Compassionate, Evidence-Based Healthcare in Shenyang
Functional Medicine
Functional medicine is a science-based personalized healthcare approach that assesses and treats underlying causes of illness through individually tailored therapies to restore health and improve function.
Despite notable advances in treating and preventing infectious disease and trauma, the acute-care model that dominated 20th century medicine has not been effective in treating and preventing chronic disease. This problem can't be solved by drugs and surgery, however helpful those tools may be in managing acute signs and symptoms.
Many people think chronic diseases are determined genes. In fact, humans are not genetically hardwired for most diseases. Genes are not our destiny. Human biology is far more complex than simply the collection of genes.
Functional medicine is the medical science that studies how genes interact with environment, lifestyle, diet, activity patterns, psycho-social-spiritual factors, and stress. Gene expression could be altered by these myriad influences and we may be pushed toward or away from disease by turning on or off certain genes. This is the core principle of Functional Medicine.
Functional medicine studies the interaction among genes, lifestyles and the environment and determines how and why illness occurs, and restores health by addressing the root causes of disease for each individual.
The Functional Medicine model of comprehensive care and primary prevention for complex, chronic illness is grounded in both science and art, which mean it is both science-based and individual patient-based.
CORE PRINCIPLES
• Addresses root cause, rather than symptoms
• Targets the specific manifestations in each individual
• Evidence-based medicine
FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE MODEL
• Examines each patient's lifestyle and unique biochemical factors.
• Develops a systems biology-based, patient-centered scientific approach.
• Addresses the underlying causes of disease. Emphasizes patient education.
• Empowers patients and practitioners to work together
• Promotes organ reserve
• Focuses on prevention
• Enhances health span, not just life span
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