I decided to start this blog with the intent of helping practitioners and patients apply the principles of functional medicine in a practical way.

I guess that would be somewhat obvious from the title, but the way I intend to do that is through sharing recently (and some not-so-recently) published articles that pertain to the application of functional medicine, or that help support a functional medicine view of the world, as well as books that might be of interest, and experiences I’ve heard around the industry. Whether you are new to functional medicine, one of its Elder Statesmen (like Jeff Bland, pictured in the photo I use in my header), or somewhere in between, I hope you find something of interest in my blog. Please join my conversation with a comment or experience!

So what do I mean by “functional medicine”? There are several definitions out there that could be applied, ranging from “anything that works” to “supporting the natural and healthy functions of the body.” I guess my definition would be closer to the latter, but it also carries a sense of whatever works, since I believe that there is a place for pharmaceuticals, surgical intervention or whatever we might ordinarily label as “conventional medicine.” That being said, I think the most powerful intervention that I can think of is in the control of the lifestyle choices we make. The food we eat and water we drink, the amount of exercise we get, our sense of purpose and belonging, and the relationships we surround ourselves with have such a profound impact on the quality of life and “health span” we are likely to enjoy that it’s hard to overstate its importance.

A key component of functional medicine is the awareness that by helping people control and modify what they eat, one can accomplish more than any other single intervention. Although I work for Metagenics, I want it to be clear that in my opinion (and for that matter, the guiding principles of the company as well), even the most well-designed and highest quality supplements cannot take the place of a healthy diet. Supplements help “fill in the gaps” or provide higher levels of specific nutrients than may be able to be obtained in the diet, but they don’t replace eating. That’s not to say that I don’t see supplements as important; quite the opposite. I’ve seen supplements turn around a person’s health in ways that diet alone has been unable to. Well-designed nutritional supplements can play an important role, and I take supplements on a daily basis.

Metagenics’ mission statement is to “lead the movement to make personalized nutritional intervention the standard of care in the treatment and prevention of disease and promotion of optimal health.” I hope this blog will help support that mission, and at the same time provides a useful tool in the implementation of functional medicine. Feel free to weigh in with your own thoughts!