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Functional medicine is a patient-focused approach that is commonly mistaken for other medical approaches such as holistic medicine, functional medicine, preventive medicine, lifestyle medicine, and alternative medicine. Each medical segment shares common themes, yet their approach to wellness differs. The following paragraphs compare the approaches below.
Compare the approaches
Conventional Medicine is a common practice in the United States. Medical doctors use the conventional approach to routinely diagnose conditions based on a collection of symptoms and behaviors.
Medical professionals use various tests and procedures to diagnose and prescribe medications, procedures, or surgeries to treat problems.
The body is viewed as different organs that work separately, and there are doctors that specialize in each organ. Conventional medicine focuses on treating symptoms rather than identifying the root cause of the disease. Emergency medicine, diagnostic procedures, and surgical interventions are experiencing tremendous growth, but chronic disease management is failing overall. People are living longer, but they have a poor quality of life.
Functional medicine focuses on identifying the root cause of illness. Its main goal is to ultimately restore the human body to optimum functioning.
Functional Medicine practitioners perform different laboratory tests and diagnostics to uncover the root cause of symptoms to treat the whole person and not just the disease. Practitioners encourage and empower patients to be conscious of their food choices, environmental toxins, and overall well-being.
It starts with a detailed understanding of a person’s genetic, lifestyle, and biochemical makeup through in-depth history taking and questionnaires. Visits are usually longer due to the fact that practitioners have to dig deep into the past as to why, when, or how the symptoms have come about. Functional Medicine practitioners tend to do a lot of different types of functional laboratory tests and diagnostics to find the root cause of symptoms and treat the whole person and not just the disease. For example, comprehensive stool analysis, organic acid testing, nutritional evaluation, genetic SNP testing, heavy metal testing and different types of specialized testing may be used to find the true sickness, and treatments are personalized and individualized based on the patient’s background, lifestyle, and genetic factors. Practitioners empower patients to work on their diet, environmental toxins and uses labs as a motivator and diagnostic as it tries to get patients to optimal range and not just the “normal” lab range.
Natural Medicine doesn’t use the traditional or conventional approach. It focuses on the premise that the mind, body, and spirit are one and should be taken into consideration when treating conditions. It embraces eastern medicine practices like acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine, and Ayurvedic medicine. It also focuses on the healing of the mind, body, and spirit, including energy medicine and the use of herbs and supplements.
Preventive medicine is an approach that works to protect, promote, maintain health and well-being, and prevent disease, disability, and premature death. For example, screening for hypertension and treating it before it causes disease is good preventive medicine. Preventive medicine takes a proactive approach to patient care.
In clinical settings, practitioners help people make changes in their lifestyle which may help them avoid illness. They also perform preventive health screenings to catch the disease before it gets worse. In non-clinical settings, these practitioners focus on healthcare legislation, health policy, and social and behavioral factors that influence a person’s health.
This approach to medicine seeks to use lifestyle changes as the first option in dealing with and preventing chronic illness conditions. It stresses a whole food, mostly plant-based diet, along with regular exercise, good sleep, management of stress, and avoidance of substances that increase the risk of illness along with good social interaction as its primary approach to dealing with chronic illness conditions. It looks for underlying causes of illness rather than continuing to push medications and medical procedures, much the same as functional medicine. It is also a great way to lose weight.
Testimonials
— Chris Vercelli, 5 out of 5 starsI’m a health practitioner who has worked with many of Dr. Harvey’s patients, and the feedback I’ve gotten from them about his care is wonderful. He is very well educated and very good at developing treatment plans for a variety of health problems. His approach to healthcare is SO needed in this world of cookie cutter “medicine”, and even if you only went to him for a second opinion, it’d be well worth it. Thanks for all you do Doc! God bless!
— Kenn R., 5 out of 5 starsDr. Harvey is head-and-shoulders above any other medical practitioner we have encountered. When we first came to Sarasota, he gave my wife and me the most thorough physical exams we had ever had, ordering very different sets of blood tests for each of us based on his extensive initial questioning. From the blood tests, he figured out right away what had baffled my previous family doctor, and a high-dollar hematologist, and corrected my problem using simple dietary changes. With his help, my wife got off medications she had needed for decades. …Dr. Harvey is just a delightful, open person and a pleasure to work with.
— Judith Harding, 5 out of 5 starsI’ve been a patient of Dr. Harvey’s for several years, something like seven years. He always has a very knowledgeable and supportive staff. Recently, I had a very quick and hard fall that changed my life drastically. Dr. Harvey and his staff, especially Haylee, Kerry, and Tracy have helped me through some dark days. I am so grateful for their support. I can see there is hope for me to have continued good health and quality of life.
— Susan Miller, 5 out of 5 starsBest people in the world! Sweetest people! Doing the best job anyone can do on the planet present or future. Everyone here is an angel
Results are individual and not guaranteed. Ask Dr. Harvey whether this approach is right for you.
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What we do
We focus on finding and dealing with the root cause of illness.
Diagnostic testing and evaluation is an important component to understand how your body's processes are functioning.
Functional laboratory evaluation is an important component to understanding how your body's processes are functioning.
This form of medicine focuses on detecting, dealing with, and preventing conditions that come with aging.
Personalized education including the evaluation of your current dietary intake and how that impacts your current health conditions.
Toxicity is the byproduct of industrial society — we're subjected to exposures of many toxic substances daily, if not minute by minute.
We address GI complaints first, as they often indicate the point of weakness and breakdown in the integrity of this most important system — the platform for vibrant health.
Personalized counseling to understand your needs and the tools required to change behavior in specific areas of lifestyle in order to shift function and achieve vital wellness.
