What is Integrative Functional Medicine?

 

Integrative functional medicine focuses on addressing the underlying or root cause of chronic disease in an individual patient by considering the entire person, including their environment, genetics, and lifestyle variables. It's a departure from traditional illness-centered treatment, focusing instead on rebalancing the patient's own physiologic systems to aid or minimize sickness.

What Is Integrative Functional Medicine and How Does It Work?

Functional nutrition aims to enhance cellular repair and restoration by utilizing the body's inherent mechanisms. To nudge the body's physiology back on a restorative road toward optimal health, it employs a combination of lifestyle changes, exercise, stress management, vitamins, and medicines.

In order to manage you, your practitioner will need to know a lot about you. Integrative functional medicine aims to treat the individual as a whole, than simply the pain, disease, or symptoms. The following are some of the benefits of integrative functional medicine treatment:

• To have a thorough discussion with their practitioner about their lives, lifestyle, pain or discomforts, impairments, addictions, home and work surroundings, relationships, diets, levels of activity, pressures, and so on.
• To have your practitioner perform a thorough examination to see whether any component of your ailment reveals itself in bodily symptoms. These might be indicators of what's going on inside.
• To be requested to contribute body fluids or genetic samples, as they may provide information that may be utilized to establish how much genetics plays a part in your health.
• To be requested to submit to X-Rays or MRIs in order to learn more about what is wrong with your bones, joints, and other tissues.

Take care of the underlying issues.

Rather of focusing merely on managing the symptoms of chronic disease, integrative functional medicine aims to mend the disease's underlying causes (see table below), allowing the body's natural restoring mechanisms to take care of the problem.

Any Chronic Illness...

• Arthritis
• Auto-resistance Disease (AID
• Diabetes
• Heart Problems
• Obesity

May Include a Mixture of These Underlying Causes...

• Unbalanced detoxification
• Disturbances in digestion, absorption, and microbiology
• Unbalanced hormones
• Health dysregulation
• Unbalanced inflammatory response
• Mitochondrial dysfunction is a condition in which the mitochondria fail to operate properly.
• Unbalances in the structure
• Toxic chemical poisoning
• Emotions that are toxic (causing stress)

Integrative Functional Medicine's 6 Fundamental Principles

1. An knowledge of each human being's biochemical individuality, based on principles of genetic and environmental uniqueness;
2. Knowledge of the data that supports a patient-centered approach to therapy than a disease-centered approach;
3. Find a dynamic equilibrium between your internal and exterior body, mind, and spirit.
4. Internal physiological factor interconnections;
5. Identification of health as a positive vitality, not only the absence of sickness, and a focus on variables that promote the development of a robust physiology;
6. Promotion of organ reserve as a strategy of improving each patient's health span, not simply their life duration.

The blog post "What is Integrative Functional Medicine?" was published first on Ritten House Square

An Integrative Functional Medicine Approach: 5 Tests You Should Request

 

When it comes to multidisciplinary rehabilitation, integrative functional medicine is making waves and bringing to light a number of concerns that have previously escaped the notice of traditional medicine. This is because integrative functional medicine focuses on the underlying imbalances or dysfunctions of the body's basic systems than a diagnosis. Its goal is to identify the fundamental reasons and then aid in the enhancement of natural restoring processes to combat them.

With integrative functional medicine, chronic illnesses (allergies, digestive, hormonal, metabolic, and neurological issues) have made significant improvement. And there is one area in particular where integrative functional medicine has benefited and must continue to benefit: the obesity pandemic. "This is a term that spans the complete range of insulin resistance, including pre-diabetes, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome." It affects half of the country, yet most individuals are unaware that they have it.

The difficulty is that most integrative functional medicine practices are not covered by health insurance, thus the great majority of Americans are unable to benefit from this much-needed patient-centered approach. However, there is some good news: if you have a solid connection with your primary care doctor, you may work together to obtain the tests you need to take a more holistic approach to your health. Here are the most four things to have your doctor test for if you're looking for something outside of the box:

1. Insulin levels are high.

Only a glucose tolerance test is usually used to assess for insulin resistance. Unfortunately, by the time your blood sugar rises to the point where this test detects a problem, you're already diabetic. Both an insulin resistance test and a hemoglobin A1c test are recommended.

Insulin resistance test: To detect insulin resistance before it progresses to this point, you'll need an insulin response test to determine if you're one of the two individuals in the world who has diabetes. Insulin levels should be checked while abstaining and then again after ingesting a 75-gram glucose drink at one- and two-hour intervals. Totally revolting; it tastes awful and sends you insane for hours, followed by a massive sugar crash.

Abstaining blood sugar should be less than 80 mg/dl, and after one and two hours, it should be less than 110 mg/dl. Abstaining insulin levels should be between 2 and 5 mlU/dl; anything higher than 10 mlU/dl is considered abnormally high. Insulin levels should be less than 30 mlU/dl after one and two hours. Insulin resistance is defined as a level of blood sugar that is greater than normal.

Hemoglobin A1c test: To get a thorough picture of your overall blood sugar, you'll need more than one blood sugar testing. If your blood sugar has been elevated for the preceding six weeks, the hemoglobin A1c test (also known as glycosylated hemoglobin) may tell you. It should be used to check the equilibrium of blood sugar.

This test should result in a hemoglobin A1c level of less than 5.5 percent of total hemoglobin. Anything above 6.0 indicates diabetes, while anything above 7.0 indicates poorly managed diabetes.

2. Cholesterol in the Blood

The traditional approach to managing cholesterol was to use statins to reduce LDL. However, we now know that LDL is a poor predictor of heart disease. There are other tests and outcomes to consider, the best of which is your triglyceride to HDL ratio. It's not uncommon to have normal LDL and total cholesterol levels but extremely high triglycerides and low HDL. Diabesity is strongly predicted by this factor. And it puts you at a higher risk of having a heart attack. Even knowing the amounts of HDL, LDL, and triglycerides, however, does not provide us with all of the information. To really understand what's going on, we need to know the sizes of all those particles.

When it comes to HDL, LDL, and triglycerides, it's critical to look at particle size as well as number. Small, dense particles are far less harmful than large, airy ones. But what is the source of these deadly cholesterol specks? Sugar and processed carbohydrates are both bad for you. Insulin resistance towards to the formation of thick cholesterol particles, which is why this test is so important for determining insulin resistance and cardiovascular risk.

Total cholesterol should be less than 180 mg/dl, LDL cholesterol should be less than 70 mg/dl, HDL cholesterol should be less than 60 mg/dl, triglycerides should be less than 100 mg/dl, the total cholesterol/HDL ratio should be 3.0, the triglyceride to HDL ratio should be less than 4.0, and there should be fewer than 1,000 total LDL particles and 500 small LDL particles.

3. Thyroid health

Thyroid disorders are frequently associated with diabetes. Unfortunately, most doctors do not order the proper thyroid tests, leaving millions of Americans unmanaged and suffering needlessly.

TSH: Get a TSH test to assess TSH in a blood sample for an initial read on thyroid function. A high TSH level implies a thyroid issue, most often hypothyroidism. When the TSH level is low, it usually means that the thyroid is hyperactive and produces too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism).
The ideal range for this test is between 1 and 2 microliters per liter.

Free T3 is a thyroid function test that is commonly used to identify hyperthyroidism. T3 may also identify illnesses involving aberrant binding proteins.
The optimal range for this test is 300-400 ng/dl.

Free T4 is a test used to assess thyroid function in those who may have protein problems that alter total T4 levels.
This test should be interpreted in the range of 1-1.4 ng/dl.

TPO: Thyroid peroxidase (PTO) is essential for thyroid function. It participates in the chemical process that converts iodine thyroglobulin to thyroid hormones, which govern growth, brain development, and metabolism.
How to read this test: A result of less than 20 IU/mL is optimal.

4. Inflammation

Inflammation has a role in nearly every contemporary disease, including heart disease, dementia, arthritis, autoimmune diseases, allergies, digestive problems, and, yes, diabetes.

Test for C-reactive protein (CRP). CRP is a blood test that determines how much inflammation is present in your body. In most persons with diabetes, C-reactive protein is highly raised, and as diabetes improves, so does inflammation.
How to read this test: A result of less than 1.0 mg/L is optimal.

A liver function test is performed. An essential test for determining the extent of liver damage caused by insulin resistance-induced inflammation. High liver enzymes—alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT)—identify liver cell death, which is most commonly caused by elevated insulin resistance due to a fatty liver.

Test for fibrinogen. Fibrinogen is a kind of blood clotting agent that rises in response to inflammation and insulin resistance.
How to read this test: A result of less than 350 mg/dl is excellent.

Test for ferritin. This is a metric for extra iron storage, which rises in conjunction with inflammation and insulin resistance.
How to read this test: A result of less than 200 ng/ml is good.

5. Stool Functional Testing

A healthy body starts with a happy stomach. Your stomach is your body's first line of defense. Believe it or not, the GI tract contains the biggest lymph organ in the body, including 50–70% of the health system and immunoglobulin-producing cells. Traditional stool tests are only good for detecting the most common parasites and bacterial illnesses, but functional stool testing is the gold standard for determining the health of your gut and microbiome. This test may provide information on digestive enzyme function, pancreatic enzyme activity, inflammatory indicators, a wider spectrum of pathogenic bacteria, parasites, and yeasts, friendly bacteria, and short chain fatty acids (markers of gut lining health). Gut health is vital to track since gut dysfunction is often at the basis of many health problems.

When it comes to your health, working together may be quite advantageous. Keep in mind that your primary care doctor may not be familiar with the appropriate panel of testing. Alternatively, they may feel it is most to wait and see what occurs once the sickness has advanced. As a result, come to the appointment prepared. Your healthcare should ideally be a collaborative effort between you and your doctor. And, let's face it, this is your body. It's up to you to seize the bull by the horns and improve your health, so don't be too hard on yourself. It's a totally acceptable situation. Diabesity is a serious issue, and you may not solve a problem you don't recognize.

The article "An Integrative Functional Medicine Approach: 5 Tests You Should Request" was seen originally on urban Wellness Clinic

Ready to get started with functional medicine? The Toronto Functional Medicine Centre may be a good place to start. The clinic is conveniently located at the heart of the city. Schedule an introductory meeting by calling (416) 968-6961.

Integrative Functional Medicine: Upending Disease and Modern Healthcare

 

A new style of therapy, known as integrative functional medicine, has arisen and is fast gaining momentum in managing and preventing many chronic diseases, thanks in part to the popularity of Drs. Mark Hyman and Frank Lipman.

But first, let's take a step back. What is the definition of a disease?

The term "illness" refers to a noun. But what exactly is it? You may not actually touch or wrap your arms around an illness. Is it even possible?

In actuality, a sickness may be thought of as a term applied by doctors to a group of symptoms. That isn't to imply that these symptoms don't exist or that they aren't dangerous. A tumour, a heart attack, or excessive blood glucose levels, on the other hand, are all signs that something is really wrong with the body. These (and other) symptoms are then assigned a disease name, such as cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and so on.

Chronic illnesses, unlike infectious diseases like the flu, measles, and TB, do not manifest themselves quickly. Heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses are likely to develop years, if not decades, before symptoms appear. Sometimes genetics is involved, although this is not always the case.

Than pinpointing the underlying trigger or reason, modern medicine usually concentrates on managing the symptoms. Although many illness are the result of a malfunctioning health system, traditional medicine has focused on "debulking" the tumour by surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation for decades. (Though, thankfully, immunotherapy research for specific malignancies has risen in recent years.)

Similarly, persons with type 2 diabetes are given medications to enhance insulin production and/or the body's ability to utilise insulin, and those who have had a heart attack are given cholesterol-lowering drugs or stents to open their arteries.

When the underlying causes of these frequent ailments aren't discovered and addressed, the patient may spend the rest of his or her life on pharmacological therapy or some other sort of treatment. Even with medicines and treatment, the symptoms often reappear in the form of new cancer, a heart attack, or diabetes side effects including eyesight loss or foot ulcers (which can lead to amputation).

Approaches from Upstream vs. Downstream

The contrast between discovering the underlying cause of sickness and managing with symptoms as they develop is typically shown using a stream metaphor. Inputs such as inadequate food, lack of physical exercise, environmental pollutants, stress, and other variables are all present upstream. The stream is "polluted" by these inputs. Eventually, symptoms appear downstream and must be addressed.

Unfortunately, contemporary medicine has a tendency to address downstream symptoms with pharmacological therapy, surgery, and other therapies, many of which have significant side effects. Drugs may have adverse effects that necessitate the use of additional or different medicines to alleviate. Certain medicine combinations might cause even more issues, necessitating the use of even more medicines. This chain of events has led us to where we are now, with drug therapy accounting for approximately 67 percent of doctor office visits, nearly half of all Americans having taken at least one prescription drug in the previous 30 days, and one in ten having taken at least five prescription drugs in the previous 30 days. Last but not least, according to some statistics, more than 106,000 Americans die each year as a result of prescription medicine abuse.

It's similar to living near the Fukushima nuclear power plants. Sure, you may try to solve the difficulties that arise downstream, but it will be extremely tough and problematic. Isn't it better to avoid the calamity from happening in the first place?

A Novel Approach to Medicine

It's past time to start concentrating on preventing upstream contamination. Instead of a reactive approach to health and wellbeing, health practitioners must adopt a proactive one.

Many, including Drs. Lipman and Hyman, are already doing so.

Integrative unctional medicine is a tailored, science-based approach to treatment that focuses on managing the underlying causes of disease. Instead of the conventional reactive, symptom-focused strategy, this form of medicine uses a proactive, system-focused approach. To put it another way, integrative functional medicine looks at the full individual and tries to figure out why he or she is experiencing illness symptoms. Furthermore, integrative functional medicine emphasises prevention, which is usually overlooked by traditional medicine.

An integrative functional medicine practitioner would likely question about the following areas of the patient's lifestyle and/or surroundings in order to acquire a complete picture of what's going on in the patient's overall system in order to restore health:

• Diet
• Nutrients
• Air \s
• Water \s
• Microorganisms
• Physical Activity
• a traumatic event (including trauma that occurred decades ago)
• Psychological and social variables (the interaction between social factors and individual thoughts and behaviors)
• Xenobiotics are organisms that are resistant to antibiotics (chemical substances foreign to the body)
• Radiation
  

When was the last time your doctor mentioned any of these lifestyle variables, other from the standard recommendation to "eat healthier and exercise more"?

In order to restore a patient's health, the integrative functional medicine practitioner will utilise this knowledge regarding lifestyle variables to answer the following two basic questions:

Is there anything in this patient's life that they need to get rid of? Unhealthy eating habits, lack of physical exercise, exposure to environmental contaminants, stress, poor relationships, and other negative influences may all need to be addressed in order to restore the patient's health.
Is there anything else this patient need that they aren't getting now? Detoxification, an elimination diet, or certain nutrients are some of the things a patient could require to go back to their most health.

Integrative functional medicine is gaining popularity among doctors and patients alike. It permits doctors to spend more time with patients and deliver a long-term treatment than a temporary fix. It is popular with patients for the same reason. Than being suppressed with drugs, their underlying issues are being identified and resolved. It's a win-win situation.

Genes Aren't Everything

Another area where integrative functional medicine outperforms traditional medicine is that it takes into account not just the individuality of each patient's genetic composition, but also the relationship between genetic predisposition and lifestyle and/or environment. This is why an integrative functional medicine practitioner would inquire about your exposure to air, water, chemicals, radiation, and other forms of environmental pollution. This is due to the fact that these things interact with your genes, turning them on and off in ways that make you healthier or sicker.

Unfortunately, some people still refuse to believe that anything other than their DNA determines their health. The fact is that genes aren't the problem. Although genetics frequently load the gun, environmental variables frequently pull the trigger.

According to a research done by The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in 2008, just 5 to 10% of malignancies are caused solely by genetics. The remaining 90 to 95 percent have their origins in the environment and way of life. Furthermore, just because you are genetically prone to illness or other diseases does not imply you will get them. Epigenetics, a relatively recent branch of study, demonstrates that food and other environmental variables may alter gene expression. In other words, depending on what you let in, on, and around your body, "bad" genes may be turned off and "good" genes may be switched on.

All of this isn't to imply that traditional medicine isn't useful. An integrative functional medicine doctor isn't the person you want to see if you're having a heart attack or have recently been in an accident. However, our system fails far too many individuals when it comes to managing – or preventing – chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders. Despite all of our medical achievements, about one in every two persons will acquire illness throughout their lifetime; diabetes affects nearly 30 million people in the United States, or about 10% of the population, and one-third of the population is prediabetic. Every year, more than 600,000 Americans die from heart disease.

Something must be done, and it must be done briskly. In the case of chronic disease, there is a 50-year gap between scientific study and absorption into traditional medicine practise. Americans, on the other hand, cannot afford to wait 50 years for reform. Now, integrative functional medicine is a part of the answer.

The blog post "Integrative Functional Medicine: Upending Disease and Modern Healthcare" was appeared first on Organic Autority

An Integrative Functional Medicine Approach to Multiple Sclerosis

 

Multiple sclerosis, sometimes known as MS, affects around 2.5 million people worldwide. It is more common in women than in males, and it is most commonly diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50. While MS affects a large number of individuals, it is divided into four types: relapsing-remitting, secondary-progressive, primary-progressive, and progressive-relapsing. About 85% of people with MS are diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS, the mildest type of the disease, which is marked by symptom flare-ups, or "relapses." Other types of MS are marked by gradually deteriorating symptoms, with or without flare-ups.

What exactly is multiple sclerosis (MS)?

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune neurological disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. The health system incorrectly assaults myelin, the protective layer that surrounds nerves, slowing down the body's communication system. Nerves are a vital communication network that connects your brain to the rest of your body. When the timeliness of critical communications slows down, the body is unable to respond in a timely manner. Your body begins to lose control over muscular function, eyesight, balance, and the capacity to perceive diverse sensations once the myelin wrapping your nerves is destroyed.

What is the procedure for diagnosing it?

Physical Examination

To check for diminished nerve function, a comprehensive neurological and ocular exam should be conducted first.

Scan using an MRI

The most sensitive and non-invasive approach for detecting damaged myelin in the brain is an MRI.

Tests of Evoked Potential

Electrodes are put on the brain and different body areas to assess chemical reactions during this painless operation. These reactions are collected and utilized to figure out where nerve transmission is slow.

Spinal Tap is a video game that is based on

Abnormal oligoclonal bands and IgG index exist in roughly 90% of MS patients, therefore this test may assist confirm MS and rule out other disorders that may be mistaken for MS.

Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms

• The initial indication of Optic Neuritis is generally eye discomfort or impaired vision.
• The most frequent symptoms are numbness and tingling in the face and extremities.
• Muscle spasms or discomfort
• Muscle twitching, especially in the legs
• Fatigue that isn't explained
• Dizziness and dizzy spells
• Problems with the bowels and bladder
• Decreased cognition, sadness, and brain fog

MS therapy as it is now

Traditional medicine focuses solely on treating symptoms rather than addressing the underlying cause of the ailment. Instead of treating the underlying source of symptoms, most MS drugs on the market are meant to delay the course of the illness and reduce the frequency of relapses.

1. Medicines

Beta-Interferon

Although the certain mechanism of action of this medicine is uncertain, it is thought that interferon might block the blood-brain barrier, preventing T cells from attacking myelin and nerve terminals in the incorrect way. Flu-like symptoms, allergic responses, depression, anemia, cardiac difficulties, and liver damage are all possible side effects of interferon.

Copaxone

Copaxone has a similar structure to myelin proteins and, in principle, protects myelin against autoimmune cells that cause damage. This drug's effects are generally less striking than interferon's, but the only adverse effects are chest discomfort, shortness of breath, and flushing.

MS's underlying causes

1. Gluten

Gluten is a major issue for most people these days since it has been hybridized, changed, and is now found in almost everything! Worst of all, it may mess with your stomach and lead to a leaky gut. Gluten may enter your circulation through a leaky stomach and confound your health system. When the proteins in your diet seem similar to the proteins that make up myelin, your health system may become confused and attack the myelin that coats your neurons. This is known as molecular mimicry, and it may happen while eating inflammatory foods like gluten and dairy.

2. Gut leakage

The stomach must be permeable to extremely tiny molecules in order to absorb nutrition. Gluten, infections, drugs, and stress may all harm the gut, allowing toxins, bacteria, and undigested food particles to enter the bloodstream, among other things. Infections, poisons, and nutrients like gluten enter the body through a leaky gut, causing systemic inflammation that leads to autoimmunity. Before you may aid yourself, you must first recover your gut. Vitamin D, critical fatty acids, B vitamins, and zinc are just a few of the vitamins and minerals that might be affected by a leaky gut.

3. Mercury

Mercury is a heavy metal that has the ability to change or harm the cells of numerous physiological tissues. When cells are injured, the health system may mistake them for foreign intruders and attack the body's own organs. According to studies, those who are exposed to more mercury have a higher chance of developing autoimmune thyroid disease.

4. Mycotoxins

I've learned that many of my autoimmune disease patients are really living or working in dangerous mold-infested settings. Toxic molds create mycotoxins, which are volatile organic compounds (VOC) that may be harmful to those who are genetically predisposed.

5. Infections

For years, scientists have thought that bacterial, viral, and other toxin infections were to blame for the development of diseases like multiple sclerosis. While scientists haven't been able to pinpoint a single cause, they have discovered strong links between a variety of bacteria and viruses. Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae, and Clostridium perfringens are typical bacteria strains reported in MS patients. Toxins emitted by C. elegans are similar to those released by C. elegans. The viruses Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human herpesvirus (HHV-1) appear to have a role in inciting the start of MS, as do Clostridium perfringens and Staphylococcus aureus (HSV).

Multiple Sclerosis: An Integrative Functional Medicine Approach

1. Eliminate gluten from your diet.

Gluten is just an inflammatory food, and I urge that all of my patients exclude it from their diets. I strongly advise my patients with autoimmune disorders, such as multiple sclerosis or rheumatoid arthritis, to exclude all grains and legumes from their diet. These foods include lectins, which work as a natural pesticide for crops while also wreaking havoc on your gut lining. The first step toward recovery is to alter your diet. I designed The Myers Way® Comprehensive Elimination Diet eCourse, which you may do at home, and it's the foundation I utilize with my patients to get them started on the road to recovery.

2. Restore your gut

As I have stated, repairing the stomach is critical to overall health. As a result, I designed The Myers Way® Guide to the Gut eCourse to walk you through the exact same processes I use to manage my patients' stomachs. I've also written a number of articles about my 4R approach to gut aiding and gut-healing vitamins.

3. Heavy metals must be tested.

Heavy metals are found in a variety of places, including amalgam fillings, seafood eating, and the environment. To establish if mercury or other heavy metals are a concern for you, I recommend getting your MTHFR genes evaluated and taking a DMPS chelation challenge test through an integrative functional medicine practitioner. If you have an autoimmune condition, read my detoxification article to understand how to minimize your exposure to environmental contaminants.

4. Mycotoxins should be checked.

Mycotoxins are not tested for in standard environmental mold testing. Mycotoxins appear to cause havoc with the stomach and health system. To determine the level of mycotoxins in a person's system, I utilize a urine test from Real Time Labs. Then, utilizing glutathione, antifungal medicine, and Cholestyramine, I follow Dr. Shoemaker's program. If you believe you have a mold problem, Surviving Mold is an excellent resource.

5. Infections must be identified and managed.

Have your doctor check for HSV and EBV infections. Both HSV and EBV may be managed with monolaurin, which may be found in coconut oil. HSV infections may be managed with lysine and a lysine-rich diet. You may also request a M test from your doctor. pneumoniae, C. pneumoniae pneumoniae, and C. pneumoniae perfringens. Antibiotics may be required to completely eliminate the illness from your body.

6. Boost your health system.

Health modulators, such as vitamin D, omega-3 fish oils, and glutathione, may assist strengthen your health system. Vitamin D has been demonstrated to aid in health system regulation. Omega 3 fish oils aid in the reduction of inflammation throughout the body. Glutathione is the body's most potent antioxidant, and it may aid in inflammation reduction and detoxification.

If you want more support, locate an integrative functional medicine doctor in your region who may aid you in identifying the source of your sickness and reversing it. It is possible.

The article "An Integrative Functional Medicine Approach to Multiple Sclerosis" was first seen on Amy Myers MD

If you are looking to achieve health goals with a personalized medicine approach, then you may consider using integrative functional medicine. Visit your nearest clinic such as the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre located at the heart of the Yorkville area. Contact the clinic at (416) 968-6961.

Integrative Functional Medicine Approach to Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI)

 When a person has a head injury, they may visit an emergency hospital, where a doctor may request a CAT scan to check for signs of a brain hemorrhage. The CAT scan will almost always reveal no acute bleed. The patient is given a list of symptoms to watch for in order to diagnose post-concussion syndrome. They usually don't get treatment options that address the physiology of what's going on in their brain; instead, they're told to relax and wait for their damage to heal.

The difficulty is that this strategy frequently overlooks subsequent brain injuries that might arise in certain brain locations. If left unmanaged, this injury may take to a reduction in brain reserves, migraines, memory loss, and other problems in the afflicted parts of the brain.

I created an integrative functional medicine strategy that tackles the pathophysiology of brain injuries after years of managing diverse head injuries and witnessing the shortcomings of the conventional method. To put it another way, it's a means to figure out what's going on in the brain as a result of the injury. But, more particularly, a method of identifying and treating brain regions that may have been overlooked in a typical assessment.

The goal of this article is to raise knowledge of these choices so that you may discuss them with your doctor, enhance treatment success, and reduce the chances of a secondary brain damage being untreated.

Is it possible to have mTBI without realizing it?

May I Have mTBI and Not Know It?I first became interested in concussions and brain injuries as a result of my shared interests in sports medicine and holistic health. While NFL concussions receive a lot of attention in the media, there are a lot of other ways a person might get a concussion or other moderate head injuries.

A common cause of head injuries is striking your head during an accident or a fall. Many individuals are unaware that a concussion may occur even if you do not bump your head. Your brain may crash against your skull from within your head if an accident produces severe head movement (such as when your automobile is rear-ended and your head rocks back and forth).

If asked if they struck their head, the patient will respond no, but this does not rule out the possibility of a concussion as a result of the event. It's critical to be aware of potential brain-damaging events and to express your concerns at the initial exam. Any potential brain damage will be carefully assessed and treated as a result of this.

Symptoms of mTBI and Secondary Brain Injury

The Timeline Problem

Headache, nausea, hazy vision, lethargy, and depression are common primary concussion symptoms. Excessive tiredness and sleeplessness are other possible side effects. In most cases, these symptoms will go away in 4-6 weeks.

Secondary symptoms might emerge up to a week after the injury and are frequently linked to the parts of the brain that were affected. The following are examples of secondary symptoms:

• Having trouble finding words
• Memory loss in the short term
• Inability to concentrate or lack of attention
• Words that are difficult to comprehend
• Multitasking is challenging due to impaired executive function.
• Slow thinking or "brain fog"
• Light or sound sensitivity (from neurons reaching their threshold, so they fire too easily)
  

Some of these symptoms may appear two weeks after the damage, depending on how swiftly neurons are lost in the brain. This may make connecting the dots and linking some of these symptoms to the head trauma challenging.

There are extra obstacles when dealing with youngsters because they are not always aware of their symptoms or able to articulate how they feel. As a result, it may take longer for parents to notice something is wrong.

The Conventional Approach's Common Pitfalls

There are frequently further obstacles that develop after symptoms are recognized, in addition to the challenges that come during the discovery phase, when certain symptoms are neglected and may not be related with the real injury.

Connecting the symptoms to the brain's afflicted regions

It's critical to link symptoms to the exact parts of the brain that may be impacted after they've been identified. Standard MRI and CAT scans are frequently inpractical at catching the damaged parts of the brain, therefore it's crucial to meet with a doctor who knows how the brain works.

It is critical to keep track of time.

When these abnormalities are not identified and handled briskly, harm to the brain may occur quietly behind the scenes, and the brain may continue to deteriorate. Treatments work most when they begin as soon as feasible.

Identifying the symptoms that go along with it

To avoid these typical side effects of a head injury and to treat the symptoms as briskly as possible, follow these steps:

• Consult a doctor who is familiar with brain physiology, preferably one who customizes in functional neurology.
• For up to two weeks following the incident, list all of the symptoms you're having to see whether any of them are connected to the head trauma.
  

When it comes to mTBI, an integrative functional medicine approach is the way to go.

A head injury's pathophysiology

Some of the primary pathophysiological pathways and therapy objectives following a head injury are listed below.

As I previously stated, the goal of this material is to raise awareness of these possible difficulties so that you may discuss them with your doctor and ensure that they are appropriately investigated and handled.

1 – Hypoxia in the brain

Reduced oxygen supply to the brain

Treatment options that may begin as soon as feasible include:

• HBOT (hyperbaric oxygen therapy):
• It works by increasing oxygenation in troublesome tissues that aren't getting enough. For years, this technique has been used to heal wounds and diving injuries. HBOT has been shown in several trials to be helpful for individuals with moderate traumatic brain injury by boosting brain oxygenation.
• Supplements containing nitric oxide:
• Arginine and citrulline may help the brain produce more nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is a neurotransmitter that may helps link blood vessels and neurons in the brain.
• Ginkgo biloba with vinpocetine:
• Two dietary supplements that may help the brain get more oxygen and blood flow.

2 – Excitotoxicity Excessive excitotoxicity

Rapid calcium influx through NMDA receptors, which may cause cell injury and death.

Treatment possibilities include:

• Monosodium glutamate (MSG) or aspartame-containing meals and beverages should be avoided.
• During the first several weeks, avoid taking any calcium supplements.
• Magnesium I-threonate (Mg I-threonate):
• A form of magnesium that has been demonstrated to raise magnesium levels in the brain, perhaps reducing excitotoxicity by functioning as a natural NMDA receptor blocker.
• Taurine
• An amino acid that may be particularly beneficial at all phases of a head injury, including giving excitotoxicity protection.
• N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) is a kind of amino acid.
• An amino acid that may aid in the reduction of excitotoxicity. It also aids in the replenishment of glutathione, a vital antioxidant in the body.

3 – Mitochondrial Degeneration

Low energy and exhaustion

Mitochondrial Damage Low Energy FatigueBrain No Fuel Head Injury mbti concussion Mitochondrial Damage Mitochondria are the energy-producing sections of the cells. The mitochondria may have difficulties producing energy as a result of the damage, certainly in the first 5-7 days following the incidence. As a result, you may have low energy, exhaustion following cognitive activity, or overall fatigue.

Targeted supplements with certain nutrients that mitochondria require to produce energy are used as treatment options:

• B vitamins that have been methylated (the active forms of the B vitamins)
• CoQ10
• Glutathione
• Omega 3 DHA
• Resveratrol and NAD+ (for cases of high brain fatigue)

4 – Inflammation of the Nervous System in the Brain

Inflammation of the brain

Microglial cells in the brain are sometimes damaged and inflamed as a result of a head injury. Many brain activities rely on microglial cells, including the synthesis of essential neurotransmitters and trophic factors that help nourish neurons and form new synaptic connections.

With a particular anti-inflammatory brain injury diet and supplements, treatment options focus on lowering inflammation and feeding the brain.

5 - Digestive Issues Following a Head Injury

The gut-brain axis is a system that connects the gut and the brain.

All patients who have had a head injury before should be questioned regarding digestive problems such gas, bloating, constipation, or diarrhea. Gastrointestinal tract dysfunction, such as vagus nerve injury, sluggish motility, and alterations in the gut microbiota, is frequent in concussion patients.

This may be a major problem since a brain injury may take to autoimmunity in the gut lining, brain tissue, or the blood-brain barrier. As a result, if you're experiencing any gastrointestinal problems, I recommend getting antibody testing for the gut and the blood-brain barrier to see whether this is the case.

Treatment options vary depending on the extent of GI tract damage, but they usually revolve on a food regimen that aims to lower gut inflammation and restore gut health.

Options for Additional Treatment

In addition to the key pathophysiological mechanisms and therapeutic targets listed above, important therapy alternatives and lifestyle considerations that may aid in the healing process are included below.

Exercise

Cardio Exercise for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI)You might be shocked to learn that aerobic exercise can really assist repair brain injuries. Cardiovascular exercise has been proven to enhance the production of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which aids in the repair of neurons and synaptic connections.

I strongly advise adding exercise when the patient has sufficient energy. While the workout load should be matched to the patient's fitness level, the suggested intensity is 40 minutes of aerobic activity at 70-80 percent of the patient's maximal heart rate 4-5 times per week. If you don't have a heart rate monitor, this translates to activity where having a conversation of more than a few words is difficult.

Increase Your Sleep Time

Sleep is critical because a substantial portion of brain mending takes place while we sleep. Every night, you should sleep for at least 8 hours.

People frequently suffer from neck injuries as a result of their head traumas, and they are in discomfort. They may not be able to sleep properly as a result of the pain. In other circumstances, you may be dealing with emotional stress as a result of the injury, which may take to sleeping issues.

Several studies have found that even three days of poor sleep might result in an increase in inflammatory markers. If you're having trouble sleeping as a result of your ailment, it's critical that you pay attention to it. If required, you should discuss the various methods for improving sleep with your doctor.

Microcurrent with an identified frequency (FSM)

FSM is a therapy that uses micro amperage currents delivered at identified frequencies to various bodily tissues. It's a form of micro current that may be used to treat inflammation in the brain, as well as brain damage. In my practice, I've found FSM therapy to be a safe and functional therapeutic choice for musculoskeletal and brain ailments.

Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) should be kept to a minimum.

We already have enough knowledge regarding the possible negative effects of EMFs on the brain, even if the general public seldom hears about it. After a head injury, I feel it is prudent to take measures and limit exposure. This is mainly crucial for youngsters who are more susceptible to electromagnetic fields.

While it is typically impossible to totally avoid EMFs, there are several steps you may do to limit your EMF exposure. This is particularly crucial at night, when the bulk of brain mending occurs:

• Keep your phone away from your head.
• At night, turn off the WiFi routers.
• Turn off your phone or keep it out of your bedroom at night.
• Disable any other smart WiFi devices.
• Electric beds, smart beds, and electric blankets should all be turned off.
• Use a smart meter shield to protect yourself.

Summary

Concussions and mild traumatic brain damage are prevalent, but the usual medical method to managing them is inpractical. I think that using an integrative functional medicine approach to treatment may considerably increase treatment productiveness and reduce the risk of unmanaged secondary brain damage. Use this data to educate yourself and discuss your options with your doctor.

The blog post "Integrative Functional Medicine Approach to Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI)" was published first on Web FMD

The Toronto Functional Medicine Centre, a functional and naturopathic medicine clinic, is dedicated to helping each patient shift towards balanced, wholesome wellness. To know more about their services, you may visit them at 162 Cumberland St 222 A, Toronto, ON M5R 1A8, or call (416) 968-6961 to book an introductory meeting.

What is Integrative Functional Medicine?

 

What is Integrative Functional Medicine and How Does It Work?

Integrative Functional Medicine takes a systems-oriented approach to manage the underlying causes of disease, including both the patient and the practitioner in a therapeutic collaboration. It is a change in medical practice that good serves the healthcare demands of the twenty-first century.

Integrative Functional Medicine manages the complete person, not just a set of symptoms, by moving the conventional disease-centered focus of medical treatment to a more patient-centered approach.

Practitioners of Integrative Functional Medicine spend time with their patients, listening to their experiences and examining the interplay between genetic, environmental, and lifestyle variables that might affect long-term health and chronic disease. Integrative Functional Medicine promotes each person's unique manifestation of health and vitality in this way.

The Impact of Integrative Integrative Functional Medicine on Everyday Life

Integrative Functional Medicine is a tailored, systems-oriented concept that allows patients and practitioners to reach the maximum expression of health by addressing the underlying causes of disease in a collaborative effort.

• To replace the obsolete and inadequate acute-care methods brought forward from the twentieth century, Integrative Functional Medicine offers a strong new operating system and clinical model for the assessment, management, and prevention of chronic illness.
• Integrative functional medicine includes the most recent advances in genetic research, systems biology, and knowledge of how environmental and lifestyle variables impact illness onset and development.
• Doctors and other health professionals may use Integrative Functional Medicinee to conduct proactive, predictive, and customized therapy, and individuals may take an active part in their own health.
  

Extend the Lifespan of Your Health

Promotion of organ reserve as a method of improving each patient's health span, not simply their life span, at our Sandy Hook Clinic in Newtown, Connecticut.

Vitality that is positive

Identification of health as a positive vitality, not just the absence of sickness, and a focus on variables that promote the development of a robust physiology

A Patient-Focused Approach

Knowledge of the data that supports a patient-centered, rather than a disease-centered, therapeutic strategy

Individuality in Biochemistry

Based on the notions of genetic and environmental uniqueness, a comprehension of each human being's biochemical distinctiveness.

Dynamic Equilibrium

Look for a dynamic equilibrium between the body, mind, and spirit on the inside and out.

Interconnections

Internal physiological factor interconnections

Integrative Functional Medicine's 6 Fundamental Principles

The therapeutic partnership's power stems from the idea that patients who are active participants in the development of their therapeutic plan feel more in control of their own well-being and are more likely to make long-term lifestyle changes to improve their health.

The Tree of Integrative Functional Medicine

The tree in the figure below is used to graphically depict the fundamental components of the Integrative Functional Medicine paradigm and to emphasize the differences between traditional and Integrative Functional Medicine medical care.

What Makes Integrative Functional Medicine Unique?

The tree in the figure to the left graphically represents the fundamental features of the Integrative Functional Medicine paradigm and highlights the difference between conventional and Integrative Functional Medicine therapy. The image has changed throughout time, but its spirit has remained the same. To maintain a tree healthy and allow it to thrive, you must first nurture the most fundamental and vital elements: the roots and soil. Similarly, if a tree isn't doing well, the core elements should be the first place you seek for explanations.

Patients in Integrative Functional Medicine are treated in the same way. The core lifestyle elements, such as sleep, exercise, diet, stress levels, relationships, and genetics, are the most significant and the ones we look at first while obtaining information on the patient. These are the roots and soil, which are impacted by predisposing factors (antecedents), discrete events (triggers), and continuing physiological processes (mediators), resulting in basic imbalances at the trunk. The indications and symptoms that are organized into a diagnosable constellation that we name illness, as depicted by the branches and leaves, may eventually occur.

Traditional medicine examines the cluster of symptoms (the branches and leaves) first, which frequently takes to a disease diagnosis. This diagnosis is frequently linked to a prescription or drugs that may be administered to manage this set of symptoms, and that's the end of it. However, this technique overlooks the tree's roots and trunk, which contain more fundamental characteristics of health. It manages all patients with comparable symptoms in the same way, entirely ignoring both the fundamental distinctions between people as well as the countless alternative causes of a "illness."

IFM asks you to step down from the canopy and join us at ground level if you are weary of wasting your time in the leaves watching your chronic illness patients go through the cycle of diagnosis and medications without getting any better. We'll provide you the resources you need may help your patients without ever having to leave the ground.

What Makes Integrative Functional Medicine Unique?

So, what distinguishes Integrative Functional Medicine from today's Western medical system? To begin with, the focus of care has shifted. The objective of conventional medicine is for clinicians to recognize patterns of symptoms and manage those symptoms by prescribing drug-based treatments that are comparable for all patients with a certain ailment.

It's worth noting that the terms "patient" and "health" aren't used in this description. The purpose of Integrative Functional Medicine is to improve each patient's health and vitality. Practitioners look at each patient's lifestyle and biochemical characteristics to figure out what's causing their sickness and how to aid it so they may get back to their most health.

Traditional medicine divides professional into looking (e.g., neurology, obstetrics, and endocrinology), productively compartmentalizing medical care. Instead of stating, "Oh, that seems like a hormone problem," an integrative functional medicine practitioner looks at all elements of the patient. That isn't my division.

Patients benefit from Integrative Functional Medicine because it focuses on preventive and health-promoting lifestyle modifications, as well as long-term therapies that address the underlying causes of dysfunction and return patients to health. Conventional medical therapies are sometimes costly pharmaceuticals that must be used eternally and do not address the underlying disease, instead masking the symptoms.

Integrative Functional Medicine is a type of medicine that focuses

• a focus on health
• Dedicated to the patient
• Individuality in biochemistry
• Holistic
• Affordability
• Investigates the underlying causes of illness.
• Taking a proactive approach
• High-tech, high-touch

Medicine as we know it

• centered on the disease 
• focused on the doctor 
• Everyone is treated equally.
• Individualized
• Expensive
• Symptom-based diagnosis
• Early illness detection is crucial.
• technologically advanced

The article "What is Integrative Functional Medicine?" was seen originally on drkarafitzgerald.com

It may interest you to know that functional medicine services are readily available in Toronto.
The team of wellness practitioners at the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre uses a collaborative approach that is designed to recharge your wellness, not only treat symptoms, but also the cause behind your condition. Contact the clinic at (416) 968-6961