In conventional medicine, there is a doctor for every part of your body; cardiologists for the heart, gastroenterologists for the digestive system, neurologists for the brain and nervous system, podiatrists for your feet, and ophthalmologists for your eyes. Due to this compartmentalized system, conventional medicine focuses on individual body systems. It does not look at the whole person to understand the interrelated causes underlying disease and chronic illness. Rather, it looks at symptoms in order to name a disease and find a corresponding drug.
In functional medicine, we see the body as an interconnected whole, within a larger environment. We recognize that in order to treat one part of the body, all other parts must also be considered. This breaks apart artificial divisions of the body. Functional medicine looks at underlying phenomena that occur across specialties (inflammation, oxidative stress, toxicities, cellular energy problems, etc.) in order to understand the root cause of disease and find the right tools, at the right time, individualized for each person. The table below compares eight key distinctions between functional and conventional medicine.
|
Functional Medicine |
Conventional Medicine |
| Health oriented | Disease oriented |
| Patient centered | Doctor centered |
| Biochemical individuality | Everyone is treated the same way |
| Holistic | Specialized |
| Cost Effective | Expensive |
| Looks at underlying causes of disease | Diagnosis based on symptoms |
| Preventative approach |
Early detection of disease |