Functional medicine is a medical practice focused on the optimal function of the body and its organs. It is generally involved with systems of holistic or alternative medicine approaches. The main focus of functional medicine is to address the root of any problems by providing comprehensive and cohesive care. Seeing a functional medicine doctor can help improve one’s health and relationship with your doctor.
The high price of health insurance, along with the increasing frustration from patients have brought many to look for alternative solutions. Functional medicine, also known as concierge medicine, allows doctors the freedom to better serve their patients by eliminating third-party insurance companies. As a result of this, patients can work better with their doctors as more options are becoming steadily available for both sides.
Functional medicine allows you to pay for your services as you choose them and when you choose to access them. You decide when to pay for preventative care instead of making regular payments to an insurance company who in turn decides whether or not to pay for your care after you have become ill. You also get to know the doctor and staff on a personal level. With more time to interact and work with the patient, the bond built is more comfortable and unrushed. This also leads to more appropriate courses of preventative or diagnostic treatment.
Functional medicine also embraces preventative medicine — in fact, it is openly supported and encouraged. You will often find you and your physician working to develop a healthful nutrient plan and exercise program. The unhurried consultations are a great way to discuss your health concerns and treatment preferences. There are other options and treatments available at a functional medicine doctor that may not fit the mold of a “regular” doctor.
Functional medicine doctors also tend to be more open with hours of availability. With no health insurance system involved, functional medicine tends to let the doctor have open reign with their hours of operation. Your personal doctor may even provide you the option of calling, emailing or even visiting them personally when you first feel sick.
Blood tests, hospital care, emergency room visits and other forms of care are also coordinated and directed by your personal doctor. Within the functional medicine world, your personal doctor will be on hand to help supervise your care and consult with other healthcare professionals concerning your treatment plan. This can help eliminate any past unsettling experiences with going to the hospital and having to deal with unfamiliar staff.
In addition to all of this, functional medicine practitioners often run more extensive lab work. The lab-work your regular doctor runs will generally be adequate for prescribing medicine or medication. Your functional medicine doctor will run more comprehensive labs to look for underlying deficiencies, imbalances, infections and other insights into your general health. This often leads to customized healthcare that is tailored to best address you as the unique individual you are.
With the world growing more knowledgeable every day, embrace the future and all the benefits that functional medicine has to offer.
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