencies in the United States. Their thinking is that our country is a highly developed industrialized nation so everyone receives enough food. What they fail to realize is that mal-nutrition does not only come from lack of food, but over-eating and eating the wrong foods also contribute to insufficient nutritional levels. One main contributing factor to this is the fast-paced lifestyle we live that entices quick meals that are highly processed. These food choices tend to be high in sodium, refined sugar, and trans- or hydrogenated oils. Products with the mentioned characteristics tend to be high energy (calories) but low nutrient causing an imbalance in the diet. Besides needing to compensate for our constant attack from poor diet choices, nutritional levels are depleted by stress, illness or disease and even trying self supplementation.
The problem with self supplementation
Supplements are very beneficial in obtaining optimal health, but just like medications, should be handled by a trained healthcare professional. Many of the articles that individuals read and become inspired to try a supplement fail to mention dosages associated with the research that was performed or at what schedule to take it. The scheduling is very important to maximize absorption in the body. If not taken correctly by the patient, a supplement will mostly be wasted due to incomplete absorption or competition from other nutrients (supplements, foods).
Common Conditions/ Symptoms Helped by Nutrition
- Diabetes
- High Cholesterol
- Hypertension
- Chronic Fatigue
- Digestive Disorders
- Skin Disorders
- Obesity
- Migraine Headaches
- Muscle/ Joint pain
- Along with many others
*Statements not evaluated by FDA. Products not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease.