What is Functional Medicine?

What is Functional Medicine?

Functional medicine focuses on disease prevention through nutrition, diet, and exercise; uses laboratory testing, symptom analysis, with other diagnostic techniques; and uses a combination of supplementation (when needed), nutrition consultation, sleeping and eating pattern discussion, and/or stress-management techniques. 

Dr. Loren focuses on identifying system imbalances that lead to progressive degeneration. 

What types of syndromes are looked at?

Adrenal Fatigue, Estrogen Dominance, Leaky Gut, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic Stress Response, and others can lead to Diabetes, IBS, Depression, Insomnia, Acne, Infertility, Sexual Dysfunction, Anxiety, and more. Many seemingly unrelated symptoms can give clues to how the body is functioning and guide the functional medicine practitioner to develop an effective treatment plan.

How does stress affect your body?

The bodies response to stressful stimuli has many benefits for survival. It raises the heart rate and blood pressure to allow us to react quickly and provides fuel for muscles to survive dangerous situations. Normally, once a threat has passed the body returns to a normal balanced state. However, living in modern times can provide stressful stimulation over long periods. Chronic stress can have many negative affects upon the body by disrupting the normal balance of hormones. With an accurate history, symptom correlation, and laboratory testing, an individualized care plan would be made to reestablish a balance and facilitate healing.  

What is Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome?

Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome occurs as a result of prolonged stress. Lowered levels of Cortisol affects the Adrenal system. Cortisol, called “the stress hormone,” influences, regulates, or modulates many of the changes that occur in the body in response to stress. When overstressed, altered levels of Cortisol in the body can cause a host of different symptoms and can interfere with the normal function of many hormones (and signaling molecules) as is seen in Estrogen Dominance.

What is Estrogen Dominance?

Estrogen dominance is generally referring to an Estrogen/Testosterone imbalance where a person can have deficient, normal, or excessive estrogen/testosterone, and has decreased progesterone to balance its effects in the body. The range of hormonal disturbance is varied and complex. The optimal balance requires extensive study beyond what is taught in the core curriculums of medical and chiropractic schools.

What Role do Toxins Play?

The life style of modern humans has introduced many forms of toxins into the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, the products we use, and even the clothes we wear. Some of the forms are endocrine (hormone) disruptors found in pesticides and herbicides, food dyes and additives, and industrial waste products to name a few. Normally our bodies are capable of modifying and excreting toxins but sometimes these systems can de overwhelmed or dysfunctional. Seeing dysfunction in this system is when we need to help rid our bodies of these dangerous substances.

“Toxins are a direct biochemical stressor that affect physiologic function and disrupt homeostasis.” 

-Ramneek Bhogal DC, DABCI