---
title: What You Need to Know About Functional Medicine
description: What functional medicine means today and why is it important to your health and your future.
---

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# Total Access Medical - Direct Primary Care Blog

# What You Need to Know About Functional Medicine

Posted by [Total Access Medical](https://wellness.totalaccessmedical.com/blog/author/total-access-medical) on Oct 09, 2017

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[Functional medicine](http://drhyman.com/about-2/about-functional-medicine/)is a new and improved way to treat your health. It is a personalized system which allows for new scientific techniques and methods to translate into the healthcare and provider market and get to the patient.

For years scientists had test methods for [cloning](http://www.dictionary.com/browse/cloning), [sequencing genes and DNA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_sequencing)and studying [strains of a virus](https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/184-virus-strains). Today a patient can have the direct benefit of what we do in the laboratory through **functional medicine**, whereby the physician takes specific notes indicating possible illness and looks for clues not only to the diagnosis but the solution. The ideal solution in every sick patient is to treat the underlying cause of the illness not just the symptoms.

**Functional medicine** is real, serious action oriented medical care that will enhance your healthcare. Although it is confused, through rumor and misunderstanding as ["alternative medicine" or nonsensical foolery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_medicine). This is not true.

Our ability to test bodily samples i.e. blood, urine, saliva samples with rapid and very specific machines has opened up the field of medicine and integrated laboratory protocols with treatment of the human condition. This is exemplified by work at the Cleveland[Clinic](https://my.clevelandclinic.org/departments/functional-medicine)and many other renowned organizations that have departments of **functional medicine**.

There are many articles on the internet that contradict the reality and benefit to the healthcare of the patient and depict **functional medicine** as something it is NOT, non-science based, [unproven treatment](https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/functional-medicine-the-ultimate-misnomer-in-the-world-of-integrative-medicine/). This unfortunate misunderstanding and misinformation may give people pause when they are fortunate to have access to a primary care physician utilizing **functional medicine** in their practice.

Some of the real, common and serious illnesses that we improve treatment and outcome utilizing functional medicine are conditions such as depression, memory loss, celiac disease and malnutrition.

**Functional medicine** also encompasses the use of [pharmacogenomic testing](http://mayoresearch.mayo.edu/center-for-individualized-medicine/drug-gene-testing.asp)of life saving drug interactions such as coumadin, also helping to guide precise dosing and administration of drugs to children and people of all ages based on our genetic make up, which hold the blue print for exactly what drug a person may or may not be able to metabolize to what dosage of the drug is appropriate. Administering drug dosages based on weight is outdated and can lead to less than optimal outcomes. Now we are smarter faster and better. Healthcare is smarter better and faster. The key is finding the right physician. 

At [Total Access Medical](http://totalaccessmedical.com/)we have primary care physicians with the wide breadth of knowledge and multidisciplinary education empowering them and our patients with treatment using **functional medicine.**

 Topics: [Health](https://wellness.totalaccessmedical.com/blog/topic/health), [Healthcare](https://wellness.totalaccessmedical.com/blog/topic/healthcare), [functional medicine](https://wellness.totalaccessmedical.com/blog/topic/functional-medicine)

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