Functional Medicine / Functional Clinical Nutrition
Functional Medicine
Definition: Functional Medicine is a modern system of health care involved with diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of many health-related conditions as well as focusing on increasing general health and well-being through utilizing therapeutic, patient-centered protocols and practices. Functional Medicine practitioners utilize a variety of functional diagnostic tools and testing to assess each individual’s health status to allow for specific treatment programs.
This system, as it is utilized by Dr. Ensweiler, is rooted in Natural Medicine, chiropractic, and naturopathic approaches as part of a “health & wellness” model and is designed to: optimize health, address current health imbalances, and promote disease prevention through focusing on nutritional/dietary, environmental, and lifestyle issues.
Functional Clinical Nutrition
Definition: Functional Clinical Nutrition is a branch of Functional Medicine that utilizes patient specific diagnostic and treatment protocols to address underlying nutritional and lifestyle imbalances that are involved in individual health problems as well as to promote general health & well-being and for prevention of illness.
The Goals of Functional Clinical Nutrition:
- To establish and maintain general health & well-being and to prevent illness through natural health care approaches.
- Focus on restoring and maintaining optimal health by addressing and restoring physiological functions, when possible, utilizing specific clinical nutritional/herbal, and lifestyle practices.
- Detecting stressors to the immune system through evaluation and functional diagnostic testing. A further goal is then to focus on protocols to help strengthen and allow for proper immune system function.
- Focuses on identifying and addressing underlying causes of chronic health problems and concerns based on nutritional, lifestyle, and environmental factors.
- Emphasis is on treating each patient according to their unique and specific health history, concerns, and needs.
- To offer effective& natural complementary and alternative approaches to modern pharmaceutical based health care.
Common Conditions Addressed with Functional Clinical Nutrition
- Digestive and Bowel Problems
- Joint & Muscular Pain& Inflammation
- Headaches (Migraine, tension, etc)
- Blood Sugar Imbalances
- Cardiovascular Health
- Cholesterol/Lipid Imbalances
- Hormone Imbalances: Adrenal, Thyroid, Female, Male
- Menstrual & Menopausal Imbalances (PMS, hot flashes, etc)
- Sinus & Respiratory Problems
- Immune & Autoimmune Conditions
- Fatigue, Anxiety, Mood Imbalances
- Sleep Imbalances
- Certain skin conditions
- Preventative Health & Wellness counseling
Evaluation and Diagnostic — Functional Clinical Nutrition
Comprehensive evaluation of individual health history and current issues with questionnaires. The initial consultation involves discussing a patient’s unique health history and treatment goals to determine if this health care approach is fitting and appropriate. If a potential patient is accepted, any treatment options and lab testing will be discussed in detail.
The initial evaluation is a 60 minute appointment.
Functional Diagnostic Lab Testing available at Lotus Healing Arts
Comprehensive Blood Chemistry panels with Nutritional Evaluation
- Hormone Profiles (salivary, blood): Adrenal Stress Index, Thyroid, Female & Male, Melatonin
- Digestive and GI analysis – Stool testing for digestive function, infections, parasites, etc.
- Food Sensitivity Panels (blood)
- Comprehensive Cardiac Profiles (blood)
- Detoxification, Toxicity, and Heavy Metal panels, Organic Acids (urine, blood)
- Micronutrient Panels: (blood) – vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids
- Bone health profile (urine)
Functional Clinical Nutrition Treatment Protocols
Individual treatment protocols and programs are based on each patient’s unique health history and current issues. All testing and treatment protocols are fully explained so that each patient can be responsible for participating more fully in their health care program.
- Specific nutritional, nutraceutical supplemental and herbal support for specific conditions and general health.
- Specific dietary and nutritional recommendations including detoxification protocols (when appropriate).
- Lifestyle considerations: Exercise, Stress Management, Sleep, etc..
- Recommendations for structural and energetic therapies when needed
NOTE: Functional Clinical Nutrition does not replace the need for appropriate medical diagnosis and treatment. If necessary, medical referrals will be recommended to rule out pathology and/or more serious conditions before receiving professional guidance in clinical nutrition. Functional Clinical Nutrition does not treat disease per se, but rather focuses on healthy and balanced dietary, nutritional, hormonal, digestive, and detoxification functioning to help restore and maintain optimal health and well-being. This approach can almost always be utilized along with concurrent medical treatments, however, these issues will always be determined on an individual basis.
To help determine if you or your loved ones might be helped by Functional Clinical Nutrition practices, you can contact Dr. Ensweiler through e-mail or consider a brief, complementary phone consultation. You may also set up an appointment for an initial evaluation at Lotus Healing Arts.