Functional medicine is a fairly new approach to healthcare taking Denver by storm. Functional medicine is a superior way to help tackle chronic health conditions and improve overall wellness. If you live in Denver, recently ranked among the top 10 healthiest places to live in the nation by WalletHub, you have access to some of the best functional medicine practitioners in the country right in your backyard!
Unlike disease-focused medical care, functional medicine is geared toward helping individuals achieve their optimal health. Functional medicine specializes in getting to the source of symptoms like chronic fatigue, weak immune system, bloating, and hormonal imbalances. Many of these symptoms are very common, but that doesn’t make them normal. This is often achieved by analyzing blood work on a different scale from what the majority of medical doctors use. The commonly accepted reference ranges for blood work are a standard deviation of the population; meaning, these ranges are statistically developed based on the average of the population to make the “normal range”. Functional medicine’s reference ranges are based on analysis of the most current research to find the optimal range needed to not only prevent disease, but achieve overall good health.
Many people in Denver do not have optimal health. Functional medicine aims to shift the paradigm from a disease-focused to a patient-focused approach to healthcare. In the conventional sense, one’s blood work may appear healthy and “normal.” Functional medicine, however, uses a more narrow, research-based reference range, with an aim toward optimal health (rather than just “not diseased.”). Often, labs come back looking healthy and “normal” but many people in Denver still struggle with irritating health issues like chronic pain, insomnia, constipation, loose stools, fatigue, etc.
With simple screening tools, similar to the basic labs that are run by your primary care physician, many health concerns can be prevented or reversed with early detection. With functional medicine we are looking for the cause of your health issues, rather than just treating your symptoms. Functional medicine is meant to not only treat chronic illness and prevent disease, but to promote vitality and improve a person’s overall quality of life. This is accomplished by using dietary and lifestyle changes, in conjunction with scientifically proven herbal and vitamin regimens. This is especially important in Denver, where it is said that over 80% of the population has exercised in the last 30 days and are among the country’s most active populations.
Aside from the differences in blood analysis, one of the major differences between treatment practices is the amount of time spent with patients, running the necessary testing and identifying lifestyle factors (diet, environment, emotion, etc.) that help influence long-term health. Much of what functional medicine aims to treat are metabolic disease/dysfunction processes and preventing future disease.
Most medical practitioners are very well versed in treating acute, life-threatening diseases. With functional medicine we are focused on improving the quality of life for people in Denver suffering from more chronic conditions such as diabetes, autoimmunity, IBS, heart disease, and mood disorders. We personalize treatment for the individual based on their chemistry and environment. We apply strategies such as nutrition, herbal and vitamin complexes, diet, and exercise to both treat and prevent these illnesses in our patients in Denver without using medications that have a lot of unwanted side effects, or only mask symptoms.
There’s almost no one that cannot benefit in some way from visiting a functional medicine provider. Functional medicine meets people where they are and can improve their overall health and wellness naturally. If you live in Denver chances are excellent you are already active or would like to continue improving your health. Some questions you may want to ask yourself if you are considering a functional medicine approach:
Most people benefit from Functional Medicine because it’s so individualized. Even though the broad strokes of what the aim is – the game plan for each patient can be different and potentially modified to fit their unique lifestyle. First and foremost a Functional Medicine approach is going to focus on getting a person’s blood sugar regulated. Once a person, no matter their sex, age or relative fitness level, has their blood sugar even (without large swings with high-highs and low-lows) it is much easier to get their metabolism back in balance. And once that goal is achieved that’s where the magic really begins to happen. Most people, with a well regulated metabolism will begin to experience their weight stabilizing, their appetite becomes manageable, their sleep improves, and most symptoms caused by dysregulated hormones, thyroid or gut issues become noticeably improved.
As we mentioned above, Functional Medicine is highly individualized, so there are many routes to take in achieving goals. So many patients in Denver are absolutely thriving because they took the time to run the appropriate labs then followed their personalized protocol. They created new habits to replace the old, began modifying their diets and lifestyles and they began seeing the desired changes closely followed.
Firstly, make sure you’re ready. When people aren’t primed to make changes to their habits and lifestyle they either won’t or will not have the right attitude to succeed. Once that is fully established we recommend finding a Functional Medicine provider in your area of Denver that can see you either in-person or online. Be prepared to have some blood work done or potentially a urine or stool test to help shed light on where your health is currently. Then, once your provider has analyzed the testing she can then recommend a protocol that is right for you. A little while later you’ll check in with your provider to make any necessary adjustments to the protocol as you reach different milestones. Then, you’ll maintain your progress for a lifetime of great health!
