Functional Medicine Doctor in London & Kingston
Getting to the Root Cause of YOUR Symptoms
Functional Medicine is a root cause analysis style of medical practice. Functional Medicine starts with taking a detailed history of YOU up to the present day. Our Functional Medicine Doctors are looking for the bigger picture, the pattern in the systems of your body that explain the symptoms that YOU are feeling, not an “average” patient. A Functional Medicine Doctor will look at a combination of your lifestyle, diet, movement, sleep, relaxation and any medical diagnoses you have so far and use their years of training to develop a hypothesis, a starting idea, of the root cause of your symptoms. You then effectively have two options:
“Guess or Test”
“Guessing” is to immediately follow the recommendations for the hypothesis that best explains your symptoms and monitor your progress. A Functional Medicine Doctor may suggest this as the best option for you if the cost of “Test” is too high. “Guess” is slower, less accurate, but less expensive. “Test” offers the benefit of knowing for certain from an accredited laboratory that you have tested positive for factor(s) which explains your symptoms. Testing can take the form of genetic testing, biomarker testing, autoimmune marker testing, allergy testing or environmental testing of your home for instance. Tests can range from tens of pounds to thousands of pounds; the role of your Functional Medicine practitioner is to advise you, within a budget you agree, which test(s) (from thousands) are most helpful to develop confirm or rule out the hypothesis that explains the root cause of your symptoms. With a confirmed hypothesis the Functional Medicine Doctor can be even more confident in providing you with personalised medicine recommendation(s) that are specific to YOUR needs.
Functional Medicine is applicable to a range of health conditions and medical diagnoses, including diabetes, autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto’s/underactive thyroid, coeliac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, chronic digestive issues including IBS & IBD, hormonal imbalance and fatigue, ME and CFS.
Functional Medicine is:
- Personalised Medicine – Everything we do for and with you is specific and individual to you and your needs. Your tailored program is designed for YOU.
- Predictive – We can give you intelligent risks assessment numbers (environmental/occupational) which predict the likelihood of certain outcomes if you do not live within your genetically defined parameters. We can give you specific information on risk reduction.
- Preventative – we can help you reach your peak performance, improve your general wellbeing and develop your anti-aging programme.
- Participatory – you will need to learn, participate and change unsupportive lifestyle choices which are frequently learned from your family.
The Increasing Understanding of Epigenetics…
Epigenetics is the growing body of evidence that the expression of your genes is strongly influenced by environmental factors. Everything in your lifestyle affects the systems of your body. Our Functional Medicine Practitioners are practical advocates of epigenetics and helping you get the best from your genes. They will help guide you to understand whether you’re driving your body to health or away from health, and help you make decisions that benefit you. Our Functional Medicine Practitioners help you take a look at diet, exercise, life cells, stress patterns and all the things that will help you naturally address the underlying issues that you face.
We’ll look and see if you have genetic issues through specialised testing so you can better understand your genetic code. Understanding your genetic background will help you better navigate your dietary choices.
Wellness exams also are offered and include a comprehensive assessment of body systems, screening physical exams and additional personalised screenings tailored to your health goals, risk concern and perceived needs.
To Us, Food Is Medicine.
Inside of our bodies, we have incredible digestive mechanisms that keep us functioning properly and digesting only what we should be. Our goal is to help you identify what you need to do to best enjoy your blue zone.
If you begin to mismatch your diet, you start to interrupt digestive enzymes and loosen the cells that are built up to maintain your digestive system. By eating things that are abusive to your digestive system, you’ll notice the way you feel is a parallel reaction and in this case, you’ll slowly feel worse or have cyclical episodes which ramp up.
Your digestion should be consistent and normal; outside of that, it’s a sign that something is wrong with your body’s digestive system or how your diet and lifestyle are affecting you. We’ll individualise your diet, hydration needs, exercise, and stress relief to address your unique genetic needs.
Visit our practice today to learn how we can help you change your life! Contact Irrefutable Health today.
