If you’re lost on the whole conventional medicine vs functional medicine topic that’s recently been growing in popularity. Not to worry you’re not alone. In today’s post, we are going to cover a quick rundown of the two and how they differ from each other.
If you’re from the States you most likely have received conventional medical care not knowing it was conventional medicine. Since it’s the traditional health care you would receive living in the United States and the Western world being it’s the most common. For example going to a doctor’s office, therapist, hospital, etc are all places you would receive conventional medical care. In the United States, conventional medicine is primarily taught in medical school.
So what is Conventional medicine?
Western medicine also known as conventional medicine, allopathic medicine, and also traditional medicine is a system in which medical professionals treat symptoms/ diseases using pharmaceutical drugs, surgery, etc.
Examples of Conventional medicine:
- Surgical procedures
- Over-the-counter medication
- Blood test
- Prescription medication
- X-rays
- Urine test
- Chemotherapy
Goals of Conventional medicine
- Diagnose the disease
- Relieve symptoms of the disease
- Improve the quality of life
- Stop disease progression
- Prevent the spread of disease
- Cure disease (if possible)
What is Functional medicine?
Functional medicine is an alternative medical system that is biology-based care focusing on individualized and patient-centered care to get to the root cause of disease. Functional medicine looks at the body as a whole trying to find the “why” of what is causing the illness.
Other names for functional medicine
- Holistic medicine
- Alternative medicine
- Unconventional medicine
- Integrative medicine
- Natural medicine
Functional medicine doctors spend more time with patients looking into lifestyle factors while they investigate the root cause. Since it’s a patient-centered and individualized system of care. For example, questions a functional medicine doctor may ask are:
- Sleep pattern
- Stress management
- Diet
- Environment (toxin exposure)
- Genetics (family history)
- Exercise habits
- Emotional well being
From there a treatment plan that is personalized to each patient is put into place. Progress is tracked and changes are made to the treatment plan as needed. Below I will list examples of treatments from a functional medicine doctor.
Functional medicine treatment/testing examples:
- Specialized blood test
- Food sensitivity testing
- Gut bacteria testing
- Hormone level testing
- Toxin level testing
- Yoga
- Acupuncture
- Using food as medicine
Functional medicine goals
- asses root cause of illness
- Make sustainable lifestyle changes that lead to a healthier life
- Personalized treatment plans
- Achieve all-around health
The differences between functional medicine and conventional medicine are pretty clear. Before we go I thought I would add one side-by-side difference so it is extra clear. Functional medicine focuses on healing the root cause of illness while conventional medicine treats symptoms of an illness. With one you’re looking to heal and with the other your lessening symptoms.
Functional medicine also provides personalized care digging deep into each individual’s medical history, lifestyle, etc. While conventional medicine tends to be a one size fits all shoe.