Functional medicine addresses the underlying causes of disease and treats the systems of the body as an entire entity rather than treating an isolated set of symptoms. The foundations of good heath are the focus of nutritional therapy: nutrient dense whole food diet, digestion, blood sugar handling, fatty acids, minerals and hydration. By focusing on the foundations, functional medicine supports the unique expression of health and vitality for each individual.
Are you getting the nutrients you need? Vitamin, mineral and antioxidant deficiencies have been shown to contribute to degenerative processes such as diabetes, autoimmune diseases, heart disease, arthritis and even cancer. Standard blood tests do not measure for nutrient deficiency. I recommend the SpectraCell Lab for anyone suffering from dysfunction in the body to chronic disease. This lab can “connect the dots” and help me prepare individual protocols to correct imbalances. Below are examples of deficiencies that relate to common ailments.
Many of my clients complain of fatigue. The SpectraCell lab can identify nutritional deficiencies associated with fatitue:
Fatigue: deficiencies in B vitamins, vitamin D, A, E and C, chromium, zinc, CoQ10, fructose intolerance, magnesium, serine, biotin, and chromium. For example, B vitamins are necessary for converting food into energy; low vitamin D is associated with chronic fatigue and reduced muscle strength; low vitamin A is associated with decreased ATP production in cells, fructose intolerance is a classic symptom of fatigue, magnesium is required to store energy, biotin helps the liver utilize glycogen for energy and zinc deficiency lowers immunity that can cause muscle fatigue.
Another common issue I deal with is dyslipidemia (abnormal amounts of cholesterol or fat in the blood). deficiencies in manganese, magnesium, vitamin C,D B3, B5, zinc, selenium, chromium, inositol, lipoid acid, carnitine, choline, CoQ10. For example, chromium specifically improves dyslipidemia that accompanies insulin resistance; inositol decreases small, dense LDL and lowers triglycerides; lipoid acid improves lipid profile by reducing LDL, vitamin C protects LDL from oxidation thus making it less “sticky” and prone to clogging of the arteries, suboptimal zinc rises dangerous lipoproteins and promotes vascular inflammation. To learn more about the Spectracell lab please go to my home page and click that link.
