Active Edge Chiropractic and Functional Medicine Columbus Ohio logo

What Is Functional Medicine? Dr. Erik Hensel

Hello everyone, I’m Dr. Erik Hensel with Active Edge Chiropractic & Functional Medicine in Columbus, Ohio. Wanted to take a minute to just explain a term that a lot of people have heard out there, and even a lot of people that haven’t. What is Functional Medicine?

Whole-Istic Functional Medicine

There’s a lot of different variations of Functional Medicine out there, but really to me what Functional Medicine is it’s taking a look at your whole entire lifestyle, not just where you’re at right now. We look at:

  • where you’ve been
  • your genetics
  • your family history
  • where you’ve lived
  • all things that really could stress your body

Physical, chemical, emotional stresses, spiritual stresses – all should be addressed in a good, functional model. And so, what Functional Medicine does is it looks at the underlying cause or causes of people’s problems, and really addresses those as opposed to being symptom-based – which, unfortunately, a lot of modern or western medicine is very symptom driven.

You don’t really have to look any further for that model than to turn on your TV and hear a whole list of symptoms, with the people skipping down the beach, right? So finding a different model than what has gotten us to our healthcare crisis is very important, and that’s what Functional Medicine really offers.

What And Who Is Functional Medicine Good For?

Functional Medicine can be great for people who have tried a lot of other approaches, who have tried different things in their past, and haven’t really received results that they think they should be getting for their health – or aren’t quite at the level of health that they think they should be or think that they deserve to be.

If that’s you, and you’re struggling with different health concerns like:

  • Bowel Discomfort
  • Hormone Imbalance
  • Chronic Headaches & Fatigue
  • Anxiety / Depression
  • Chronic Aches and Pains like Arthritis Fibromyalgia

Any of those things – that’s a great approach for looking at your lifestyle and for Functional Medicine to be implicated. I hope you have a great day, and if you have any questions please comment or click below.

As always, hit the subscribe button and the little yellow bell to receive video updates from us in the future. Again, hope you have a great day – and look forward to talking to you soon

Share our Post!

Facebook
X
LinkedIn
Email
patient asking a chiroproactor a question about the spine

Stage 3: Nourish & Refresh

At this point, you are feeling better than you ever thought you could as you are feeling energized and thriving. You have learned a lot about your body, you are moving more efficiently, you understand your body’s cues, and you have a good idea of what to do with these cues. This means you get to try new things, achieve new goals, and conquer new challenges!  As you do, we will be here as your resource, as needed, to help you nourish, boost, and refresh your health.

an Active Edge chiropractor assessing the lower spine of a patient in Columbus Ohio

Stage 2: Activate Healing

Pain is generally the last symptom to show up and the first to go away. This means that by the time you realize there is a problem, there has been a problem for a long time. Especially for chronic or recurring issues, understanding how you got to where you are is so important for getting to where you want to go. In this stage of your journey, you will resolve underlying dysfunction, remove cheats, and retrain habits. As we aid you in activating your body’s natural healing potential, we will help you regain movement, energy, and body function both inside and outside. Throughout this process, you will start to feel greater ease and inspiration as you restore communication and efficiency in your body. Together, we will constantly assess, observe, and reassess your body’s responses to boost your results.

A doctor in Active Edge explaining functional medicine to a patient in Columbus Ohio

Stage 1: Discover Root Cause

You are your own person, with your own collection of life events which brought you to where you are today. You deserve to be heard, seen, and treated as the individual you are. Your journey begins with your Discovery Evaluation. This first visit includes your exam which works to uncover the root of your issue(s), new patient diagnostics, and, of course, your first treatment. This is how we will help you begin connecting the dots and feeling better. After your first treatment, we will ask you to observe your body’s responses– good, bad, or indifferent. There is no wrong answer as this is just starting point information and direction for moving forward. In your second visit, we will review this feedback and your diagnostics to further identify potential underlying causes and compensations. We will combine everything we have learned about you, consider your goals, and together create a plan to resolve your concerns from the roots up