This is part 2 of the article that discusses functional medicine and how you may benefit from it. In the first half of this article we looked at WHY your body may be malfunctioning and importance of determining what has caused your body to struggle and fail to maintain health. Now we will examine HOW normal function and optimum health can be restored utilizing functional medicine techniques and principals.

What does your body need to be healthy?

The single, most vital goal of your body is to maintain health and life. All of the various organs and systems of the body work together to keep the body as a whole

working properly and each of these organs and systems carry out vital, life-maintaining functions. For example, your brain and nerves receive and transmit information in your body; it tells your muscles to move, your gut to digest food, and lets you know when you are hungry or tired. Your liver and kidneys detoxify the body and your lungs bring oxygen into the body and eliminate carbon dioxide. The point being made here is that all of the various systems work together to keep you healthy and they all require certain things to function the way they should. So what do these systems need? Most of what the body needs to maintain health can be placed in one of two categories; diet and lifestyle.

How important is diet?

We all know diet is important, but most people don’t know why it is so important. Your diet consists of the food, liquids and nutrients that enter the body. Your diet provides the fuel and nutrients your body requires to carry out its essential functions. Fuel basically comes in 3 forms; protein, fats and carbohydrates. These forms of fuel also contain key nutrients like vitamins and minerals. Without a proper balance of fuel sources and sufficient nutrients, your simply cannot maintain health and vitality. The truth of the matter is that your diet can make you healthy or make you sick and there is not a single diet that works for all people. Diet analysis and modification is often an essential aspect of functional medicine treatment plans. In today’s society it is not uncommon to find people suffering from nutrient deficiencies or eating in a manner that is detrimental to their health and well being. Diagnostic testing is now available to help determine if particular foods are contributing to your health problem or if you are suffering from a nutrient deficiency. Most people have been eating the same way for many years and do not understand why their diet may now be a problem for them. The answer is that our bodies are always changing and our needs also change. For example, many of us were able to eat whatever we wanted to when we were in our 20’s and didn’t gain weight; yet if we ate that way in our 40’s or 50’s we would gain weight on a regular basis. Or maybe your immune system has gone through changes since having children and now foods that contain gluten are no longer tolerated by your body. Or the antacids you have been taking for the last 5 years have affected your body’s ability to break down proteins or absorb magnesium, calcium and iron. Our bodies are constantly changing and exposed to new stressors and as a results of “life” our dietary and nutrient needs often change. Failure to identify and address food and nutrient problems will make it almost impossible to become healthy once again.

Lifestyle

Diet could be considered part of your lifestyle but because it is so important we gave it its own category. The other aspects of lifestyle that must be considered with the functional medicine approach to healthcare include exercise and rest. As mentioned above, your body needs fuel and nutrients to work properly; it also needs sufficient exercise and rest in order to maintain health. Most people simply do not get enough physical activity….exercise. Everyone can benefit from regular exercise; it helps keep the brain and nervous system healthy, improves heart function, and maintains muscle mass among other benefits. Your body is a biological machine and it is designed to move and be active! Most people spend the majority of their day sitting or sleeping. Since we are talking about activity we should address its opposite; sleep. Many people not only do not get enough physical activity, they don’t get sufficient rest. Insomnia and unrefreshing sleep is a common problem in today’s society. While we sleep, our body should be repairing itself and recuperating.

Is it any wonder that so many people suffer from chronic health problems these days? We simply are not providing our bodies with what they need to be healthy. All too often we take our health for granted and fail to heed the warning signs our bodies provide. It is possible to improve your health and restore function once again.  Functional medicine can help you determine what your body needs to function properly once again.

If you would like more information about Dr. Sexton or Functional Medicine go to napervilleintegratedwellness.com

Do your own research, inform yourself and ask questions. Always consider the source when gathering information; there is no shortage of false, misleading and completely biased information in healthcare today; even from the most respected sources.