What is Functional Medicine?
Most people understand the routine when visiting with a healthcare provider. The doctor diagnoses a patient’s condition, prescribes a treatment course aiming to alleviate symptoms, and then sends the patient on their way. However, a modern approach to medicine goes beyond this traditional approach to Western-style healthcare.
A functional medicine doctor in Miami like Dr. Faride Ramos approaches healthcare by setting a goal to determine the precise cause of what contributes to the patient’s health concerns. This approach is what we call functional medicine, and continues to grow in popularity as patients seek more profound answers regarding their overall health and well-being.
Functional medicine takes a biology-based approach aiming to identify and address the root cause of disease. Each symptom or differential diagnosis may serve as one of many that contribute to a patient’s illness.
For example, diagnosis can represent the result of more than a singular cause. Depression may stem from various factors including inflammation. Similarly, a causational symptom like inflammation can result in a variety of different diagnoses that may include depression.
The precise manifestation of symptoms can depend on an individual patient’s genes, environment, and lifestyle choices. A functional medicine doctor in Miami will aim to address the right cause with lasting benefits beyond suppressing symptoms.
How Does Functional Medicine Work?
Functional medicine serves as 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” according to the Institute for Functional Medicine.
This means that a functional medicine doctor in Miami remains interesting more in understanding a patient’s whole health, as opposed to treating symptoms only to have patients return with different albeit related problems in a matter of weeks or months.
A provider like Dr. Faride Ramos commits to functional medicine, believing in a patient’s intrinsic capacity for healing, making it a paramount focus to uncover what prevents healing from taking place.
Understanding that symptoms represent simply a starting point for what takes place with a patient’s condition is the job of a functional medicine doctor in Miami to identify the upstream cause of these symptoms while treating the condition. This helps to avoid chasing symptoms as opposed to the root cause of a condition.
Patients should expect to spend more time with a functional medicine provider than they typically would, especially during their first few visits. Patients will describe various aspects of their lifestyle choices in detail. This helps the provider understand the way a patient lives to determine what may influence how they feel.
Working with Conventional Medicine
Functional medicine may take a different approach, however, this doesn’t mean it ignores the value of traditional, Western medicine. Instead, a functional medicine doctor in Miami will see the two practices as compatriots that play an essential role in treating a patient’s medical ailments.
Healthcare providers don’t intend for functional medicine to treat acute issues like heart attacks or fractures. This is where conventional Western medicine optimally addresses issues. Conventional medicine additionally remains critical in appreciating how the body works.
Nonetheless, when it comes to preventing health problems and addressing chronic concerns, functional medicine approaches the situation through an expanded lens, augmenting conventional treatment while offering patients enhanced insights.
A functional medicine doctor in Miami will apply the latest research in a way that brings about dramatic improvements to patients that often experience previous unsuccessful treatments. Part of this advance stems from looking at things in new ways and determining unifying factors at the cellular and systemic levels that underlie organism-wide problems.
Functional Medicine Doctor in Miami | Dr. Faride Ramos
Dr. Faride Ramos takes pride as a crucial resource for functional medicine within the South Florida community. From the moment patients sit down with our team, they will understand that we take a no-nonsense approach to functional medicine, working hard to aid patients in addressing and treating chronic issues. Dr. Faride Ramos can help you reclaim your health and life, especially for those long struggling with weight and overall wellbeing.
Many patients understand that something isn’t right with their health and wellness for some time. Unfortunately, despite a significant number of medical visits and approaches, they just can’t seem to experience preeminent wellness.
Through our functional medicine doctor in Miami and a comprehensive approach to care, Dr. Faride Ramos and the team can address your medical concerns to great success. To learn more about how functional medicine can help you, reach out to our team today for more information.