I was honored to recently speak with Dr. E.F. Rain on “Decoding Healthcare Research,” a podcast by Agora Project. We chatted about the purpose of functional medicine, how it’s different from allopathic medicine, and the potential benefits of this approach for everyone. I’d love to have you watch or listen to our conversation, available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music. I also thought I’d share the highlights with you here.
We first addressed a question I get asked a lot: What is the difference between functional and allopathic/Western medicine? And is one better than the other? Functional medicine is an approach that strives to identify and address the root causes of symptoms and diseases – rather than merely masking symptoms.
Allopathic medicine, on the other hand, excels at acute symptom treatment. Both approaches have their place and can complement each other well. In fact, at Evoke5 Medical Center, my functional family medicine clinic, we integrate both functional and allopathic methods in our diagnosis and treatment plans.
We also discussed a frustrating topic: The importance of data (from lab work and other testing) in functional medicine and the notable lack of insurance coverage for lab work that could vastly improve diagnoses and outcomes. While I can’t change what insurance will cover, I am able to direct my patients to the lab my clinic uses, which offers testing at a much more accessible, reasonable cost.
Dr. Rain and I then dove into a discussion on inflammation – and how mitigating chronic inflammation will mitigate chronic diseases up to an astonishing 85% of the time. There are two primary areas of inflammation – in the gut and on a cellular level. Going back to data, a comprehensive lab analysis will give you the data to know if you are dealing with chronic inflammation and where it is in your body.
We wrapped up with a conversation about functional medicine’s holistic approach to healthcare, considering factors like nutrition, sleep, stress management, mental well-being, and aesthetics. In my clinic, we follow the 5 Pillars of Health & Wellness(c), which looks at medical, physical, mental, spiritual and aesthetic wellness.
If you’d like to have a conversation with me about functional medicine and how it can help you reach your health goals, get in touch. I’m seeing patients at Evoke5 Medical Center, my functional family medicine clinic in Oklahoma City, and offering online consultations for clients across the country.