What is Functional Medicine?

Functional medicine is a type of whole-person care aiming to address the underlying causes of disease instead of its symptoms. This medicinal focus is quickly growing as a holistic approach to diagnosing and treating disease. Functional medicine specialists analyze how a patient’s body responds to stressors like toxins, pathogens, and nutrients to identify unbalanced biological processes. This helps them understand why some people are more likely to get a specific disease.

Functional medicine additionally helps a specialist to identify potential triggers for chronic conditions, enabling patients to make necessary changes before they become symptomatic or develop secondary complications from an illness.

As a result, patients can experience a practice that restores individual health by addressing underlying causes instead of treating symptoms. Most treatments will include an evaluation of different lifestyle habits and factors and a patient’s genetic predisposition to determine the specific factors that impact their health.

Functional medicine remains rooted in science and depends on clinical testing, a patient’s history, and a doctor’s medical intuition. The approach helps to identify weaknesses in the body. It’s about addressing how the body functions over what simply appears wrong with a patient.

A functional approach from a qualified specialist like our physician Dr. Faride Ramos, M.D. uses clinical measures, diagnostic testing, and patient history to comprehensively understand the specific mechanisms that may lead to disease in each patient. Our practice additionally takes environmental exposures, unique biochemistry, and an individual’s unique genetic risk factors into account, enabling specialists to address disease from multiple angles.

The Benefits of Functional Medicine in Miami from Dr. Faride Ramos, M.D.

One of the most significant benefits of functional medicine practice is the differentiation between functional medicine and conventional treatment. Functional medicine is not symptom-based. 

Practitioners put in the time and work to understand the underlying cause of a patient’s illness and treat the disease at its source instead of combatting symptoms.

In most cases, this empowers patients to take charge of their health with a basic understanding of the root causes of illness and the ways or reasons they are receiving treatment in a particular way. It helps patients to make informed choices regarding their care.

Functional medicine helps patients to take an active role in their care, especially helpful for patients suffering from chronic illnesses that have been difficult to treat in traditional care settings.

How is This Treatment Approach Different From Conventional Healthcare?

Functional medicine and conventional medicine both remain rooted in science. However, they both provide distinct differences. Functional medicine practitioners take genetic risks and the environment into account while conventional approaches treat patients based on an average outcome.

For example, when testing shows a patient has high cholesterol, conventional specialists may prescribe a cholesterol-lowering medication. Nevertheless, the patient’s cholesterol may reside just above the normal range but continues to increase as a result of a genetic predisposition. Conventional medicine may recommend prescribing medication in this instance based on a patient’s current cholesterol level as opposed to a potential outcome.

Treating Conditions with Functional Medicine and Dr. Faride Ramos, M.D.

One of the best benefits of functional medicine care from Dr. Faride Ramos, M.D. is that the approach can be used to treat a wide range of conditions. Practitioners receive specialized training that encourages flexibility in the approach based on the specific needs of each patient.

Simply because functional medicine encourages customization, it remains effective to treat chronic conditions like:

• Autoimmune Disorders – The body essentially attacks itself, leading to numerous debilitating health situations. A functional medicine approach can help stop autoimmune disorders from progressing, possibly reversing them in some instances. Because autoimmune disorders may result due to numerous factors, effective treatments vary from patient to patient.
• Thyroid Disorders – This condition can range from mild to debilitating. Functional medicine practice can help address thyroid issues originating from a variety of different factors.

Overall, functional medicine practice serves as an ideal option for any individual interested in the highest-quality, personalized care. This remains the ideal choice for patients who deal with undiagnosed or misdiagnosed conditions or suffer from chronic illnesses that remain difficult to treat.

Dr. Faride Ramos, M.D. takes pride in assisting individuals in Miami and the South Florida community with their healthcare by utilizing the functional medicine approach. To learn more about functional medicine and various other services offered by our team, reach out to us today for more information!