Functional Medicine Services California
Here at Restoration Healthcare, we believe the primary purpose behind functional medicine is to get to the underlying cause of the physical dysfunction and then resolve the problem. That’s a lot different than just suppressing symptoms.
And in order to accomplish this form of lifestyle medicine, we search for the upstream causes of downstream symptoms and diseases.
That analogy is clear and concise, and it describes our method of communication between physician and patient. When it comes to dealing with your health issues, we firmly believe clarity is the most effective way to explain our course of action and why we recommend pursuing it.
We work together to improve your health
You’ll probably notice a few of these analogies throughout this page — and whenever we meet face to face in consultation. That’s because changes to your lifestyle will depend on what we decide jointly, and it’s important that we’re on the same page.
For instance, when we explain how our exploratory holistic methods differ from other medical approaches, we do so by saying, “It’s the difference between turning off the stove and just putting a lid on a boiling pot.” Most of us can easily associate with that analogy.
The doctors here at Restoration Healthcare seek the root cause of your ailment, pain, disease or disorder in order to provide the most beneficial solution. We don’t just concur on the best pill or surgical procedure to alleviate the symptoms.
Understanding California Functional Medicine
Functional medicine is based on the cell and its purpose within the human body. We all know that in order to have a healthy cell there are things that cell needs. By concentrating on these cells— in the muscles, bones, cerebellum or stomach for example — we cater to that cell’s particular requirements. For instance, cells all require some fats, quality protein, nutrients and water.
And at this point, another analogy is in order:
A typical bicycle wheel has 36 spokes. But should even one spoke be broken, the entire wheel will be out of balance. And if that spoke isn’t repaired, it’s likely the other spokes will become distorted. Soon the wheel will be so damaged that the bike becomes useless.
The same holds true for the lowly cell. When all of the cells in your body are healthy, they work together to keep you healthy. However, there are five things that can prevent cells from good health and these include toxins, diet, stress, allergies, and infections. How do we go about discovering which issues are affecting your health?
Again, it’s all about communication: Us listening to you and then you understand our diagnosis of the problem and our solution to that problem.
Asking questions that matter
Our doctors — Dr. Raleigh and Dr. Bakman — go to great lengths to get to know you. It’s not a social engagement by any means, but they do it in a noninvasive, conversational fashion that keeps you at ease.
What we want to know is your health history from when you were a child. We want to know your family’s health history. We want to know your habits, your diet, and your exercise regimen, if any. And emotional issues… How do you handle stress, and what do you do to relax at the end of the day?
And then we ask you two more questions:
- What is it you think you need more of? More sleep, more exercise, more nutritious food?
- And what do you think you need less of? A medicine cabinet full of pills, alcohol, toxins, allergens — may be diet colas?
Your personal history reveals your environment. And a bad environment can destroy good genes. Or put simply (and yes, it’s another analogy): Genes load the gun; the environment pulls the trigger.
Our job is to explore your history and habits and health issues and then make changes to correct what ails you. It’s true that what you eat, drink, think, breathe and touch has a direct effect on your health and lifestyle. We’re here to help you use your body’s own healing capabilities to bring it back into balance. Call our office today at (949) 535-2322 to schedule an appointment.
And we start that process by communication — asking questions and tossing in a few analogies.
We also offer the following Services:
