Medical care is a worldwide essential, but the traditional approach to medicine may fail in delivering preventative care for some individuals. The typical approach may focus more on medical intervention than the root cause, leading to incomplete care. Consequently, functional medicine came to be with a holistic approach that looks beyond the illness or symptoms to target the fundamental causes. If you live in Hilton Head or Buffton, SC, or any other place in the world undergoing this medical paradigm shift, it’s essential to understand the role of functional medicine doctor and a regular doctor.
Traditional doctors, also called allopathic or standard medicine doctors, operates in a disease-oriented manner, where they focus on a patient’s injury or ailment’s symptoms rather than the cause. They would diagnose the illness and then prescribe the drugs or medications to alleviate or manage the symptoms or surgery to correct an ailment. In functional medicine, they aim to explore their patients’-lifestyle, nutrition, stress, environmental factors, and genes’- root cause of the ailment. The doctors primarily focus on therapeutic nutrition, a more complete laboratory assessment, and prescribe herbal remedies and supplements. So, if you are suffering from autoimmune or chronic ailments, you want to visit a functional medicine doctor rather than a regular physician.
In their training and experience, traditional doctors attend medical school for four years, complete three to seven years of residency, and specialize in areas such as dermatology or obstetrics, whereas functional doctors attend medical school before seeking specialized training in functional medicine, which varies with perspectives and philosophies. Dr. Mark Hyman is one of the pioneers of functional medicine, and he describes it as personalized medicine that deals with identifying and treating the basis and mechanisms behind the health problems of his clients. The approach utilized by functional medicine physicians seems to fix the ailment by uncovering the underlying causes of health problems and addressing these issues with personalized care rather than one size fits all approach.
Functional Medicine Doctors
Functional medicine doctors offer extended consultations, unlike traditional doctors who only spend a few minutes with their patients. With this approach, functional medicine doctors can better understand their patients’ physiological, mental, and emotional health and create a customized plan targeting their patient’s wellness needs. This approach improves medical outcomes and promotes total wellness because patients receive full care, with doctors focusing on a variety of treatment approaches from pharmaceutical to nutraceutical intervention.
In summary, both regular doctors and functional medicine doctors play roles in providing medical attention to various individuals. However, there is a significant difference in their approach. Traditional doctors diagnose and address the symptoms of an ailment through medical interventions that are pharmaceutical or surgical. Whereas functional medicine doctors concentrate on addressing the root cause of the ailment, focusing on the individual’s lifestyle, nutrition, physical, and emotional state. So, if you’re seeking personalized services that focus on you as an individual and not just the symptoms, consider a functional medicine doctor. As a resident of Buffton or Hilton Head, SC, we want you to receive the best medical care and achieve complete wellness.