For my initial article, I thought it might be of interest to readers to know how I began down the functional medicine pathway, as well my general approach toward diagnosing and treating illness and disease.

I had been practicing strictly Western Medicine and found myself to be very frustrated. I specialize in Internal Medicine which, for those of you who don't know, encompasses all adult medicine except for surgery. Many people, especially women, come to the doctor complaining of fatigue. In fact, that may be the most frequent complaint that I hear. In addition, there are often complaints of sinus problems, allergies, eczema, indigestion, bowel problems, muscle and/or joint pains, depression, and weight concerns.

In Western Medicine, we regard all the above as individual issues and list them on a patient symptom list. Unfortunately, after the history is taken, and the blood work comes back normal (in most cases), the patient is put on a variety of medications to take care of each of the symptoms, is patted on the head and told that everything is fine. Meanwhile, the patient knows that something is wrong. No wonder people are frustrated with traditional medical care!

Symptoms are a way for our bodies to warn us that something is wrong. If we just treat the symptom, we never uncover the cause, or the etiology, of the problem. And, while we are treating the symptoms, the underlying cause may be worsening - until, perhaps, we have a nasty disease.

In Functional Medicine, we usually find that ailments are interconnected - often caused by an inflammatory condition and/or poor lifestyle. Functional Medicine first identifies the person's underlying disorder, which can cause many different symptoms and diseases, and then employs natural medicine, to the extent feasible, to treat the individual.

These states of dysfunction often occur because of an unhealthy lifestyle - too little sleep, overeating or eating foods that one is sensitive to, chronic stress, or a lack of exercise. When we're young, we are usually able to more than compensate for our lifestyles, but as we get older, our bodies don't have as much reserve. In addition, they are coping with the damage that has been done to them over our lifetime.

Fortunately, by doing some simple functional laboratory assessments, we can examine the systems in the body which are fundamental to good health - the hormone/immune, digestive, and detoxification systems. Depending on the test results, changes can be made to our lifestyle that can help to balance these systems. These may include exercise, sleep habits, stress management, and diet, including supporting our body with nutritional supplements.

In the weeks to come, we will discuss some of these symptoms, the laboratory assessments that can identify the underlying causes of the symptoms, as well as natural medicine and lifestyle changes that can correct these imbalances. By restoring normal function to the body's key systems, the body is able to heal itself.