Why Is Functional Medicine So Powerful?
At Dr. Tracy McCarthy Functional Medicine, we believe that health is wealth, and that everyone deserves vibrant health. Unfortunately, the conventional medical system wasn't designed for creating & maintaining vibrant health. It was born out of the need for acute care interventions (think fractures, car accidents and acute infections).
In a time where chronic health problems are at record levels and rising, burdening so many people, we need an altogether different approach that effectively addresses the multiple underlying factors that create disease, instead of just focusing on prescription drugs that are aimed only at symptoms.
This new approach is called functional medicine.
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In fact, it's actually not entirely new... a holistic approach has been part of eastern medicine traditions like Ayurveda for centuries.
What's new is that we have brought advanced lab testing and a systems-biology approach to medicine – which is short for looking at the body's key systems that need to in balance to function optimally, rather than dividing up the body into individual "silos" the way conventional medicine does. That's what coined the term "Functional Medicine", because ultimately, it's about restoring proper function to all the body's systems.
A good analogy is your car. For your car to get optimal mileage, you need to maintain it consistently: change the motor oil, change tires, replace belts, take it to the shop when the "Check Engine" light is on, fill it up with the appropriate fuel.
That's exactly how to approach your body with functional medicine... it's not just about what to do when your body is broken, it's about maintaining proper health in the first place, and preventing the body from breaking down.
Key Aspects Of Functional Medicine
This in-depth approach is the only successful way of resolving chronic disorders because most chronic illness have many causes, brought on by modern lifestyle factors.
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Instead of simply addressing different symptoms across separate areas, functional medicine seeks to treat the underlying root causes – while looking at lifestyle factors such as diet, environment, emotional health, and mindset that usually brings on the illness patients are seeking to heal.
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In our practice, our comprehensive functional medicine program is focused on teaching lifelong skills on how to upgrade your lifestyle – so you don’t remain stuck in the “chronic illness hamster wheel”.
Here are just some of the things we focus on in our program:
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We prioritize quality over quantity with our patients. We will only make a medical diagnosis after listening carefully to a patient’s medical history, reviewing testing, and looking at lifestyle factors that are contributing to illnesses, and then we make personalized recommendations based on each patient’s unique situation.
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A proactive approach is prioritized over wait-and-see treatment approaches.
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Interventions from the latest research are used along with lifestyle and nutritional interventions to support natural healing.
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Patients are given the tools to take a more active role in their own health and learn up-to-date nutritional science & lifestyle modifications that can boost their health and overall wellness for a lifetime.
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Instead of just relying on prescription medications to treat symptoms, the team at Dr. Tracy McCarthy Functional Medicine approaches problems holistically and equips patients with modern tools for healthy living.
Conditions Treated
Caring for your health properly is so much more than just the basics of eating right and exercise. With current medical research, we have discovered that the body is not just organs, but a complex collection of systems that even include bacterial colonies (the microbiome) that greatly impact each other.
While the standard of care hasn’t quite “caught up” yet with most of the current science (research takes on average 17 years to be translated into practice, if it gets implemented at all), conventional doctors and specialists are still treating parts of the body separately – without taking into account the fact that all these areas are connected and greatly impact each other.
When you are healthy, they work together like a symphony in perfect harmony – and you have vibrant health. But when one of these systems is off balance, the whole symphony is out of tune! When you need a “tune-up” so to speak, not only do you need to look at areas where you are experiencing symptoms, but you also need to see whether other systems in your body are part of the problem.
Sadly, all most patients receive are medications to treat symptoms associated with a body part that “isn’t working” – when all too often, it’s a systemic issue that needs to be treated in a completely different way.
In addition, the conventional medical approach doesn’t consider that each person is born with unique health needs.
Based on your genetic factors, the environment you were born into, what kinds of bacteria populate your gut, as well as what you've been exposed to as you grew – your body has a very unique health profile which means you need an equally unique healing protocol. In fact, we find with our patients that while they may share the same symptoms, they frequently suffer from very different underlying imbalances.
It’s no wonder people go from doctor to doctor and never find the answers to their illness!
Conventional medicine is missing the mark when it comes to effectively treating many chronic illnesses associated with aging and caused by environmental factors, diet, hormonal imbalances.
That’s why at Dr. Tracy McCarthy, we follow a modern functional medicine approach that is uniquely equipped to resolve chronic health issues once and for all... reducing the need for lifelong dependence on toxic or expensive prescription drugs. It incorporates advanced functional lab testing and relies on current nutritional science to help you rebalance and harness your body's ability to heal.
Since the founding of her practice, Dr. Tracy McCarthy and her team have helped patients regain health from life-altering conditions such as:
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Brain Symptoms (Depression and Anxiety, “Brain Fog”, Memory Issues)
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Autoimmune Conditions (IBD, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriasis, Hashimoto’s, Celiac, Type-1 Diabetes)
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Hormonal Imbalances (Thyroid conditions, PCOS, PMS, Hot Flashes, Painful Periods, Mood Swings)
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Metabolic Syndrome, Obesity & Dyslipidemia (Type 2 Diabetes, Prediabetes, High Blood Pressure, Fatty Liver, High Cholesterol)
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Energy Issues, Stress & Chronic Pain (Chronic Fatigue, Adrenal Issues, Fibromyalgia, Neuropathy)
Your Next Best Steps
Unlike conventional insurance-based medicine, we carefully evaluate a patient's case before we agree to take them on as a patient.
This is in the best interest of both you and our team, because we want to ensure we can truly help you restore vibrant health.
To get started, sign up for a discovery call with a member of our team, so we can evaluate whether partnering with us is the best next step for you.
