The late 19th and early 20th Centuries saw the emergence of the miracle of American Medicine. Through the breakthroughs of the emerging field of bacteriology, man, for the first time, was able to treat and prevent infectious diseases. Almost overnight, the leading causes of disability and death were brought under control. During this exciting era, The Johns Hopkins Hospital opened in 1889. Part of it’s charter was the bold concept of training doctors in the scientific method then applying evidence-based principles to research and academics.
This proven model of treating illness is still at the core of how we treat patients today. When you visit your primary care provider, the first thing he or she will often ask you is, “What is your chief complaint?” The irony is that this approach has actually promoted unhealthy lifestyles. For many of us afflicted with such conditions as type 2 diabetes, hypertension and heart disease, we passively control those afflictions with medications prescribed by our health care provider. In the process, we have forgone the active lifestyles of our forefathers that allowed them to lead healthy, vigorous lives.
The core tenet of integrative and functional medicine is to get you as an individual actively involved in your healthcare. Simply put, it aims to help you to become your own doctor. This is not eliminating the need for your primary care provider; but, enhancing that relationship by encouraging you to partner with him or her in planning your healthcare.
By embracing the 3 M’s (MIND, MEDICINE, & MOVEMENT) of wellness, you will feel better, be more active mentally and physically and you might even be able to reduce some of those prescribed medications. Integrative snd functional medicine are the natural evolution of medicine: Progressing from the treatment of disease to focusing on preventing them in the first place.
