Functional Medicine Is Individualized Medicine

When I first consult with a patient who has a chronic illness like hypothyroidism, Hashimoto's, diabetes, peripheral neuropathy or fibromyalgia, I communicate the differences in disease classification between allopathic (traditional) and functional medicine.

Allopathic physicians use set criteria to diagnose their patients. Patients are treated using roughly the same approach that, for the most part, involves pharmacological intervention. This model is sometimes critiqued as “one size fits all”.

In contrast, functional medicine practitioners evaluate and treat each patient individually. Even if two people have the same diagnosis, differences between patients are appreciated. In many ways the doctor practicing functional medicine has the more difficult task—to treat the individual, not the condition.

Unfurling The Web Of Disease

In treating patients at the individual level, functional medicine docs take a holistic approach. They evaluate a complex web of chemical interactions in the body in determining a diagnosis and the best course of treatment.

Take, for example, a diagnosis of Hashimoto's disease.

Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune disorder that affects the thyroid. Allopaths typically prescribe thyroid hormone—in reality, Hashimoto's is not primarily a thyroid problem. Because the immune, endocrine (aka hormone-producing), nervous, circulatory and digestive systems are all part of an interactive web, abnormalities in any one system can affect another.

A patient with Hashimoto’s may be suffering from multiple conditions that are exacerbating symptoms. For example, the patient may also have insulin resistance. Through an understanding of the interactions between bodily systems, a functional medicine practitioner can recognize that excess insulin causes abnormal levels of the hormone cortisol. Excess cortisol can in turn interfere with thyroid metabolism in several ways. It can also reinforce insulin resistance, which can create a positive feedback loop that worsens the initial condition.

With the roots of Hashimoto’s exposed, a functional medicine doc will then look into the source of insulin resistance. The differential diagnosis for insulin resistance includes poor diet, hypothyroidism, food sensitivities, gastrointestinal problems and autoimmune disease. Each of these conditions has multiple components and a functional medicine doctor tackles them one by one. As metabolic dysfunctions are revealed, the doctor can see a pattern particular in the Hashimoto's patient.

This in-depth analysis allows for a tailored treatment regimen—a far cry from a one-size-fits-all label.

Patients who are aware of the fundamental difference between allopathic and functional medicine therapeutic paradigms will understand that motivation to cooperate in functional medicine treatment programs can lead to real improvements.