What to Expect in a Functional Medicine Appointment
It is a very familiar scenario: Visiting a conventional doctor, overworked and reckoning with brief time-slots, who is barely able to scratch the surface of your medical history and person. Also familiar is the running around consulting different specialists that rarely consult each other leading to massive confusion and wasted time. Many are told that their labs are normal but have the nagging sense that something “off” and are then told that it is “all in their head”. Sound familiar?
The conventional medical model focuses on the treatment of disease instead of the whole person. And while we are supposed to trust our doctors, the traditional authoritative approach ends up feeling like medical gaslighting.
Functional Medicine, by contrast, not only focuses on the person but the individual person. This means that every patient, even patients with the same pathology may receive different treatment protocols and recommendations. The beauty of Functional Medicine is, as a collaborative patient-centered model, you, the patient, will perform an active and engaged role. Because this philosophy is based on the knowledge that behavior can be one of the biggest contributors of disease, much of the medicine lies in changing the way you live and that gives you the power to change your health. It is not just a health journey but one where we explore and learn more about ourselves.
Because appointments are thorough they tend to run from 45-90 minutes.
An initial appointment will look like this…..
An overview of the Functional Medicine model and answering questions
A detailed health history intake and creating a timeline. You may share your health concerns and also discuss physical and psychological trauma that may have occurred in your life
If your appointment is in-person, a physical examination will be performed
Identifying your health goals
Review of tests offered and which ones are a fit for you
Introducing the concept of food as medicine and the other pillars of functional medicine: exercise, sleep, stress management, and relationships. Discussion of necessary behavioral changes to meet your health goals.
Review treatment protocols and follow-up care
Taking the Next Step
Set up an appointment to see if Functional Medicine is a fit for your health goals. I offer virtual one-on-one appointments. If you’re not yet ready to take the plunge, set up a free discovery call to learn more.