By Alane Palmer, ND, CNC
www.NutritionallyYours.net
As a holistic minded nutritionist that serves the entire Atlanta, GA area, I have an understanding and appreciation of functional medicine. Even though we are not a “medical” clinic, functional medicine does not have to mean “medicine”. Dr. Mark Hyman describes functional medicine as “it seeks to identify and address the root cause of disease, and views the body as one integrated system, not a collection of independent organs divided up by medical specialists. It treats the whole system, not just the symptoms.”
When I meet with a patient, I discuss nutrition, health concerns, lifestyle habits and more. The focus is not on a “disease state.”. If someone comes in with fatigue and depression, I may start looking for triggers in their diet, home life, work stress, etc. I will also run comprehensive labs to get to the root cause of the fatigue and / or depression. Each patient is unique, and each patient’s root cause of symptoms will be different from another’s. One patient may have fatigue due to a hormone imbalance; another will have a slow thyroid, another a vitamin deficiency and another a food intolerance.
Genetics and environmental factors also come into effect with nutrition and functional medicine. For example, my grandmother had hypothyroid and hashimoto’s . When I started to have similar symptoms to hers, my labs also showed the same two conditions. An adult family member has a low folate level due to MTHFR deficiency so when a child showed similar symptoms we ran the MTHFR, and B12 / folate labs and they also had the MTHFR deficiency.
Sometimes the root cause of symptoms is environmental. For example, I just had a patient with anxiety, heart racing and fatigue that lab testing showed the root cause to be a chemical in her environment.
So, yes, this Atlanta Nutritionist does focus on functional medicine even though there are no medications prescribed.
If you are dealing with troubling symptoms, please consider coming in for an appointment so I can help YOU TOO, get to the root cause and get you feeling better.
We welcome in office, Skype and Phone appointments!
Phone: 678-372-2913
Email: alanepnd@gmail.com
Website: Nutritionallyyours.net
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references:
http://drhyman.com/about-2/about-functional-medicine/
http://blog.patronusmedical.com/functional-medicine-vs-integrative-medicine
Medical disclaimer: Nutritionally Yours is not a medical clinic. Testing cannot be used to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. All test results are to be used as educational materials and as a guide to help support your overall health and wellness. Always discuss health concerns with your medical doctor. We have a nutritionist, naturopath and a medical doctor on staff to help you feel your best. Do not come off any medication without knowledge and guidance from your MD.
