Functional Nutrition Counseling is not a symptom-based practice. It is a look at the ROOT of the issue and evaluating the terrain (biological ecosystem) which allowed this symptom to arise.
Working with me will involve understanding all of you, not just your symptoms. Medicine in our country is symptom-based. Go to your doctor with a stomach ache, you might get some tests done and then likely a prescription. If you have a skin rash, you'll get a prescription from your dermatologist. If you have heartburn, you'll be given an antacid. But what caused these issues? Even if you see some results from the medicines, what are the side effects? Are you causing other issues to surface? Will the original cause of the stomach discomfort manifest in a different or more serious way? Until the root cause is addressed, true health will not be achieved.
Is functional medicine the fastest route? It IS the most effective way to regain your health but not the fastest because it may take clearing the waters to find the root cause. That can often be through implementing the "non-negotiables"- removing the highest allergens from your diet, ensuring quality sleep and stress reduction. Simple, right? If it were a simple process you would already be feeling better.
Doctors have an important role in the healing process if it requires advanced testing, diagnosis and surgery. If your life is at risk, you want a doctor asap! Where the medical system fails to heal their patients is when they just try to make the symptoms go away without considering the why. Working with a Functional Nutrition Counselor can bridge that gap between "medicine" and "healing".