Look Who it Was Random video

Functional Medicine

144 views · Published 12 November 2018 · 1:52 · Indexed 28 September 2026

Channel: Lee Health · 2018 · Science & Technology

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If you research functional medicine, this may be what you find. “Functional medicine helps clinicians identify dysfunctions of the psychology and the biochemistry of the human body as a primary method of improving patient health,” explained Julie Hill, an outpatient dietitian with Lee Health. 

How it works, is a little more complicated. “It’s taking and going back through someone’s history and really identifying where, if there were any triggers or any antecedents which are pre or inborn things that occur during the pregnancy phase, whether or not the person was breastfed or bottle fed,” explained Hill. 

Functional medicine is very individualized. Using a 20-page questionnaire, it examines the patient’s entire body and history to get a better understanding of their health. “Our bodies are capable of complete repair. However if we don’t supply it with the correct properties or the correct things it won’t repair, and that’s when we end up with a disease,” she said. 

By closely examining the patient’s history, health experts can determine what’s causing symptoms related to chronic pain, the immune system, or the gastrointestinal tract. “It averagely takes about three months for every cell to turn over in the GI system. So if we are looking for a change in the GI system, we have to expect that it’s going to take time for cell turnover,” said Hill. 

Functional medicine also focuses on a patient’s lifestyle to help improve their health. “Lifestyle has your sleep, stress, relationships, and social situations, and then food and exercise,” she said. 

While it’s not a quick and easy fix, making lifestyle changes can help to improve a patient’s symptoms.

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