Functional medicine is a personalized style of medicine that is characterized by an approach to chronic medical conditions that seeks to find the core imbalances or underlying causes rather than just treat the symptoms.
Functional medicine is grounded in the following principles:
- Biochemical individuality describes the importance of individual variations in metabolic function that derive from genetic and environmental differences among individuals.(1)
- Patient-centered medicine emphasizes “patient care” rather than “disease care,” following Sir William Osler’s admonition that, “It is more important to know what patient has the disease than to know what disease the patient has.”
- Dynamic balance of internal and external factors.
- Web-like interconnections of physiological factors. An abundance of research now supports the view that the human body functions as an orchestrated network of interconnected systems, rather than individual systems functioning autonomously and without effect on each other. For example, we now know that immunological dysfunctions can promote cardiovascular disease, that dietary imbalances can cause hormonal disturbances, and that environmental exposures can precipitate neurologic syndromes such as Parkinson’s disease.
- Health as a positive vitality, not merely the absence of disease.
- Promotion of organ reserve as the means to enhance health span.
(1) Excerpt from “What is Functional Medicine?” The Institute for Functional Medicine, accessed on July 1, 2010 at www.functionalmedicine.corg
The functional medicine approach can help find a solution to problems that other doctors either cannot figure out, or are simply prescribing medications to treat the symptoms. Dr. Pedre has been able to help patients heal from such conditions as irritable bowel syndrome, chronic headaches or migraines, and fatigue using functional medicine principles. He has tackled cases that even specialists were not able to figure out. Thus, although he is a primary care provider, often patients come to see Dr. Pedre for a second opinion on a condition they have already consulted other doctors about. You don’t have to set up a separate appointment with Dr. Pedre for a functional medicine consultation. He applies the principles of functional medicine when appropriate, integrating and understanding the nuances of the Western approach, acupuncture, and functional medicine all together. This is why his approach to medicine is unique.
