Who should get more time to solve a chronic problem, a mechanic or a doctor?

A mechanic is allowed the opportunity to investigate the cause of a car’s problems. The mechanic is allowed and expected to ask the car owner questions, connect the vehicle to a computer to run diagnostics, take the car for a test drive, and look under the hood and disassemble parts as needed for a closer look.  For complicated issues an hour is common just to come up with an estimate.

The body is MUCH more complicated than an automobile. The 10-minute visit that ends with a prescription has become the norm in healthcare today. This is not healthcare. This is sick care.

Pills only treat symptoms—never the root cause(s) of the problem. Pharmaceuticals mask symptoms while the underlying metabolic processes continue to do damage in other ways. For example, doctors often prescribe triptan medications for the treatment of migraines. The patient takes the medication and the headache goes away.  Great, right?  Well, maybe not.

What is the root cause of the patient’s chronic migraines? Is it a triptan deficiency? No. So, now this scenario plays out: Because the patient can take a pill to get rid of their headaches, they continue to eat a poor diet of inflammatory foods and attempt to get by on only 5 hours of sleep every night. Yet, these poor lifestyle choices that are the root causes of the chronic migraines are continuing to do damage that will be expressed at some point as other symptoms—IBS, chronic fatigue, reflux, viral illnesses, etc.  The patient will then be given more prescriptions for pills to treat their new symptoms. Not once was the patient probably asked about diet, sleep, stress, work environment, toxin exposures, etc. The 10-minute visit the patient had with their doctor just won’t allow for such in-depth questioning. The current healthcare environment is one of quick fixes that only kicks the can down the road until patients are on multiple meds and seeing multiple specialists. The Functional Medicine approach is the antidote to the chronic health issues plaguing our country today. If you feel yourself sputtering throughout the day our Functional Medicine clinic can help.  Your engine will thank you.

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