Functional Medicine
What is functional medicine?
Functional medicine is a form of medicine that allows practitioners to approach patient care with a holistic approach. Angel Longevity is home to functional medicine practitioner, Dr. Anju Mathur. She works closely with each patient in order to devise a fully customized treatment plan that will reduce or eliminate the patient’s current health problems and prevent new ones from surfacing in the future.
Some of the therapies offered by our functional medicine doctors include bio-identical hormone replacement therapy, detoxification, nutritional recommendations, exercise plans, and natural medicine.
We treat the person – not the symptoms
Commonly, conventional medicine treats separate symptoms relative to their individual body parts. Patients with insomnia are typically given sleeping medication, and people suffering from anxiety or depression are prescribed psychiatric medications.
While this traditional model may make sense for some health scenarios, it does not always work when the patient presents with multiple symptoms. This is because the combined side effects of all the medications can be more debilitating than the original problem. It also only works to mask symptoms, rather than getting to the root cause of an issue. And often adding more medications exacerbate the condition rather than relieve it.
Some of the therapies offered by our
functional medicine doctors may include
treatments for:
- - BHRT for men and women
- - Menopause and Perimenopause
- - Leaky Gut
- - Chronic Fatigue
- - Heart Disease
- - Epstein Barr Virus
- - Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- - Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- - Chron' Disease
- - Ulcerative Colitis
- - Autoimmune Disorders
- - GERD
- - Fibromyalgia
As our functional medicine treatments and programs are all tailor made for each individual person, no program is exactly the same. Some treatment programs may involve steps such as:
- - Detoxification
- - Nutritional Recommendations
- - Exercise Plans
- - Medicines
- - Strict Diet
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Contact UsThe functional medicine difference
With our functional medicine, instead of looking at individual symptoms and assuming that they are associated with different parts of the body, we look at symptoms in order to see what bodily systems may be affected.
For example, aging men and women with a group of symptoms such as insomnia, hot flashes, low libido, thinning bones, and muscle atrophy may have a problem with their endocrine system.
Our functional medicine doctor will not assign medications for each individual symptom, but will look at the symptoms a whole to discover the underlying cause.
In the case of an endocrine imbalance, physicians may use bio-identical hormone replacement therapy to supplement deficient hormones, which can improve libido, increase bone strength, reduce hot flashes, increase muscle strength, and improve sleep. In getting to the root of an issue, several symptoms can be eliminated or reduced.
Angel Longevity's Functional Medicine Results
Restoring balance and optimal function to the body
Our approach to functional medicine looks at organ systems that may be malfunctioning and resulting in symptoms. Because the body is connected, sometimes symptoms are interrelated and can occur in groups relative to the system that is out of balance.
Many conditions can be traced to one part of the body that is out of balance. Some examples of conditions that present with groups of different symptoms but can be traced to one common imbalance include:
- Menopause
- Adrenal fatigue
- Andropause
- Perimenopause
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Thyroid disorders
While these conditions present with several different kinds of symptoms in different parts of the body, they can be traced back to endocrine imbalances. When the functional medicine doctor balances this system, all related symptoms may disappear.
What to expect during your consultation
Our functional medicine doctor listens to you and considers many aspects of your life before developing a treatment plan. Practitioners will give you the time and attention that you need to accurately explain your history and individual issues.
Seeking to find the cause of a chronic and complex disease and working to resolve it is another part of functional medicine. Patient-centered care is important to our functional medicine doctors. In focusing on the client, they can prevent the advancement of the disease process while promoting overall wellness.
World-class care you can trust
Our functional medicine doctors are up to date on the latest laboratory testing methods, and they will implement the latest scientifically based medical advancements as a part of their patients’ care plan.
Our approach is integrative and it takes the best of conventional, alternative, and holistic medicine in order to help our patients improve their overall health and achieve optimal levels of wellness. Many patients that have undergone functional medicine have improved their health and alleviated existing health conditions.
Functional Medicine — Frequently Asked Questions
Why Should I Choose Functional Medicine?
Functional medicine is a comprehensive approach to wellness that examines all of the body’s systems within the context of your personal environment and life experiences. We believe that this approach allows us to more accurately identify the cause of many chronic diseases and conditions. If you can identify the root cause of a disease or condition, it is more likely that you will be able to prevent that disease from continuing to manifest.
What Advantages does Functional Medicine Have Over Traditional Medical Treatment?
By looking at the body as a whole unit rather than parts, functional medicine allows us to treat diseases where they begin. If you examine the body’s systems separately, you often do not have an entire picture of how your individual body is functioning. Since all of your body’s systems work together, we believe it is more beneficial to fully assess how the systems are functioning together in order to identify the root of medical issues or diseases.
What is the Functional Medicine Testing Like?
The tests used in functional medicine are very similar to tests used in traditional western medicine. These tests may include examination of blood work, your saliva or urine, and may include imaging like CAT or MRI scans. The greatest difference between testing in functional medicine, is functional medicine seeks to examine your body as a whole in order to identify the root cause of chronic illnesses.
Are Painkillers Bad for You?
Prescription painkillers have their place. They are designed, however, to be used for short-term pain management. Over time, you will notice that the dosage you were taking to control your pain no longer works, and you must increase your dosage to maintain your lifestyle. Additionally, long-term use of painkillers can cause bodily process like the endocrine system and production of hormones to fall out-of-balance.
Are Over-the-Counter Medicines Bad for the Body?
While over-the-counter medicines are usually safe for healthy people, long-term use of these medications interfere with your body’s systems. Long-term use of drugs such as acetaminophen can led to liver damage. Long-term use of ibuprofen can damage your kidneys. Functional medicine works to identify why you suffer from chronic pain and address the root cause of the problem. Through the use of homeopathic treatments, functional medicine’s goal is to treat chronic conditions with natural remedies rather than through the use of over-the-counter medicines.
Ready to learn how functional medicine can help you?
Do you have a question about functional medicine? Want to discuss your symptoms? Fill out this form for a free phone consultation with our functional medicine doctor or give us a call at (818) 961-2055.
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