The term "Functional Medicine" was coined in 1993, however its roots go back thousands of years and is the foundation of modern medicine.

Whether you are studying the origins of medicine from the point of view of Hippocrates or Paracelcius, healthcare was designed to be individualized, proactive, and nature based. Today, many physicians are unhappy with the current state of their practices. They are disappointed in their ability to effectively change their patient's lives. Many physicians, after years of hard work and dedication, look around only to realize this isn't what they signed up for and reluctantly quit active practice.

Out of the mess that is healthcare, Functional Medicine has begun to reappear. It is growing strength that transcends all healthcare fields, from chiropractic to internal medicine to nursing. Doctor and healthcare workers who study and apply the principles of functional medicine begin to feel like they can change the world, one patient at a time.

Key Points.

Functional medicine is personalized medicine. It deals with primary prevention and underlying causes instead of symptoms for serious chronic disease. It is a evidence-based field of health care that is grounded in the following principles:

Every patient is unique - Biochemical individuality describes the importance of individual variations in metabolic function that derive from genetic and environmental differences among individuals.

Treat the patient not the disease - Patient-centered medicine emphasizes “patient care” rather than “disease care,” following Sir William Osler’s admonition that “It is more important to know what patient has the disease than to know what disease the patient has.”

Homeostasis - Dynamic balance of internal and external factors.

Pro-Active Care - Health as a positive vitality – not merely the absence of disease.

Organocentric - Promotion of organ reserve as the means to enhance health span.