We use the term “functional nutrition” a lot around here, so you might be wondering what it’s all about?
Maybe you’ve heard it used online or by some health practitioners, but you have absolutely no idea what it means? Or why it's important for you?
Practicing "functionally" means that we’re not just chasing symptoms and masking or squelching them with a drug--the "WHAT". This relief doesn't last long!
Instead, we’re using tools to get to the heart of what’s really going on--addressing the "WHY" of your symptoms, so we can bring long-lasting and real resolution to the root causes of your symptoms.
The 3 main tenets of functional medicine are:
Functional medicine applies these tenets to the practice of medicine to treat a patient as a whole person. YES! I'm all for it! This is what medicine should be!
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BUT
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There is still a GAP in this model, and this is where a Functional Nutrition Counselor comes in.
While a Funtional Doctor honors the importance of diet and lifestyle modification, their training is not likely to allow them to focus on the nuances of those modifications. They are like the CEO that can provide high-level, overarching guidelines. They speak the language of physiology.
But YOU speak a different language--the language of HOW? You might be stuck down in the trenches and can't see what is possible or how to get there after you leave the doctor's office.
A Functional Nutrition Counselor (ME!) speaks BOTH languages and gets "in the trenches" with the client to uncover and modify the stuff you do EVERY DAY--your skills--which will enable you to shift the terrain in which your symptoms exist for long-term outcomes.
In essence, I speak the language physiology spoken by the CEO and translate it to "what's going on in there" with the client. And I apply the 3 main tenets to my practice to help YOU find your unique and individual plan for wellness.
"Dietary change is not a handout!" --Andrea Nakayama
Root Causes Resolution implies that there is likely more than one cause for what you are experiencing, which will require some detective work to figure out.
It is not an easy, quick-fix, "WHAT" protocol: what nutrient, diet, or drug is needed for this symptom or that one for instant relief.
If there was such a thing, you would have found it.
Instead, we will work together to get to the bottom of "what's really going on in there". It means we explore "WHY"?
And in order to find those roots we need to clear the muddy waters, so that we can see with more clarity.
It is crucial to understand the terrain in which your symptoms or diagnosis even exist, so we can effectively shift that terrain for long-term outcomes.
There is a WHY!
In order to truly practice Root Causes Resolution--we need to let go of seductive protocols, formulas, and templates in favor of solid systems and tools to help us uncover and explore.
Why? Because formulas are one-size-fits-all. And NO ONE is the same as another! Two people with the same symptoms, or even the same diagnosis, do not require the same remedies, because they arrived at their illness for differing reasons.
Functional Tools and Systems are designed to uncover new and important information to guide us to resolution.
In this way we practice with great success!
The therapeutic partnership is crucial to practicing functionally. It is everything! You are not your diagnosis, you are YOU.
It is where both you and I work together in an open, trusting, and collaborative way where compassion and empathy thrive.
That therapeutic partnership isn’t just about connection. It’s about trust, hope, and you feeling heard, and knowing that you are no longer in the weeds alone.
Through asking questions, testing and mapping the data in a way that honors your unique experience we create a trusting, therapeutic relationship that you can then apply to your relationship with your physician and elevate that experience and truly become your own healthcare CEO.