What Is Functional Medicine?

Getting the medical care you need isn’t often simple, especially when you’re dealing with symptoms that could be related to a range of conditions. If this sounds like you — or if you’d simply prefer a more integrative approach to health care — you could be a great candidate for functional medicine. Our team at Monarque Health & Wellness in Ashland, Oregon considers functional medicine to be the best way to prevent and treat disease.

A holistic, biology-based approach 

Functional medicine is an integrative approach to medicine that takes into consideration every aspect of your body, mind, and spirit, and how they all impact your ability to stay healthy.

Based in biology, functional medicine also aims to determine the root causes of symptoms, conditions, and disease. This is valuable because many conditions stem from other conditions or from a combination of lifestyle factors and genetic predisposition.

Depression, for example, might run in your family and be fueled by inflammation in your body. In that case, sometimes addressing the inflammation would be helpful for minimizing your symptoms, in addition to other treatments — or even potentially on its own. 

Functional medicine treatments

Functional medicine relies on research and science, and utilizes both Western and alternative treatment options for effective care. Depending on the specifics of your symptoms and overall wellness, your care might involve:

• Detoxification
• Disease prevention
• Exercise recommendations
• Genetic testing
• Mental and emotional health care
• Nutritional planning
• Laboratory testing
• Medication and supplements
• Stress management 

A multi-faceted matrix

The Functional Medicine Matrix is a bit like an internet decoder. It organizes seemingly unrelated issues into a complete story, so your provider can get a comprehensive understanding of your needs. At Monarque Health & Wellness, we use the LivingMatrix questionnaire, a physical exam, and diagnostic testing to make sure we’re covering all of the bases and providing you the best care possible.

Based on your physical exam and consultation, your provider may recommend one or more of a variety of tests, such as:

• An autoimmune antibodies, iron, thyroid, adrenal function, or hormone panel
• Genetic testing
• Liver function tests
• Vitamin tests
• A sleep study
• A stool test

Effectiveness of functional medicine

While research on functional medicine is ongoing, a 28-week study indicated that it can improve factors such as fatigue, stress, and quality of life for middle-aged women who’d been exposed to stressful work environments. Participants also showed less mental confusion and a reduction in chronic inflammation, thanks to the treatment. 

To find out how functional medicine may be helpful for you, contact us to schedule an assessment.