BASIC BACKGROUND INFO, INSTRUCTIONS ON Pg. 2
Functional Medicine (FM) refers to biological approaches to disease treatment. FM is used by many practitioners including some Medical Doctors (MDs).
FM can be symptom focused or treat the bodies imbalances and dysfunctions to promote healing. FM practitioners believe that Conventional Medicine is treating just the tip of the iceberg (the symptoms) and not the underlying cause of the disease or dysfunction. FM Practitioners attempt to find and treat causes of disease. They use scientific principles, diagnostic tests, and treatment based on objective data. However, many approaches are considered controversial. For example, the biomedical treatment of autism is not supported by the American Academy of Medicine (AMA) even though it is practiced by MDs.
Vitamin D is a good example of FM research becoming mainstream medicine. FM practitioners have understood the crucial role of Vitamin D from sunlight for cardiovascular health and prevention of many diseases including cancer for 30 plus years. There is now a significant amount of scientific research to support the need for Vitamin D to prevent all cancers, to decrease cholesterol, and to decrease blood pressure. We now know that UVL turns cholesterol into Vitamin D hence decreasing cholesterol; dilates the blood vessels to decrease blood pressure; and works a hormonal antioxidant to prevent cancer.
Functional Medicine approaches include an array of techniques, procedures, tests, and treatments. It includes the use of nutrition and diets, including food sources and specific diets, to treat disease.
Some specific types of functional medicine are:
Environmental medicine
Enzyme therapy
Fasting
Flower remedies
Herbs
Hydrotherapy
Juice therapy
Naturopathic medicine
Oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, ozone, and hyperbaric therapies
Raw milk
Aromatherapy
Colon therapy
Light therapy
Cell therapy
Chelation
Detoxing
Treatment of food allergies
Instructions
1. Try a simple functional medicine life style change for at least “one week”. The life style change could be as simple as green tea daily, juicing, or supplementation.
2. Post about your experience- 200 – 250 words, be sure to use 1 – 2 in-text citations and references using the correct APA Format.
3. Please respond to at least 2 of your peers.
Response must be 150-200 words.