Functional medicine is a fairly modern approach to medical care—learn the most common myths and the truth about them.
For the last several decades, functional medicine has helped to change countless lives while drastically improving public health. When traditional approaches to medicine aren’t working, functional medicine doctors can step up and fill in the gaps to help patients get the most out of their care.
Even though functional medicine can be very successful, there is still a lot of confusion around this medicinal practice. In this article, we will explore some of the common myths surrounding functional medicine and debunk them!
Functional Medicine Myths 101: Debunking Common Myths About This Medical Practice
There are many existing and emerging approaches to medicine that can help you to give your body the care and support that it needs, including functional medicine. These common myths may be impacting your understanding of what functional medicine can do for you!
Myth: Functional Medicine is Not a Legitimate Medical Practice
There is a shared belief among some that functional medicine is not a legitimate practice because it is often referred to as “alternative” medicine. While this is often considered to be a bad thing, the title is actually a notable misrepresentation.
The reason that functional medicine is sometimes referred to as alternative medicine is because it can, at times, employ alternative medicine practices in addition to standard medicine practices. Functional medicine seeks to explore health as a whole and implements health practices that have been successful throughout much of modern history.
Myth: Functional Medicine Doctors Don’t Prescribe Medication or Medical Procedures
Since functional medicine combines various medicinal practices, people often get confused about what these practices actually entail. While functional medicine does incorporate functional changes in some cases, like diet and exercise, functional medicine does utilize medication and medical procedures when it is medically necessary to do so or when it just fits into a patient’s plan better.
Functional medicine doctors are doctors, and they will make sure that you are well cared for!
Myth: Functional Medicine Doctors Don’t Treat Individual Conditions
In functional medicine, there is a focus on whole health, which can mislead people into assuming that functional medicine is not designed to treat individual conditions. This cannot be further from the truth in reality. Functional medicine can and does treat individual conditions, but it will focus on the integration of body systems and how they influence each other to address problems on a base level.
In the long run, this can help functional medicine doctors to treat the primary cause of your individual conditions and make them less likely to persist. In some cases, this may help you to minimize your time on medication or avoid surgeries down the line.
Myth: Functional Medicine Only Includes Medical Doctors
Functional medicine is a form of medicine, and every functional medicine practice can and will have trained medical doctors. However, medical doctors often make up only one part of the functional medicine team. This approach to medicine combines different doctors, specialists, and experts to help provide comprehensive care.
Since functional medicine often utilizes various approaches to healthcare, functional medicine doctors will work with other trained experts to make sure that you receive the appropriate instruction and care that you need across the board.
Although functional medicine doctors do train on whole health specifically, the reality is that they can’t be experts in everything. When you’re making long-term dietary changes to support your health, you can get initial information from your doctor before partnering with a nutritionist to get their expert opinion.
Myth: Functional Medicine Won’t Heal You
As much as we wish that medicine was cut and dry, that really is not true in reality. Our bodies are unique, and the systems inside of them can be just as special, which means that some approaches to medicine just will not provide the results that a person needs.
Everyone knows someone who has tried various medicinal approaches to manage an ailment without having great results. Medications can cause side effects for some while working or outright not work at all for others. Sometimes, alternative approaches are what works best, and functional medicine is happy to use these approaches to provide successful medical care.
If you are trying to manage a specific condition, your path to healing will be unique to your body. However, functional medicine doctors can and will use a wide range of helpful practices to help you get the results that you need so you can start healing and continue to improve over time.
Myth: Functional Medicine Won’t Improve Health
Some problems in the human body are actually indicators of larger issues. Functional medicine focuses on the systems of the body and how they are connected, prioritizing treating the systems and their points of connection to improve health as a whole.
When you work with a functional medicine doctor, you can absolutely receive support for your individual concerns. However, this is often just the start. This approach to medicine combines traditional medicine with alternative medicine to help you improve your health as a whole. Using these approaches to whole body health, you can expect positive benefits that go well beyond assisting with your condition.
Many people who work with functional medicine doctors actually receive a noticable boost in their overall health and quality of life.
Functional Medicine Can Help You Thrive–Learn How
When you are dealing with a medical concern, you want more than just symptom management–you want treatment. To find new ways to better manage your conditions while improving your overall health, it is best to add some of the experts in functional medicine Colorado residents trust to improve your health team.
To learn more about functional medicine practices and the many ways that these professionals can help you to improve your health, schedule an appointment with us today!
