In the 21st century, several holistic approaches to medicine have become increasingly popular among clinicians and patients. One such approach continuing to gain steam is functional medicine.
But what exactly is functional medicine, and what does it have to offer patients looking to dive deeper, as well as providers and clinicians who want to help their patients improve their overall health and well-being?
Putting Out the Fire
Hally Brooke, NBCHWC, FMCHC, CPT, is the Founder and CEO of Live Nourished Coaching, a nationwide health coaching agency. As a Certified Functional Medicine Nutrition Counselor and a Nationally Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach, Ms. Brooke brings a nuanced, expert perspective to understanding functional medicine’s role.
When asked to define functional medicine, Ms. Brooke begins, “Functional medicine is root cause medicine, which means we go after the true root of the symptoms instead of slapping a Band-Aid on the symptom.”
She continues, “Consider eczema or psoriasis — these are both symptoms of inflammation, a root cause of almost every chronic disease. But inflammation itself is actually only a secondary root cause — something lit that fire in the first place.”
She explains further, “Inflammatory root causes include food intolerances, intestinal permeability, toxicity, mold exposure, or infection. If you treat the skin with a steroid, the problem will go away only as long as you use the topical ointment. If you treat the root cause of the inflammation causing the problem, it goes away forever. Treating the symptoms is like turning off the fire alarm and leaving the house ablaze. Treating the root cause actually puts out the fire.”
Brooke further differentiates functional medicine from mainstream medicine: “Functional medicine looks at the whole person—body, mind, and spirit—and emphasizes the importance of personalized care and lifestyle changes.”
“Functional medicine differs from mainstream medical practice in several key ways,” Brooke offers, and she breaks it down for us in this way:
Root Cause Focus: Instead of just treating symptoms, functional medicine aims to find and address the underlying causes of illness.
Personalized Care: Treatment plans are tailored to the individual’s unique genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors and are focused on lifestyle change, not prescription medication.
Holistic Approach: It considers the whole person, including physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects, and how they interact.
Prevention and Wellness: There is a strong emphasis on preventive care and promoting overall wellness, not just disease management.
What About Nutrition?
“Functional nutrition is an approach to diet and nutrition that emphasizes whole, nutrient-dense foods and considers each individual’s unique needs,” Brooke shares. “It looks at how food affects the body on a biochemical level and aims to support optimal health.”
“Our current approaches to nutrition often fail us because they can be too generalized and don’t take into account individual differences. Many mainstream diets focus on calorie counting or macronutrient ratios without considering food quality, nutrient density, and how different foods interact with our unique bodies.”
Barriers to a Functional Approach
While functional medicine may sound great to many of us, providers might see this practice as a barrier.
Discussing why providers might be hesitant, Ms. Brooke explains, “Conventional medical appointments are often short, making it hard to delve into complex, root-cause investigations.”
She adds, “Meanwhile, many providers aren’t trained in functional medicine principles during their medical education, let alone being trained in nutrition, which is a key fundamental of functional medicine.”
“Most western doctors would say, for example, that nutrition has nothing to do with Hashimoto’s Disease, but by changing a person’s diet, we can completely reverse Hashimoto’s in many cases.”
In terms of the medical culture, Brooke observes, “The traditional medical model focuses more on acute care and managing symptoms, which can lead to skepticism towards approaches that are perceived as less evidence-based or more time-consuming.”
The Benefits to Patients
When considering how patients can benefit from a functional approach, Brooke states, “Patients can experience numerous benefits from a functional approach, including:
Improved Health: by addressing root causes, patients often see more significant and lasting improvements
Personalized Treatment: Care plans are tailored to individual needs and lifestyles, taking their whole being into account, leading to more effective and relevant interventions
Empowerment: Patients learn more about their health and how to manage it, resulting in greater self-efficacy and well-being. Instead of the doctor being the end-all-be-all, it’s the patient taking their health into their own hands, guided by the provider.
Prevention: Functional medicine often helps prevent future health issues by promoting overall wellness and balance.”
Nurses, Functional Medicine, and the Future
Brooke advises nurses wanting to be trained in functional medicine basics: “There are multiple pathways for nurses to get involved in functional medicine. Nurses can partner with a health coach to create a collaborative care model or become certified functional medicine health coaches themselves.
She continues, “There are many courses and certifications in functional medicine that nurses can take to enhance their practice. Nurses can also apply functional medicine principles in their current roles by incorporating holistic assessments, personalized care plans, and lifestyle counseling.”
Brooke adds, “HI believes health coaching and functional medicine are the future of healthcare because they address the limitations of the traditional medical model by preventing disease and promoting wellness, rather than just treating illness. They also provide more individualized, patient-centered care, which itself leads to better outcomes.”
“Finally,” Brooke concludes, “healthcoaching and functional medicine consider all aspects of a person’s life and health, fostering a more comprehensive and effective approach to care. They empower patients to take an active role in their health, which can lead to more sustainable health improvements and overall well-being.”
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