What is Functional Medicine?

Functional medicine is a science-based, personalized healthcare approach that can help people improve a wide variety of chronic symptoms.

Patients who have been to multiple doctors but who still do not feel well often report an improvement in their symptoms and a better quality of life after trying functional medicine.

The primary goal of functional medicine is to get patients feeling better quickly so they can get back to doing what they love in life. 


What to Expect

If you go to a functional medicine doctor, you can expect that he/she will sit down with you and listen to your health concerns and take whatever amount of time is necessary to figure out what is causing your problems.

Functional medicine doctors recognize that each patient has a unique diet, lifestyle, environment, and genetic makeup, and that all of these factors have a major influence on health. Functional medicine doctors will consider all of these factors and figure out what is at the root of your health problems.

Functional medicine treatments usually consist of a comprehensive approach that focuses on nutrition, supplementation, and lifestyle recommendations that are safe, evidence-based, and manageable for your life. This type of approach can improve the health of the entire body, and doesn't just mask symptoms. 


What the Evidence Shows

There is a growing body of scientific evidence demonstrating just how effective functional medicine can be. For example, a 2020 study found that patients with rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis who were treated with a functional medicine approach along with standard care had significantly greater improvement in physical health, mental health, and pain compared to patients who received standard care alone [1].

Similarly, a 2019 study found that chronic disease patients treated with a functional medicine model of care had improvements in physical health, mental health, and quality-of-life after 6 and 12 months [2]. Notably, these patients presented with a number of different health issues, including diabetes, depression, and high blood pressure. This shows that functional medicine can improve a wide variety of chronic illness presentations.

In addition to the above research, there are countless studies demonstrating the effectiveness of different therapeutic diets, dietary supplements, and lifestyle interventions that may all be incorporated into a functional medicine approach. All in all, it is clear based on the evidence that functional medicine is well equipped to help fill many of the gaps in the current healthcare system by addressing the root cause of chronic disease.   


Who Can Functional Medicine Help?

Functional medicine can help patients with chronic health concerns such as digestive issues, fatigue, brain fog, diabetes, autoimmune illnesses, hormonal imbalances, joint and muscle pain, migraines, depression, anxiety, chronic infections, and much more. To learn more about Dr. Jake's highly effective functional medicine approach, click the button below.