Functional Medicine
What is Functional Medicine?
Functional Medicine takes a closer look into disease by using root cause analysis to find its source.
Focuses on restoring gut health and correcting deficiencies of vitamins and minerals to regulate and optimize body functions.
Mainstays for treating chronic illnesses and conditions are nutrition, vitamins and supplements, stress reduction, and lifestyle changes.
Considers the overall picture of a patient’s health, not just the symptoms or lab results.
Functional Medicine Does Things Differently!
Study Case
Jane is a 45-year-old woman suffering of fatigue, headaches, depression, weight gain, joint pain, and constipation for several months. Just recently, she also started feeling dizzy, weak, and using the bathroom to urinate more than usual.
Here is how Conventional and Functional Medicine may address her symptoms. And if you were Jane, which treatment would you rather follow?
Conventional
- Basic blood test to rule out anemia, thyroid dysfunction, diabetes: CMP, CBC, WBC, TSH, A1C, iron panel
- Provider determines that blood work shows “normal” ranges for most labs except, TSH is mildly above the average, A1C is moderately elevated, iron is borderline low.
- Diagnosed with pre-diabetes, and sub-clinical hypothyroid, but provider does not recommend treatment at this time, just “monitoring.”
- Treatment plan:
- Prescription medication for diabetes.
- Recommend taking iron over the counter or prescribe ferrous iron, (which is poorly tolerated and less absorbed than most forms of iron).
- Healthy diet recommended, like Mediterranean, avoid fried, processed and salty foods.
- Exercise 45 minutes three times a week.
- Lose weight if possible.
- Recheck labs in three months.
Functional
- Comprehensive blood test to rule out anemia, thyroid dysfunction, diabetes, insulin resistance, vitamin deficiencies, hormone imbalances and inflammation: CMP, CBC, WBC, thyroid panel (TSH, FT3, FT4, RT3, TPO), A1C, fasting insulin, anemia panel (iron, ferritin, folate, vitamin B12), vitamin D, hormone panel (DHEA, progesterone, testosterone, estradiol), CRP.
- Provider determines that blood work shows “sub-optimal” levels in thyroid panel, iron and ferritin are low, and testosterone low, A1C is moderately elevated and fasting insulin is above the desired level.
- Diagnosed with pre-diabetes and insulin resistance, thyroid dysfunction, vitamin D deficiency, hormone imbalance, anemia, and inflammation.
- Treatment plan:
- Prescription medication for diabetes and insulin resistance.
- Supplement vitamin D with cofactors magnesium and vitamin K-2, taken with a heavy meal, to help absorb vitamin D.
- Improve anemia by taking chelated iron with vitamin C, for better absorption, tolerance, and effectiveness.
- Improve insulin resistance by eliminating refined sugars, processed foods, gluten, and grains, eating more animal protein sources, and cooking with healthy fats.
- Treat sub-optimal thyroid levels once iron and ferritin are optimal and if symptoms persist.
- Recommended to sleep between 7 to 9 hours, use meditation, and Epsom salt baths, to help decrease cortisol levels, which contribute to insulin resistance and inflammation.
- Regularly do enjoyable, non-strenuous physical activity several times a week.
- Recheck labs in three months.
These graphs illustrate how a patient can have “normal” test levels but still have symptoms. Functional Medicine seeks to improve health and quality of life by focusing on “optimal” levels and not just abnormailities.
Conventional Medicine
Functional Medicine
Primary Care
Because life happens, it’s best to be prepared for those unpredictable times.
Have a cold or stomachache? No need to wait until your usual clinic has an opening for you. We can help you from the comfort of your home and when you need it, through Telehealth Primary Care.
We can help with:
- Annual comprehensive blood work
- Routine blood work
- Wellness screenings testing such as mammograms, STD’s, depression
- Prescription refills and management
- Lifestyle recommendations
- Referrals to specialists
Mild acute conditions:
- Allergies and sinusitis
- Heartburn
- Rashes
- Cough and colds
- Mild aches
- Ear infections
- Sore throat
- Urinary tract infection
- Conjunctivitis (“pink eye”)
We can help with:
- Annual comprehensive blood work
- Routine blood work
- Wellness screenings testing such as mammograms, STD’s, depression
- Prescription refills and management
- Lifestyle recommendations
- Referrals to specialists
Thyroid Optimization
It’s hard to enjoy life when you are feeling down, achy, and tired all the time.
Have you checked your thyroid? When you did, were you told your levels were “normal?”
Most providers don’t diagnose or consider treatment for thyroid symptoms even when levels of thyroid hormone (TSH) are abnormalities.
As part of Functional Medicine’s approach, we don’t forget the thyroid. We take a deep dive beyond the usual markers to diagnose and treat thyroid dysfunction, because for us “normal is not the same as optimal.” The goal for us at Aniron is to “treat more than just symptoms;” we make it about treating the cause of the symptoms to help make you whole.
Take this quick thyroid function questionnaire to see if you may benefit from Thyroid Optimization.
