Why Functional Medicine ?
Functional Medicine
I've been delving into the world of Functional Medicine for about a decade now. Initially, I didn't use the term 'Functional Medicine' in my practice. Instead, I started with treatments focused on vitamins and lifestyle management. Over time, I broadened my perspective and thinking towards Functional Medicine.
Even today, many people aren't familiar with the term. Functional Medicine is also referred to as 'Complementary Medicine' or 'Alternative Medicine'. If I were to define Functional Medicine in a sentence, I'd say this: imagine the symptoms a patient presents with as the fruits of a tree. The reason for these fruits lies in the roots. Functional Medicine involves identifying the primary causes that lead to the development of a disease and guiding the patient towards treatments that target these causes.
Contrastingly, pharmaceutical treatments, which dominate mainstream medicine, often lean more towards symptom management rather than addressing root causes. For instance, the medication you take for high blood pressure doesn't treat the underlying cause of elevated blood pressure but simply lowers vascular pressure. So, when you stop taking the medication, the blood pressure rises again. The same goes for diabetes medication. Instead of addressing the reasons and causes that lead to elevated blood sugar levels, it artificially lowers blood sugar.
Metabolic disorders require a shift in lifestyle for effective treatment. However, due to the convenience of regulating them with medication, many patients prefer this over making the effort to change.
In my practice, I continue to experience various miracles that are hard to explain. Moving away from the traditional reliance solely on medication, and instead, effectively utilizing the functions of the 100 doctors within the human body, Functional Medicine empowers patients to harness their own healing potential. I firmly believe that this approach is the singular method to safeguard health and liberate oneself from disease." Dr. Timothy J Kang, L.Ac, Ph. D, CFMP