Functional Medicine & Inflammation

If the definition of functional medicine is a little ambiguous to you, you’re not alone. While certainly not a new medical discipline, the functional medicine method, gut inflammation and the role of nutrition, is still a bit obscure for many people. 

What is Functional Medicine?

Functional medicine seeks to find the root cause of a person’s illness. When a person is unwell, rather than treating only the symptoms, this approach looks to uncover what is actually causing those symptoms and address the underlying condition(s). 

Evidence-based and deeply rooted in science, functional medicine recognizes that all the systems in our body work together, each influencing the others. This interconnectivity means that one condition can have multiple causes, and one cause may trigger many conditions.

Here’s an example:

Condition: 

• Depression 

Root Cause: 

• Inflammation

Conditions Triggered: 

• Inflammation can also cause arthritis, heart disease and diabetes

Functional Medicine Treatment Approach:

• Identify and correct the root cause (inflammation) of the depression through changes in diet and lifestyle

Results:

• Relief of inflammation mitigates the depression
• Potential detrimental effects on other systems are avoided 

When assessing the root cause of illness, functional medicine looks at multiple factors which are different for each person because everyone is genetically and biochemically unique. Our individual health conditions are greatly influenced by our diet and nutrition, as well as general lifestyle (activity level, work habits, stress, toxins), genetics and environmental factors. 

What is Inflammation?

Inflammation (from the Latin “inflammo”) is our immune system’s response to stimulus; it is our body attempting to fight off foreign invaders. Inflammation can be acute (short-term and protective) or it can become chronic (ongoing and destructive). 

Examples of acute inflammation include sudden injury or illness. Once your immune system has done it’s work to heal you, the inflammation goes away. Chronic inflammation occurs when your immune system becomes overstimulated with a continued onslaught of factors. This ongoing inflammation can eventually cause additional health concerns like arthritis, diabetes or heart disease. 

Anti-Inflammatory Spring Produce

Good nutrition and healthy eating habits are a fundamental tenet of the functional medicine approach. What we put into our bodies has a direct impact on how our physical bodies function, how our systems interact with one another and how we feel on a daily basis. A diet heavy in processed foods, added sugars and unhealthy fats can cause inflammation in our gut, while minimally processed and whole foods can reverse inflammation and provide additional health benefits.

With the spring season underway, a new crop of vibrant fruits and vegetables is starting to pop up in grocery stores and farmers markets. The benefits of consuming these fresh (and local!) foods are endless: fruits and veggies contain a plethora of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, flavonoids and antioxidants. Even better, many also boast heavy anti-inflammatory properties.