Beyond Symptoms: How Functional Medicine is Redefining Modern Healthcare

Functional medicine seeks to heal entire body systems rather than treating acute symptoms. It addresses underlying patterns of dysfunction in chronic diseases and offers a care model designed to prevent or reverse these conditions.

FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE

Sheryl Aguelo

9/7/20261 min read

Functional medicine suggests that we can influence how our genes function. Just because we inherit problematic genes from our parents doesn't condemn us to a lifetime of incurable illnesses. Genes are not set in stone; they can be altered. They can be activated and can adapt in response to our environment. This environment includes various health factors such as sleep and relaxation, nutrition and hydration, exercise and movement, social relationships, and stress. These factors modify how our genes operate.

Functional medicine intends to address the entire body system through 7 essential processes that can ease symptoms and treat chronic illnesses. These processes encompass digestion and assimilation, detoxification, defense and repair, cellular communication, cellular transport, energy, and structure. While drugs and surgery remain relevant, lifestyle interventions take on a primary role where suitable.

Health coaching is one way to practice functional medicine. It is a patient-centered approach to helping patients handle their illnesses. It builds a helpful relationship that helps clients achieve their long-term health and well-being goals. Rather than setting goals for the client, a coach helps the client establish their own goals through an inquiry process. These goals may include nutrition, hydration, exercise, relaxation, sleep, or social connections.

The health coaching process begins by listening to the client's story to understand the environment that influenced their genetic expression and patterns of chronic illness. Next, the coach identifies antecedents (events occurring after birth), triggers that lead to symptoms, and mediators that may be driving current symptoms.

Functional medicine health coaching represents the future of medical care. As access to health information grows, individuals are more empowered to set and achieve their health goals. A functional medicine health coach can give crucial assistance throughout this process.

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