How Can Functional Medicine Help?
With functional medicine, we can help to restore normal body function. Not only are your symptoms relieved, but we can halt and reverse the progression of life-threatening diseases, such as arthritis, diabetes, fibromyalgia, auto-immune diseases, heart diseases, osteoporosis and many other chronic degenerative illnesses.
We go deeper than just considering which drug or herb to use to treat a symptom. Practitioners who practise functional diagnostic medicine give serious thought to identifying the physiological issues that have led to your failed health.
Getting Started
Prior to your consultation, you fill out a digital questionnaire (paper form available on request) to allow us to prepare for our meeting. The questionnaire includes questions about your diet, health and current medication. The information is analysed before meeting with your doctor.
FIRST CONSULTATION – 60-75 MINUTES
- We discuss your medical history and assess current symptoms. BIA and biometric parameters will be taken. When appropriate, laboratory or genetic tests may be recommended.
- Your medical history, current health and personal goals form the basis of your personal programme.
- Onsite blood and urine spot tests are available for immediate feedback.
- Onsite phlebotomy services and the latest laboratory tests are accessible through the functional medicine practitioner.
Digital Feedback
When you become a Irrefutable Health practice member, we will follow your recovery by tracking your scores of BIA (bioelectrical impedance analysis – an internal cell counter and compartment measuring system), appropriate outcome measures and other anthropometric and health measures. We can then give you 24/7 digital access to your scores and summaries reflecting and quantifying your improvement.
- Progress is tracked by biometric measure and BIA testing (15 to 60 minutes, case-dependent)
Blood, urine and other testing and assessment methods
Evaluations and test selection are driven by your needs (your presentation and goals will dictate the approach selected).
Tests and assessment tools are selected and assigned to confirm or differentiate an impression in any number of areas. These include the structural integrity of your cell membranes to your body’s frame, toxin exposure, detoxification or biotransformation abilities for toxin and metabolic by-product clearing, hormone or neurotransmitter regulation, immune communication, neuro-function, inflammatory predilection and processes, gut reactivity and complexity of your microbiome, gut function, absorption of nutrients, elimination of waste or evidence of an infection. These processes, in turn, and the impact your energy regulation or mitochondrial function, which influences your healing process.
Your presentation and goals will dictate which environmental area is brought to the forefront: your sleep and relaxation, exercise and movement patterns, your history of exposure to physical trauma, pollutants and micro-organisms and hydration and nutritional intake. These factors support good function or throw you out of balance. In addition, we are prepared to look to your mental, emotional and spiritual influences.
For further information, contact us today!
SECOND CONSULTATION – 30 MINUTES (WITHIN THE MONTH) and SUBSEQUENT CONSULTATIONS – 30 MINUTES (MAXIMUM 3 MONTH INTERVAL)
Booking of two consultations at a go may be necessary for the more complex cases.
- We will continually review your goals and time frames.
- Laboratory tests or further tests when scheduled, will be ordered or analysed and the results made available and discussed with you. Our approach is very patient-centred. You will need to gain an understanding of what has been found and what your role is in changing your health issue. A laboratory test is simply a yardstick to measure the performance of your body in a particular area. To get a different number you will need to live differently. We will define this for you.
- A personalised plan of whole food consumption will be recommended and in some cases an additional course of products and/or supplements if this will speed up your arrival to where you need to be. Your genetic code will make certain foods more digestible/advantageous or not. We will demystify this – ‘who are you from the inside of your cells?’
- A discussion will take place for the implementation of a whole-food nutrition food plan. Each of the anti-inflammatory or specific and very approachable food plans can be tasted (taste-driven) at The Willow, our sister organisation and a gastronomic health pub. If food is your fuel and you have perhaps messed up your mitochondrial engine up, then you had better be ready to consider a different kind of fuel – one determined to fit your genetic make-up. We will give you this information and track your journey to wellness.
- Lifestyle, food knowledge and coaching sessions will most likely be recommended. Most of the lifestyle coaching will be done in a group setting as it is a fact that accountability partners play an important role in helping you to maintain your resolve. They also bring in elements of fun and maybe a little soft competition or wagers, where warranted.
- Exercise and movement are important. If it is determined that you are deficient in this area, a referral to the chiropractic or podiatry sections of care will be recommended.
Your Individualised Programme
Functional medicine practitioners span from the nutritionist to the general practitioner (GP), and all are uniquely trained in addition to their underpinning specialty or degree. They have the ability to look at you in your entirety, in a holistic fashion, to determine what went wrong when and where, and devise a plan to bring you back to a better place. Each are trained to develop personalised, safe and effective nutrition and lifestyle programmes. With these, you can identify the best points of leverage needed to affect a change in your system to promote your health and vitality and lift your peak performance by giving you an individualised step-by-step program to address any chronic issues or conditions. Our goal for you is to support you and ultimately enhance your health and wellbeing. Follow-up consultations are generally set at four-week intervals to monitor progress make adjustments. Your selected time frame is dependent on your situation and your goals.
We seek to assist you to reach your goals. You will be given an individualised program which will inform you why you have your current issues (your antecedents, triggers and mediators will be presented). Your programme is the answer to what can be done. Steps towards a genetically integrated nutritional intake (quantity, quality, food sensitivities, nutrient imbalances, deficiencies, toxicities discussed). Additionally, we’ll discuss what needs to be different so you can maintain your health. Your programme will develop and unfold the steps required to correct any infection or disturbance of gut flora and any lifestyle choice that need to be considered – there is a large element of learning to take place here which will be address largely by the educational hub Bluesky Connexions (BSC).
BSC Community Classes
Individually or through BSC, we will suggest ways to reduce your stress, select the most appropriate exercise, improve your resilience, deepen relationships, improve your networks and change your lifestyle – all things that are tough to maintain alone. It is so easy to gravitate back to what you did before.
OUR SOLUTION?
– we have a team.
You will be invited to participate in the BLUESKY CONNEXIONS events, block classes, teaching or coaching sessions most specific to your issues. You do not have to figure out all of this alone. People in communities get well AND, more importantly, stay well. We support each other, and someone will be there if your resolve weakens. Undoubtedly, lifestyle change is done best in the company of others.
Specific invitations to classes integral to your care will be sent to you through your Practice Member Porthole. You will be strongly advised to confirm and attend these sessions. A seat will be held for you until the initial session. All other events and their availability will be listed on the BSC website, and you are encouraged to sign up to attend those that you find interesting or invite others to attend these events or sign up and come with you to your specific invitational classes. (link to BSC event calendar)
