A Pharmacist ’ s Perspective on the Increasing Need for Functional Medicine
By Donna Barsky , PharmD
Throughout the decades of modern medicine , more and more medications have been developed to treat a large number of diseases and maladies . The more medications available , the harder it is to keep up with what medication is best for the patient . That is why most medical schools have developed a standard protocol for diagnosis . Unfortunately , these protocols do not always address the person as a whole or the underlying issue .
Therefore , if a patient is experiencing symptoms such as weight gain , insomnia or mood changes , that patient will be treated with medication X . They will then perhaps be given additional laboratory tests and be treated with yet another medication . This diagnosis has very little to do with what ’ s causing the issue , but everything to do with how to patch the problem and create a false sense of security . It rarely gets totally to the source of the problem . A new approach to diagnosing disease states and symptoms was greatly needed .
Our goal as functional medicine healthcare providers is to understand and fulfill the healthcare needs of patients from a “ functional ” perspective in concert with the patient ’ s physician . Functional medicine examines the underlying cause of a disease or set of symptoms and addresses the whole person , not just an isolated set of symptoms .
Functional medicine ’ s core principles involve spending time with patients , listening to histories and looking at the interactions among genetic , environmental , and lifestyle factors that can influence long-term health and complex chronic disease states . In this way , functional medicine supports the unique expression of health and vitality for each individual .
As a result of stressful environmental factors , the ever-depleting nutritional value of foods , and the “ one size fits all ” medication approach , our society is experiencing a sharp rise of negative effects on their bodies such as nutritional depletions , auto-immune disorders , obesity , diabetes , fatigue , allergies , heart disease , cancer and mental illness , just to name a few . Because of this , there is a great need to make changes in how we approach healthcare and the medicines we put into our bodies .
Not only are countless practitioners embracing the rapidly growing demand for functional medicine and alternative treatment options , but there is an ever-evolving wave of patients who are no longer accepting the “ patch it up and keep going ” approach . These patients want to focus on the underlying cause of their condition , not just covering up the symptoms with medications that can have negative side effects . By focusing on the underlying cause of symptoms , more personalized and holistic ( whole body ) solutions can be prescribed .
44 TEXOMA AREA Living Well Magazine | MAY / JUNE 2018