Functional medicine is a biology-based, alternative treatment approach that does not stop at treating the symptoms – it aims at revealing the root cause that has caused the symptoms to appear. The approach is systems-oriented, rather than disease-centered and it also involves the patient as an equal partner in the treatment and healing process.
Practitioners of functional medicine rely not only on investigations. They spend more time with the patients, listening to their patient’s life history, family history, to what they share about their lifestyle and their emotional life, to the descriptions they provide about their environment. The treatment techniques proposed by functional medicine Denver area doctors includes the deployment of latest achievements of genetic science and systems biology as well as the attentive and careful correlation between lifestyle and environmental factors and the emergence or progression of disease. One of the focuses of functional medicine is on prevention, the techniques used include naturopathic medicine, exercise and diet, but the discipline also uses the most advanced diagnostic and laboratory testing methods. The medications prescribed by the practitioners of functional medicine usually include herbal supplements and stress management techniques are also extensively used. The treatment process involves the elaboration of a personalized plan for each patient, one that includes elements to address not only the patient’s physical well-being, but also emotional and spiritual aspects.