Functional medicine is not separate from conventional/allopathic medicine, it is complementary. It uses physics, chemistry, biochemistry, physiology, and anatomy that all medicine is anchoredon, but with a larger/longer/differently focused lens. Through more advanced/intricate lab testing, functional medicine allows us to KNOW better.

Science

Restoration

During my time as a healthcare provider, it has become ever more apparent and frustrating to me the number of patients who are just written a list of prescriptions the minute they have a lab value or vital sign that is ‘out of normal range.’ The next thing you know, we end up needing more medications to combat the side effects of the first three. The question I have asked myself over the years is ‘Why don’t we try to KNOW better?? WHY DON’T WE TRY TO FIX THEM?!’ That is exactly what functional medicine strives for! The primary goal of functional medicine is not just about symptom relief or disease management…it strives for full restoration of health and vitality. True health, especially resilient health, repels disease.

How can it be accurate that we treat every person with high blood sugar, high blood pressure, obesity, chronic pain, autoimmune disease..the SAME WAY? Functional medicine honors thatwellness includes the ENTIRE experience. You cannot remove a person’s mental, emotional stress level from the physical state of their body. While that’s not to say pharmaceutical medications aren’t necessary at times to stabilize disease, we should be working harder at getting to the ROOT CAUSE of disease with the ultimate goal of RESTORING the body to its true state of health and relying on as few pharmaceutical medications as possible.

Did you know that – given the proper environment, nutrients, hormone balances, metabolic pathways – your body’s baseline state is one of wellness? And on top of that, did you know that health is so much more than the absence of disease?? Your body isn’t broken, its doing EXACTLY what you are telling it to do – consciously or subconsciously. At the end of the day, the body loves to thrive, but it always prioritizes the need to survive. Our bodies are truly amazing and have the ability to self-protect and heal more than we give them credit for!

The ailments we have been struggling with; chronic pain, fatigue, anxiety, weight gain, autoimmune states…have become more prominent as we try to ‘improve’ and make life more ‘convenient.’ The solutions are right in front of us – restore our original health. Allow the body the proper nutrients, rid it of toxins, so that it can heal the reversible damages and function at the highest level of efficiency. This starts primarily with nutrition and lifestyle modifications – all of which lie within YOUR CONTROL! Which leads us to the next principal…empowerment!

Empowerment

With all of the different things you can have labeled as disease, it is easy for people to feel overwhelmed, fearful, and disempowered. Feeling disempowered is the most debilitating dynamic. In our society, healthcare has become delegated to the healthcare providers, Patients feel powerless to take a role in their own healing. My goal is to return empowerment to my clients and patients so that they will feel confident and competent in taking control of and maintaining their own health. Once my patients are empowered and flying on their own, I am always available to engage when there is a renewed need for guidance and teamwork. Because our lives are in a current state of flux, so too does our health journey! With me on your team, you will never have to navigate those peaks and valleys alone!

After working over a decade in conventional medicine, at times I began to feel like I was doing more of a disservice than actually helping people. Our ‘managed care’ healthcare system is not set up to make people well. The 15 minutes per patient model sets us healthcare providers (who truly want to help) up for failure – failure to provide our patients with education on how to CHANGE the fact that they are not well. We miss the opportunities to steer them down the right path before fullblown disease process finally presents itself in the lab values. By then it is often too late.

We do as much with the 15 minute slot as we can…but the truth is, most healthcare providers aren’t even getting time to sit down and review your chart before they walk in to see you. They’re literally picking up your chart as they enter the room and reading the bullet points from the previous appointment. Is this HEALTH CARE? Is this truly saving cost? Is this helping people achieve their optimal state of wellness so that they can live their best lives? The sad answer to those questions is, no.

Not working with insurance companies eliminates the third party payor and tension of payment/time, allowing the patient and practitioner (that’s you and I) to focus on what really matters – piecing together the clues of what is causing your body to be outside of its natural state of wellness.

Not adhering to insurance time allotments gives us the TIME for in-depth exploration, research, advanced testing, education, and comprehensive follow-up. As often as you need! Eliminating the requirement of in-office visits by insurance companies for reimbursement gives us more freedom to schedule appointments, and gives you much more control over your health care.

A membership model of health decreases the patient to clinician ratio (usually 2500:1 in standard model), giving providers more time with each patient and allowing for improved physician access. I accept only a small number of clients for 1:1 memberships for this very reason – to give you all of my time and attention – so I’m not just scanning your chart as we begin your appointment.

‘With membership medicine, patients pay in cash for routine and affordable care, saving insurance for expensive surgeries and hospital visits.’ Evan Pankey, MMSc, Pri-Med, InLIght EHR

In addition, FSA/HSA accounts will cover your costs incurred with me. I can also submit Superbills to your insurance for your reimbursement!