Functional and Integrative Medicine In Kenai and Soldotna Area!
“Functional Medicine addresses the underlying causes of disease, using a systems-oriented approach and engaging both patient and practitioner in a therapeutic partnership.”
Along with Dr. Carlson, we have a new Doctor coming on board that specializes in Functional/Integrative Medicine. Both Dr. Lynn Carlson and Dr. Ardis Fisch are excellent with chronic symptoms and diseases and also how to get your body back in balance. The idea behind functional medicine is that we search for the “Why you are hurting or experiencing the symptom”, not just the “What symptom are you experiencing”. For example, many people have feelings of sadness, apathy, lack of appetite and other things and many doctors might say “Ah hah! I know what you have, it’s depression!” and then they might give you a prescription for Prozac and other medications to help. We all know that the definition of depression isn’t that we have a “Prozac deficiency”. So what functional medicine does is say, yes, you have all these symptoms, but let’s focus on why and see if we can’t find the causes and imbalances that make you feel depressed, as people can all experience the same symptoms but have very different causes. Depression is just an easy example of the difference in practice of medicine, but the results are incredible!
What is Functional Medicine?
“Functional medicine addresses the underlying causes of disease, using a systems-oriented approach and engaging both patient and practitioner in a therapeutic partnership. It is an evolution in the practice of medicine that better addresses the healthcare needs of the 21st century. By shifting the traditional disease-centered focus of medical practice to a more patient-centered approach, functional medicine addresses the whole person, not just an isolated set of symptoms. Functional medicine practitioners spend time with their patients, listening to their histories and looking at the interactions among genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that can influence long-term health and complex, chronic disease. In this way, functional medicine supports the unique expression of health and vitality for each individual.” (functionalmedicine.org)