What is Integrative Medicine? What is Functional Medicine?
People often ask me, “hey Dr. S, what is integrative medicine really?”
I completely understand why I get asked this question. If you look around you, you’ll find the terms integrative medicine along with functional medicine and holistic medicine everywhere - from social media to the news to the wellness world. The terms integrative, functional, and holistic medicine mean different things to different people and this is why I thought definitions may be useful.
COMPARING THE TERMS
First and foremost, to be clear, this is not a “this or that” kind of discussion meant to polarize. I am merely defining and comparing terms. I believe that integrative, functional, and holistic medicine are not mutually exclusive and all have their place in the spectrum of whole healing.
INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE
WHOLE HEALING — Integrative medicine can be defined as an approach to healing that takes into consideration all factors that influence health, disease, and wellness including the body, mind, spirit, genetics, environmental factors, community, and even the health of the greater Earth.
YOU ARE NOT YOUR DISEASE — Integrative medicine views the body as one integrated system instead of a collection of independent organs divided up by medical specialities (think of our current system: cardiologist for heart issues, gastroenterologist for gut issues, neurologist for brain issues, etc). Integrative medicine looks at the person who has the disease/medical issue, not the issue in isolation. Integrative medicine knows you are not your disease.
INTELLIGENT + INQUIRY-DRIVEN COMBINATIONS — Integrative medicine’s purpose is to foster whole health, vitality, and wellness while preventing chronic disease. It accomplishes this by approaching an individual through an intelligent and inquiry-driven combination of:
- Western/conventional medicine and science
- Functional medicine (see more below)
- Lifestyle interventions
- Whole-systems approaches such as Ayurveda, Western Herbalism, or Traditional Chinese Medicine
- Other supportive “alternative” approaches such as meditation, plant medicine, and energy healing.
PREVENTION-FOCUSED — Integrative medicine emphasizes lifestyles that support prevention of disease in the first place, such as high quality nutrition, regular movement, optimizing sleep, and stress management. Furthermore, integrative medicine emphasizes the therapeutic healing relationship between the patient and medical provider. The physician/provider is a support and guide to help you unlock the innate healing wisdom of your body and mind.
MY APPROACH — The integrative medicine approach I provide combines a discerning blend of modern Western medical science, high-touch ancient Eastern healing modalities, and nature-centered therapies like working with herbs and other plants.
MANY FLAVORS — Of course, there are numerous other healing modalities from all over the globe that I have not mentioned here -- for example, from the African continent, Indigenous medicine, and the like. I have not studied these healing systems in depth, and so do not include them in my personal definition of integrative medicine, though they certainly fit into this category.
FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE
From my perspective, functional medicine fits under the umbrella of integrative medicine. It’s a great lens for investigating and treating complex medical issues like autoimmune disorders, microbiome/gut issues, and chronic medical conditions like metabolic syndrome, PCOS, and hormonal dysfunction. It emphasizes approaching a person’s health problems through a biological, genetic, and environmental lens with the goal of identifying, understanding, and treating the root cause(s) of disease. Functional medicine most commonly utilizes laboratory-based analysis to determine what is occurring in the body.
From a treatment perspective, functional medicine overlaps in many ways with integrative medicine. Though functional medicine may focus more on supplements to correct problems than integrative medicine, the two equally prioritize the many lifestyle changes that are often necessary to achieve optimal health and vitality.
A NUMBER OF SIMILARITIES
Like integrative medicine, functional medicine views the body as one integrated system instead of a collection of independent organs. Functional medicine also engages the patient and the practitioner in a therapeutic relationship just like integrative medicine does. Both integrative and functional medicine focuses on treating the person as a whole who has the disease rather than focusing on the disease in isolation. Integrative medicine certainly may use supplements and standard Rx to approach illness, but often emphasizes these interventions less than functional medicine.
HOLISTIC MEDICINE
The term holistic medicine can be used for any whole systems approach to treating the human body and mind. Integrative medicine, functional medicine, Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, naturopathy, and many other healing systems are all forms of holistic medicine. It’s that simple!
PUTTING IT TOGETHER
I practice integrative medicine because I see it as an extraordinary merging of the best of many worlds to help heal my patients and bring true and whole health to them.
Health, like life, is not static. It’s complex and it’s a path with many ups and downs. I believe integrative medicine can help everyone traverse life with a sense of vitality and agency. Taking care of the medical issues you’re facing while building a foundation of good healthy habits, cultivating awareness and clarity, and fostering healthy relationships is key to a robust and beautiful life.
Thanks for reading! Happy Monday, March 1!
I would love to hear from you! Feel free to add your comments below.
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