Category: Naturopathic Medicine

The Epstein-Barr virus causes a very common infection known as mononucleosis. Symptoms of mono include extreme fatigue, sore throat, fever, swollen lymph nodes, swollen tonsils, headache, rash, and sometimes a swollen spleen. However, some individuals develop a chronic reactivated Epstein-Barr (EBV) problem. [1],[2]  I have noticed this is common in people with chronic fatigue and have seen it quite a bit in competitive athletes. Detecting Reactivated Epstein-Barr In a study [3] on elite athletes with persistent fatigue, 27% were found to have chronic viral infections. Viral illness as a cause of long-term fatigue often goes undetected unless specific blood work is requested. In this study, eight of 37 athletes tested (22%) were actively secreting EBV into their saliva at the time of testing. The detection of EBV shedding suggests immune dysregulation and may contribute to the symptoms experienced by these athletes. EBV reactivation has recently been established in swimmers engaged in intensive training and is thought to result from exercise induced alterations in the immune mechanisms responsible for controlling viral reactivation. Evidence of infection was also found for cytomegalovirus (five cases), EBV (three cases), Ross River virus (one case), toxoplasmosis (one case), and mycoplasma (one case). Eight of the 37...

Functional medicine is very similar to naturopathic training. Emphasis is placed on the cause of disease rather than ways of masking symptoms. Functional medicine is also very personalized and aims to examine the underlying biochemical and physiologic terrain. Laboratory testing is a primary feature of this type of medicine. Functional medicine is really the same thing is naturopathic medicine, and it’s known that functional medicine tests are extremely helpful in giving the provider facts in lieu of guesswork. What's the Difference Between Integrative and Functional Medicine? Functional medicine does not typically diagnose diseases but instead will diagnose many underlying factors that contribute to disease. Common diagnoses through functional medicine are nutritional deficiencies, food allergies, or an intestinal parasite, to name a few. For instance, irritable bowel syndrome may actually be caused by an intestinal microbial imbalance, imbalanced nervous system, or food allergies. This would be an example of treating the cause. Often, standard conventional medicine tests do not look deep enough. Functional medicine testing is a good fit for conditions that are not improving with conventional treatment, or for conditions that defy a diagnosis. The term functional applies to how the body functions. What Health Issues Can Functional Medicine Treat?...

A common question that integrative and holistically minded practices are often asked is whether or not functional medicine is covered by insurance. Functional medicine is a style of practice that typically includes extensive testing. See our post about the difference between integrative and functional medicine for an in-depth explanation. The business model of a functional medicine practice does not integrate well with the conventional insurance model. Functional medicine describes a way of treating dysfunction in the body and finding the underlying cause of disease. Emphasis is placed on knowing the patient and a highly personalized approach. It’s the opposite of the one size fits all, cookie-cutter medicine that is unfortunately very prevalent today in primary care. By treating the cause of disease, expensive procedures and prescriptions can sometimes be avoided.  Functional medicine is a more in-depth look into what is going on with the patient. Visits can be an hour or more and insurance will not cover this type of visit. What Health Issues Can Functional Medicine Treat?   The Divide Between the Functional Medicine Approach and Conventional Insurance Model Occasionally you may find a medical doctor who takes insurance and agrees to run a few tests through some of...

Functional medicine is a style of medicine that looks at the underlying causes of disease by performing detailed and personalized testing. It's a style of practice, not a treatment. While there’s nothing particularly unique about functional medicine, it’s highly targeted and personalized if done correctly. The goal of functional medicine is to find the underlying causes of disease, illness, and feeling unwell. Learn about the difference between functional medicine and integrative medicine in our recent post. For most conditions, functional medicine can help by fine-tuning the internal environment. This is done by optimizing metabolism, vitamin levels, and ruling out the presence of elevated environmental toxins. Tests such as blood, urine, saliva, stool, and genetics, are the underpinning of functional medicine. The functional medicine practitioner does not know what is wrong unless they test! When to See a Functional Medicine Doctor Seeing a functional medicine doctor is especially helpful when conventional medicine has not provided good answers. It’s also a good path when a diagnosis has been made, but the drugs prescribed caused too many side effects. By digging deeper, a variety of treatments including clinical nutrition and nutraceuticals can be applied therapeutically. Digging deeper means asking a lot of questions...

Most integrative doctors use the same types of tests as functional medicine doctors. In fact, a functional medicine doctor is really just utilizing a lot of testing and then treating what they find in the test results. Functional medicine is a style of medicine that looks at the underlying causes of disease by performing detailed and personalized testing. There are some differences though. One difference is that other providers such as chiropractors and acupuncturists may advertise themselves as functional medicine providers. In these cases, there can be a little less medical knowledge involved. Treatment would also focus mainly on supplements and herbs. In an integrative practice such as NatureMed, treatment can include clinical nutrition supplements and even prescriptions in some cases. The focus is on accurate diagnosis. Diagnosis Can Be Dependent on Experience A functional medicine doctor is going to use their wealth of knowledge to make a Western clinical diagnosis if possible. Naturopathic doctors will do the same thing because we are very well trained in Western medicine. Of course, a lot depends on the amount of training and years of practice. It would be possible for a chiropractor who has been practicing for 20 years in functional medicine...