Functional Medicine is a systems biology–based approach that focuses on identifying and addressing the root cause of disease. Each symptom or differential diagnosis may be one of many contributing to an individual’s illness. The patient’s ‘story’ is a key tool for integrating diagnosis, signs and symptoms, and evidence of clinical imbalances into a comprehensive approach to improve both the patient’s environmental inputs and his or her physiological function.

The Institute for Functional Medicine teaches health care professional’s how to apply these principles in practice through an intensive training course called Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice™.

I attended and completed the inaugural AFMCP™-UK training in London in 2011 and continuing to work towards completing all IFM modules to complete my training.

I incorporate the principles of functional medicine with my other skills in my practice along with functional testing if I feel we need more information of what is happening within the interconnected systems of the body.  

Popular testing that I advise are varied but generally –

Complete Hormone tests.

Adrenal & Thyroid function.

Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis

SIBO – small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.

Genomic profiles – particularly detoxification

Vitamin D

Oestrogen Metabolism

Bone Resorption

Food sensitivities

Gluten testing

Toxin profiles and more 

Functional medicine addresses the underlying causes of disease, using a systems-oriented approach and engaging both patient and practitioner in a therapeutic partnership. It is an evolution in the practice of medicine that better addresses the healthcare needs of the 21st century.

By shifting the traditional disease-centered focus of medical practice to a more patient-centered approach, functional medicine addresses the whole person, not just an isolated set of symptoms. Functional medicine practitioners spend time with their patients, listening to their histories and looking at the interactions among genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that can influence long-term health and complex, chronic disease. In this way, functional medicine supports the unique expression of health and vitality for each individual. (institute of functional medicine).