Functional Metabolic Testing and How it Can Help

What is Functional Medicine and How Can it Help Prevent Degenerative Disease? Web definition says – Functional Medicine is a science-based healthcare approach that assesses and treats underlying causes of illness through individually tailored therapies to restore health and improve function. Also called complementary medicine, integrative medicine, or natural medicine,this discipline focuses on using a holistic approach to analyze and treat interdependent systems of the body and to create a dynamic balance integral for good health. This sounds great doesn’t it? It is a new paradigm in health that is catching on. It involves understanding how the body is actually functioning. How YOUR body uses the nutrients it receives and whether it lacks any particular substances in achieving that dynamic balance. This is different from measuring blood levels of nutrients- this measures the metabolites of the nutrient after the body has used it. Doctors who practice functional medicine will typically have several modalities that they use, some may be spinal or cranial manipulation, acupuncture, herbs, nutrition, exercise, and diet education, some look closer at the way we think, and of course, medical doctors will also have prescription drugs available. For a nutritional needs evaluation you may take a panel of tests-urine, saliva and blood to determine a number of factors. The number of panels depends on the types of health issues being evaluated. It can be so easy to get an early warning about potential for developing chronic or degenerative disease. The tests are looking for the metabolites of the body’s functional processing of nutrients. As an example, the liver needs sulfur to detoxify the system; sulfur is also important to cellular integrity. Think in terms of healthy skin, muscles, and joints. If the urine shows low levels of sulfates, it is apparent that more sulfur containing nutrients are needed to permit to liver to detoxify your system from the chemicals, drugs, and internally generated toxins that it must eliminate. The levels of nitrates will indicate the body’s production of nitric oxide, important to many processes such as immune, nervous and vascular system functions. This also indicates the levels of inflammation that may exist in the body. As we know, inflammation in the vessels gives a rough spot for cholesterol to collect. Nitrate levels too high or too low are problematic, indicating possibly overactive or underactive immune system. Lipid Peroxides are basically fats "rusting" in your body. Most cells are surrounded by a lipid layer and the oxidation of this layer can lead to cell mutation or death of cells. High lipid peroxides indicate a need for more antioxidant nutrients. Dr. Mark Hyman, MD is working to educate medical professionals and legislators as well as citizens about the importance of this new approach to health. He is interviewed in the August, 2007 Life Extension magazine as using functional medicine to identify “pre-disease states”, “Toxicity and inflammation are two of the key ones, but most people- and most physicians- don’t recognize them until a disease is diagnosed…for example with ncancer…Those solid tumors have been growing for 30 years in your body…heart disease or heart attack, guess what? That plaque has sometimes been going on for 30, 40, or even 50 years.” Dr Hyman says that we can identify dysfunction in our metabolic actions, hormone imbalances, and digestive problems, etc., all of which promote rapid aging. If we detect and act upon these issues early enough we may be able to prevent degeneration into the disease state. Learn more about how you can make use of this health breakthrough personally or in your practice. www.CustomIdealHealth.info