What is the difference between Functional Medicine and Functional Rehab PT?
Healthcare is a mess! I have seen so many patients over the years with acute and/or chronic pain, limited mobility, decreased strength and a general lack of energy. Luckily, most of the people that have come to see me have responded to traditional approaches of treatments. However, some haven't and it really made me take a step back and start thinking from a more integrated perspective. That is where a functional medicine approach has been instrumental to help people get their lives back.
“Functional medicine is about causes, not symptoms. It is getting to the root of the problem.” —Mark Hyman, MD
What is Functional Medicine
The functional medicine model is an individualized, patient-centered, science-based approach that empowers patients and practitioners to work together to address the underlying causes of disease and promote optimal wellness. It requires a detailed understanding of each patient’s genetic, biochemical, and lifestyle factors and leverages that data to direct personalized treatment plans that lead to improved patient outcomes.
By addressing root cause, rather than symptoms, practitioners become oriented to identifying the complexity of disease. They may find one condition has many different causes and, likewise, one cause may result in many different conditions. As a result, functional medicine treatment targets the specific manifestations of disease in each individual. (https://www.ifm.org/functional-medicine/)
What is Functional Rehab PT
While, functional medicine addresses the root cause of disease, Functional Rehab PT extends the model to address the root cause of dysfunction. It extends the functional medicine paradigm to promote a restorative, integrated approach to health and longevity. The foundation of Functional Rehab PT addresses lifestyle factors that impact short- and long-term variables of maintaining a long health span. It is important to understand the role sleep and stress management have on the development of chronic inflammation.
Additionally, Functional Rehab PT addresses the relationship that exercise, nutrition, pain experience, hormone balance and soft tissue integrity play in optimal wellness. The relationship one’s mental, emotional, and spiritual understanding is also central to a healthy interconnectedness. It applies an approach that encompasses biochemical, biomechanical, and psychosocial parameters to an individualized treatment plan that is targeted to maximize health.