Functional Medicine
Functional Medicine is assessment of a patients health in whole. We take routine blood tests to examine a person's health from an objective standpoint. Blood doesn't lie and is a great way to truly assess health and wellbeing. Medical doctors use a standarize lab range of four standard deviations from "normal" putting a 10 year old boy and 85 year old woman in the same "normal" health ranges. In a functional lab exam with shrink that four standard deviation down to one so we can better identify problems before they turn into detremental diseases. How many times have you felt unwell and had blood drawn and your labs came back "normal" but you still didn't feel well? Functional medicine can help you!
Blood Analysis
A functional lab analysis looks at the blood chemistry and progression of each number relating to another. By using a smaller lab range than what most medical doctors and labs provide we can see where a portion of the chemistry is disrupted and no longer optimal. Reading a functional blood test is not like reading a book. It's putting together a story to identify what systems are out of range, what it is causing in its cascade, and how to fix both the root of the problem and the symptoms relating. Functional blood test reading is something only specially trained Functional Medicine practitioners do. Medical Doctors look at the big picture and find dysfunctions when a disease has already flourished. Functional Medicine looks at the preventative aspects before disease has manifested.
Dietary Review
After reviewing blood work and laboratory numbers, a dietary plan can be produced that is custom tailored for you. Often our bodies demand different diets while going through different phases in our lives and/or going through an illness. Blood tests are extremely good at helping us figure out what you might be missing in your diet. We can see if you need more healthy fats, or if you have too many bad fats, we can see if your consumption of produce and nutrient dense foods is adequate or not. We can assess if you need more protein or perhaps less. The variables are endless.
Supplementation Review
Once a diagnosis is achieved from a functional lab analysis, a recommendation of the proper supplements can be given. Supplementation is only recommended if a patient's numbers are low or high enough to temporarily need supplementation. Herbal custom formulas might also be recommended. Not all supplements are the same - each recommendation is based off the need from your chemistry.
Exercise Review
An exercise routine can be evaluated and adjusted based on individual patient needs. Often a blood analysis can give us great clues if someone needs more or less of a certain type of exercise. If someone has repeated injuries an evaluation of form may be done.
Funtional Medicine FAQs
My Medical Doctor ran blood tests on me and said everything looked good. Is there a reason you still want to see them?
Yes! Medical Doctors have a large "normal" range for blood tests. They are looking for diagnosable diseases - which is any coordinating numbers outside of the normal range on the blood tests. This is very important to rule out any immenent dangers. What a Functional Medicine Physician looks at when analyzing a blood test is the grey area. We use a smaller lab range and can see when a number, or series of numbers on the blood test, isn't ideal. It's the grey area between true normal and either slightly high, or slightly low. This paints a picture for us to help you prevent further problems and hopefully stop disease manifestation. Usually when a patient has a symptom, but they are deemed "normal" from their Medical Doctor, we can see on the blood tests where numbers aren't ideal and help mitigate symptoms.
Am I required to have a blood test before making and appointment?
No. Although a blood test that is within one year old is very helpful to give us a baseline, a blood test is not required before the test. After a Functional Medicine consultation we can decide if and what blood tests would be ideal to order.
Does my functional medicine doctor draw blood on site at the clinic?
Not at this time. Dr. Fick is contracted with LabCorp. She orders the test and you can go, without an appointment, to any LabCorp to get your blood draw. Dr. Fick provides a requistion form to give to LabCorp and once the blood tests are complete, LabCorp sends the results directly to Dr. Fick to analyze. You are not charged extra for phelbotomy.
Can I do a Functional Medicine Evaluation if I live in another State?
Absolutely! We help many patients from afar. We cannot order blood tests in New York or New Jersey, however, every other state we are contracted with LabCorp.