If you are reading this article then you have probably heard of functional medicine and might even know the basics of how it is applied to restore health and prevent chronic health issues. Even if you have not heard of the term functional medicine you are probably looking for an alternative solution to traditional healthcare and a more natural or integrative approach. You might be in the position where you want to explore the benefits of a more natural approach but feel conflicted about moving forward with it.

You may be uncertain about seeking a non-traditional approach; maybe because your  doctor does not practice this way or worse yet, you have been “advised” by your doctor that changing your diet, nutrition and lifestyle probably won’t help you much (or at all) with your current health issue. These indirect or direct influences from an authority figure can have a tremendous impact on our basic reasoning skills. It can cause us to doubt simple concepts we know to be true; that lifestyle does have an impact on our health. Unfortunately, most of us do not question authority or we don’t take it one step further and ask; “is this person really an authority on this particular subject?” Many people consider their doctors to be the authority when it comes to their health. While it is probably true that your doctor knows a great deal about certain diseases and the treatment of such diseases with medication; it does not mean they are the authority when it comes to your health and restoring it. Most doctors are very good at reducing the effects of disease or the symptoms of disease but not necessarily at providing accurate information when it comes to reversing chronic disease and restoring health through lifestyle choices.

How many detailed conversations have you had with your doctor about diet, nutrition and lifestyle?

Has your doctor discussed the following with you?

• The consequences of poor digestive health on your overall health

• What should and should not be part of your diet and why  

• Which nutritional supplements may benefit you and why

• How you might be able to reduce or eliminate medications through appropriate lifestyle changes

• The effects of chronic inflammation and how this relates to heart disease and stroke

These are just a few conversations that would be very helpful to someone who wants to take more responsibility for their health and become less dependent on their doctor and medications.

I’m guess that most of you have NOT had conversations like this with your primary care doctor or specialist. Now why do you suppose that is? Is it because they just don’t want to help you? I don’t believe that is the reason; instead it comes down to something more fundamental.

The two primary reasons these conversations do not occur:

#1 they don’t have the time for such conversations.

#2 they do not have the training or clinical experience to have these conversations.   

We would all like to think that our doctors are the authority when it comes to health and wellness; but unfortunately this is rarely the case.

Why would we assume this? Because they are doctors right? The only problem is that most doctors are not trained in functional medicine or diet or nutrition. According to U.S. News most medical schools offer only 19.6 hours of nutrition education over 4 years of medical school. And a 2016 study conducted by the International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health tested the basic nutritional knowledge of fourth year medical school graduates entering pediatric residency programs and found that on average the interns answered only 52% of the 18 questions correctly.

The reason I bring up these kinds of statics is not to diminish a doctor’s standard education in any way, but to point out the truth regarding the level of training and knowledge most doctors possess when it comes to diet and nutrition. You acquire a similar education on nutrition from a single weekend seminar. The point is that many doctors are not suitably trained in diet, nutrition and lifestyle medicine unless they have pursued additional training in these subjects.

So this takes us back to the subject of “authority” and who is a reliable source of information. Just because someone is a doctor it does not make them a good source of information let alone an authority on the subject restoring your health through diet, nutrition and lifestyle.

Unfortunately, I have seen countless patients who have been told by their doctors and specialists that diet and nutrition would have little if any impact on their health condition. As a result of such “advice” the patient simply turned off their own thinking and logic and blindly accepted this as the truth. I think that we could all agree that diet, nutrition and lifestyle do have an impact on our health…how could it not? You don’t need a doctor to verify this fundamental fact.

The message I hope you get from this article is that it is easy to assume someone is an authority on a particular subject when in fact they are not. Unfortunately, many people who hold positions of authority in our society find it difficult to say three simple words; “I don’t know” but instead feel compelled to offer up an opinion that is not based on education, training or experience.

If you are seeking accurate information on a particular subject then seek the advice of an authority, an expert, in that field. You would not call your dentist if you have low back pain and you would not go to your eye doctor for a bladder infection. If you want advice on diet, nutrition, lifestyle and how to restore health, see a doctor who is trained that field.

If you would like more information about functional medicine or Dr. Sexton go to napervilleintegratedwellness.com or contact our Naperville office to learn more.

Do your own research, inform yourself and ask lots of questions. When collecting information you MUST consider the source. There is no shortage of false, misleading, outdated, profit-driven and utterly biased information in healthcare today; even from the most respected sources.