Chiropractic Care – a Vital Part of Functional Medicine

The Rise and Rise of Functional Medicine

Why is Functional Medicine the FUTURE???Simply because it is needed!

Life in modern society certainly isn’t what it could or should be. Despite all the so-called advances, we are still seeing huge increases in numbers of people succumbing to chronic, complex diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, arthritis and mental illness.?

Conventional medicine of course gets to work treating the symptoms but unfortunately they have neither the tools nor protocols to address the cause of these complex, chronic illnesses, choosing instead to focus on the assessment and treatment of acute, short-duration conditions or traumas. Give them a broken leg to deal with, then no problem, some drugs to soothe the pain and perhaps a surgical procedure to set the bones and a little rehab, and there we are, good as new again.

However, all these complex chronic diseases that are ravaging modern society are multi-factorial, meaning there is more than one cause and simply treating the symptoms simply doesn’t cut it. If someone presents to their GP with high blood pressure, then yeah they can prescribe meds to bring down the blood pressure artificially, but it is highly unlikely that patient assessment will even consider the person’s unique genetic makeup, their exposures to environmental toxins, their structural alignment or the quality of their microbiome, any of which could be contributing factors.?

This is where Functional Medicine is different and makes absolute sense. and why it is perceived by many to be the way of the future.?It is what Bill Clinton credits with giving him his life back after his 2004 quadruple heart by-pass surgery, and it’s what increasingly, an educated, informed public, want.?

Patient-Centred Treatment

A Functional Medicine doctor will take all aspects of the modern lifestyle into consideration. Instead of a quick-fix approach to alleviate symptoms they will take a more holistic approach and consider each area of a patient’s life that may be contributing to the?condition.??

The Institute of Functional Medicine defines Functional Medicine as:

“An individualised, patient centred, 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 it leverages that data to direct personalised treatment plans that lead to improved patient outcomes”

Dr Mark Hyman, director of the Cleveland Clinic for Functional Medicine and a leading advocate for Functional Medicine describes FM as "a rigorous system for assessing chronic illness using new advances in systems biology and systems thinking". In a nutshell, Functional Medicine is next level thinking which leads to next level strategies which ultimately produce next level results. It’s goal is to evolve standard healthcare from ‘one-fits-all’ to personalized treatment programs that will lead to much improved patient outcomes. With the rise of Functional Medicine in this digital age no one needs to be ignorant about aspects of their own health.

During a Functional Medical examination, doctors will consider interactions between environmental, hormonal, genetic and lifestyle factors that may be contributing to chronic inflammation and typically they will test for food intolerance, gut health, toxicity (especially heavy metals), vitamin and mineral depletion,?blood pathology, cardiovascular sufficiency and metabolic profiling.?

Chiropractic and Functional Medicine

Like FM practitioners, chiropractors look ‘upstream’ for the cause of the problem rather than simply applying band-aids as short term solutions. This is why Chiropractic forms a vital part of Functional Medicine. After all, we are all physical structures and chiropractors are doctors of structure and function and how these relate to our neurophysiology.?

Think about it - for a healthy brain (think CPU in charge of all function) and nervous system (think wiring system passing messages throughout the body) we need a balanced structure that moves well. A poorly balanced, misaligned structure, will stiffen and age prematurely and succumb to the ravages of arthritis. Cardio-vascular health will decline, increasing greatly the likelihood of strokes, heart-attacks, diabetes, cancers and dementia and other neuro-degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Chiropractors have always focussed on addressing the cause of the conditions they see in their clinics, and many will even say that rather than merely trying to alleviate pain, they focus their attention on improving alignment and function such that the natural innate healing potential of the body can be allowed to do what it is programmed to do….heal!

Like in Functional Medicine, Chiropractic can be considered “patient-centred” and ‘holistic’, in that it understands that everything is connected, and considers the body as a whole. Rather than concentrating on the disease or condition and the associated symptoms (pain), the functional chiropractor will search for the root cause. Because of the intimate relationship between the spine and the vital nerves within, it is easy to see how improving the function of the spine can have far reaching effects. Recognizing each patient’s individuality, a functional chiropractor, like any functional medicine practitioner, will ask many questions about the patient’s lifestyle in order to identify contributing factors that can be addressed.

In both Chiropractic and Functional Medicine, to achieve the best results it is vital that patients play an active role in their care, often by changing their diet and lifestyle, rather than passively taking prescribed medications to alleviate symptoms.?

The vital role of Chiropractic Care in Functional Medicine

Chiropractic care is a vital component of comprehensive Functional Medicine protocols simply because it?helps us improve and maintain the function of our neuro-muscular-skeletal axis. Poor alignment always results in biomechanical dysfunction, premature degenerative changes and premature stiffening, and of course this will hasten aging. Regular Chiropractic care helps maintain the correct alignment and range-of-motion of our joints, ensuring that the nervous system within the spine works without interference, whilst at the same time helping us to maintain optimum mobility and a pain-free life.

Because Functional Medicine helps clients to restore and maintain optimal health, FM protocols fit well into many chiropractors’ practices, expanding the available tools with which to help patients. Most chiropractors already advise on nutrition and exercise, some even help with sleep and stress management and other lifestyle interventions, but the incorporation of FM really helps take their offerings up a few notches. They effectively become THE wellness doctors for their community.

Of course, many clients suffering from all sorts of complex conditions, whether it be IBS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Headaches, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis or even Cancer, show up at chiropractic offices due to the pain that seems to accompany most diseases. FM protocols will help the chiropractor greatly improve his service to the community.

Chiropractic, like Functional Medicine, is not a version of medicine and neither is it a speciality or separate branch within medicine. It’s way more than that, with a unique outlook and philosophy. Both recognise that disease is actually a loss of homeostasis and that, by restoring balance within the body, the innate regenerative capacity of the body will bring about healing.