Functional medicine aims to treat the root cause of a disease, instead of masking the symptoms with drugs. It is stated that more than half of Americans, even as high as 70%, take prescription drugs. There is a time and place for medications but many diseases can be controlled through changing what we eat and what we expose ourselves too! A poor diet, a sedentary lifestyle and exposures to toxins (mercury dental fillings, BPA in plastics, etc) lead to inflammation in the body that can present itself as joint pain, fatigue, acne, etc. Functional medicine takes a natural route to relieving the inflammation through dietary, supplement, and lifestyle recommendations. Based on a thorough history of the patient, a functional medicine practitioner takes into account the patient’s genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors to help determine what the underlying issue might be.
Dr. Marina became passionate about the functional medicine approach to healthcare after facing health issues herself. She combines her own personal experience, the additional 300 hours in seminars as well as current research to create a course of care for patients. After discussing a patient’s health history, she will determine whether lab work is necessary. She will recommend dietary changes, supplements as well as lifestyle changes based on findings from the initial consult as well as the results from lab work if done. If you are interested in this approach to health care, have any additional questions, or want to know if functional medicine is the right thing for you, set up a free 10-minute consult with Dr. Marina!
https://www.consumerreports.org/media-room/press-releases/2017/08/consumer_reports_examines_do_americans_take_too_many_prescription_medications/
