The term “functional medicine” was coined in 1993 to describe the medicine of the future. It offers a giant leap forward in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention for many chronic diseases common in today’s world. Unlike the conventional approach, which is designed to band-aid and suppress symptoms, physicians practicing functional medicine are delighted to discover an actual cause that when found and corrected, can have a fantastic impact on the health of their patients.
Doctors practicing functional diagnostic medicine are able to identify the real causes of many health conditions by combining the results of scientifically documented tests. These are not your typical medical tests; they go the next level, investigating the biochemical and metabolic “glitches” likely to set the stage for a certain disease. The wide range of testing includes an Adrenocortex Profile, for stress; Melatonin Profile, sleep checkup; Mineral Hair Analysis; Male and Female Hormone Profile; Stool Analysis; Intestinal Permeability Test; Antioxidant levels; Bone Analysis; and so on. Based on the results of these tests, physicians are then able to develop personalized “patient specific” treatment protocols designed to reverse, stop or prevent the disease and its related symptoms.