What makes you, you, is unique to you…

Studies show that a quarter of the population in the UK are presenting with a chronic (long term) condition. These are non-communicable diseases. A quarter of adults are taking 3 or more medications, to manage their symptoms. This is the key point; the medications are designed to manage symptoms, not to get to the root cause of the problem.

Now, there is nothing wrong with treating symptoms. Most of us have taken a pain killer at some point in our lives to deal with acute pain and been extremely thankful for the result. However, when it comes to chronic health conditions please consider this analogy; if you have a nail in your shoe, you can either take a pain killer to reduce the pain, or remove the nail from the shoe. This is of course a slightly flippant example of the main principle behind the functional model of health, but it succinctly explains the difference between treating symptoms as opposed to the root cause.

The functional model of health is based on the fact that the body is composed of several highly interconnected sophisticated ‘functional’ systems, that when working efficiently, promote optimal health and well-being. These functional systems are intricately connected together and nothing exists in isolation.

We are all biochemically individual. What makes you, you, is unique to you. The functional model recognises that it is the summation of your environmental inputs (toxins, bacterial/viral load, stress, diet & lifestyle) over your life that are likely to have contributed to your current health concerns and that most chronic illnesses are typically preceded by a lengthy period of decline in one or more of the body’s functional systems. Family history and genetics can play a significant role in the development of health problems; however appropriate diet and lifestyle choices can do a great deal to lessen their expression (epigenetics).

It is through the taking of a detailed life history that the functional model aims to identify systems that may have been excessively challenged over your lifetime. When these systems are over stretched, it can lead to many symptoms, which often seem unrelated and hard to pin down. Once identified, these challenged systems can be supported through appropriate dietary and lifestyle interventions. As the body moves back towards a state of balance and optimal health, symptoms and health problems are more likely to resolve or lessen in their expression.

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