Have you been searching for a functional medicine physician? If so, you have probably been scouring the web and looking over the websites of various doctors and clinics. You have been doing your research so you can make an informed decision. The only problem is that you may not know what exactly it is you are looking for. What criteria are you using to make your decision?

Maybe you have been comparing credentials or how many years they have been practicing functional medicine? Have they been applying the concepts of functional medicine successfully for years in clinical practice or have they just been recently “certified” in functional medicine?

What does it take for a physician to bridge the enormous gap between what they were taught in school to being able to effectively practice functional medicine? I
can tell you, it takes years of additional study and clinical experience!

It does not matter if the physician is a medical doctor, naturopath, osteopath or chiropractor. None of us were taught functional medicine! In school, we spent most of our time learning how the various systems and organs of the body work and how to diagnose diseases. Then, depending on what type of school attended, we attempt to rid the body of disease. Medical doctors and osteopaths use drugs, naturopaths utilize diet and nutrition and chiropractors primarily adjust the spine. We are not taught how the various systems of the body influence one another and how to restore normal and healthy function to the body as a whole. The point I’m trying to make here is that no doctors leave school with an understanding of functional medicine.  There is a tremendous knowledge gap that needs to be filled; understanding health and disease and how the various systems and organs of the body work together to keep the body healthy.

Functional medicine is actually a specialty that requires a knowledge of how the various systems of the body work together and influence one another. One needs to “specialize” in the entire human body and how it functions as a whole organism.  Cardiologists specialize in the heart, endocrinologists in hormones, neurologists in the brain and nerves and chiropractors in the spine and nervous system. In order to practice functional medicine and get excellent results with patients, the doctor cannot be focused on a single system. One must have a good understanding of all the major systems and how they affect one another. Then learn how to actually improve the way they work and restore health!

In recent years, several different organizations have popped up that offer “certification” in functional medicine. This has been appealing to doctors that are new to this way of practicing and gives them a platform to start from. These same organizations also encourage consumers to only seek out physicians that have been trained and certified in their program. The only problem is that functional medicine is an extremely broad and complex field and it is not something that can be taught in a couple of years of part-time study. It takes years and years of intensive study and clinical experience utilizing functional medicine techniques to become a competent functional medicine physician. There are no shortcuts or special certifications that turn a doctor into a competent functional medicine practitioner.

It does not matter if the healthcare professional is medical doctor, naturopath, osteopath, nurse practitioner or chiropractor. The education

they receive in school is only the first step in becoming a skilled functional medicine healthcare professional.

I have been practicing functional medicine for over 16 years now (long before the term was coined and I am grateful that we now have a universally accepted term for this form of healthcare) and I can continue to study on a weekly basis and regularly attend seminars on new diagnostic and treatment protocols. The education and clinical process never ends and I absolutely love it!  There is always something new to learn about the human body and how it strives to maintain health and wellbeing.

If you are seeking the help of a functional medicine physician I would encourage you to select someone who has been actively practicing functional medicine for several years and has gained the necessary clinical experience required get good results. Again, doctors are not experts in functional medicine by getting “certified” by one these new institutions that have cropped up recently; but it is an excellent place to start for doctors that at new to the concepts of functional medicine. You also need to understand that naturopaths do not necessarily make better functional medicine doctors than medical doctors and vice versa. All doctors start out with different strengths and weaknesses based on their education and training; none are perfectly suited to practice functional medicine.

Naturopaths and some chiropractors have a distinct advantage over medical doctors when it comes to diet and nutrition but medical doctors typically have more training in diagnostic procedures. So there is no degree that makes one doctor more capable than another.  

A skilled functional medicine doctor, no matter their degree, has put in many years of additional study and research and has been applying these concepts to patients successfully on a daily basis in their practices.

If you would like more information about functional medicine or Dr. Sexton contact our office or visit our website.

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.