Functional medicine is about bringing together multiple disciplines

One of the biggest criticisms of western medicine is that it’s slow to progress and that it takes an all-too-skeptical view of other approaches such as Eastern medicine, the traditions of Native Peoples and other practices not typically enshrined in the canon of western medicine.

Yet, if there is one thing that drives functional, integrative, naturopathic, and other ‘alternative’ medicinal treatment providers more than anything else, it is the desire to continually push forward, not get complacent or too comfortable with the status quo, and always be cognizant of the fact that no one has all the answers, in any situation.

It’s not about having the answers. It’s not about “fixing” the problem, but rather digging down and finding the root cause of the patient’s ailment. That’s what functional medicine does.

Fortunately, many practitioners of functional, and other, methods of treating illness themselves transitioned from the world of traditional Western medicine. They understand that we all must work together for the betterment of the citizenry we serve.

In the age of social media and instantaneous communication, it isn’t difficult to get caught up in the overheated hyperbole of the situation, but it is important to step back and have an objective look at the facts. The doctors and nurses working in these fields are taking the risk of being seen as an outlier, but even more are assuming the risk that comes with operating within a new frontier of medicine.

While this may place practitioners, researchers, university professors, and many more who are studying the efficacy of alternative approaches in an unwanted spotlight, it isn’t warranted. Approaches taught in the offices of functional, integrative, and naturopathic clinics around the world are receiving the attention they deserve. The more research, the better, and professionals from all disciplines must work together.

So next time someone writes off functional medicine as “new age” or “hippie healing,” point them to this article to show them that functional medicine brings together a multitude of disciplines and philosophies to heal the individual, not just to temporarily “fix” the problem.