There are 7 basic principle of Functional Medicine:
1. Science-based medicine that connects the emerging research base to clinical practice.
2. Biochemical individuality based on genetic and environmental uniqueness.
3. Patient-centered care rather than disease-focused treatment.
4. Dynamic balance of internal and external factors that affect total functioning.
5. Interconnections of the body’s physiological processes affect every aspect of functionality.
6.Health as a positive vitality, not merely the absence of disease.
7. Promotion of organ reserve
The term Nutritional Medicine covers the application of nutritional methods in the treatment and prevention of disease. We address issues of diet and lifestyle and then take it a step further to use as a therapy modality.
As long as 2000 years ago Hippocrates said: “Let food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food”“…to know what man is in relation to food, drink, occupation, and which effect each of these have on the other …”
Historically, clinical nutrition was limited to treating general malnutrition and specific nutritional deficiency, however the field of nutritional science has gradually broadened to include diet, vitamin and mineral supplements, and other related factors in the prevention and treatment of diseases.
Today, Nutritional and Environmental Medicine is defined as the study of nutritional and environmental factors and their interactions with human physiology, biochemistry, pathology and anatomy. It involves the clinical application of these interactions in the optimisation of health, the prevention and treatment of disease.
Nutritional medicine is aimed at achieving proper balance within the body by providing the molecular environment that allows it to heal itself. This is done by looking at basic nutrition, providing those nutrients that are found lacking or reducing those found in excess.
Environmental Medicine is concerned with those physical and psychological symptoms that result from allergy or sensitivity to various inhalants, foods, beverages and numerous chemical substances in air, water and food. It identifies toxic and allergic factors to remove or avoid them and/or desensitizes the body so that their effect is negligible.
Mainstream medicine is reserved in its opinion of the usefulness of supplements, just as it is critical of alternative practices like herbal or homeopathic treatments. The criticism is largely based on an assumption of the lack of scientific validation of these therapies, however it is our opinion that there is an adequate body of scientific research to validate many alternative therapies and we feel confident in offering these therapies to you in conjunction with mainstream medicine.
It is well established that nutritional factors are of major importance in the development of diseases such as atherosclerosis and cancer and strong links have been found with many other diseases. Beneficial effects of low fat diets in cases of heart disease are well known by many already and it has been accepted that supplementation of Folic Acid prior to conception reduces the incidence of neural tube defect in the fetus by 75%.
The Journal of the American Medical Association recently published a study by the Harvard Medical School recommending that every adult should take a quality multivitamin to protect against chronic illness.
As Medical Practitioners with training in Nutritional Medicine, it is our aim to integrate the best combination of drugs, diet, supplements or herbs to help your individual problem.
NUTRITIONAL MEDICINE PRODUCTS
At Transformational Medicine Australia we offer a small number of complementary products because we wish to offer our patients the convenience of immediate supply and the best kind of service.
Many of the products are Practitioner Only Products and are not easily obtainable from other outlets. There is a mark-up on the wholesale cost of these products to cover our costs.
The products that we recommend have been carefully selected by our doctors who are experienced and trained in nutritional medicine through the Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine. We are aware there are similar products that may be cheaper but that these may contain unsuitable additives, inferior raw materials and are not always formulated to have the best combination of properties of quality supplements.
We believe that the products we offer are of the highest quality available and this is based on scientific evidence and clinical outcomes provided by independent research, the suppliers of the products and of course the doctors personal experience.
We believe optimum patient care, the prevention and management of illness, involves appropriate nutritional advice.