The power of functional medicine is not only to help reduce symptoms. It is also for long term prevention and ultimate healing.

Functional Medicine is not only for the chronically ill or those with chronic mysterious symptoms.

The power of functional medicine can be harnessed for high achievers who  want improvement. Perhaps they want to achieve a personal best in their sport or optimal brain function to get that promotion at work. Maybe they want to be their very best self with their family and friends.

Today I’m going to share with you how to find the right Functional Medicine Practitioner. Are they practising the five foundational aspects of functional medicine?

The first powerful foundation of functional medicine is taking a thorough history.

Conventional medicine always does a thorough medical history. However, Functional Medicine takes it one step further. We look at environmental exposures, toxins. Stresses and traumas you’ve had in your life. Even genetics. Using all of this information, we look at how multiple factors caused the manifestation of your symptoms.

The second powerful foundation of functional medicine is functional testing.

Conventional medicine tests levels. For example hormone levels, iron, white and red blood cells or liver enzymes. Functional Medicine takes it a step further. We look at why those levels are off. Looking at our body’s ability to absorb, lack of stomach enzymes, imbalance in the microbiome, bacteria and even parasites. Any or all of those things could be the root cause.

The number one piece of information that I give before anyone starts working with me is the uncomfortable truth about gluten and your health. Yes, it is time to eliminate gluten. 

The most commonly associated symptoms with gluten sensitivity are gastrointestinal. These symptoms include constipation and diarrhea, gas and bloating, nausea and vomiting. But what you may not know is that more than 50% of gluten sensitivity symptoms are not gastrointestinal. These symptoms look like headaches, brain fog, joint pain, gait, issues like ataxia, neuropathy is an inflammation of nerves, even depression and anxiety.

The other thing that makes it so complicated is that people can have a delayed reaction to gluten. This can mean that it may take almost 72 hours for you to have a response. This is why it’s so difficult to ascertain whether you have a sensitivity to gluten or not.

Even if you don’t have any of these symptoms. It’s time for you to awaken to the uncomfortable truth about gluten and your health.

Gluten causes intestinal permeability in all humans.

Intestinal permeability, also known as leaky gut, is when the cells of the gut lining start to get holes in them. These cells are there to protect you from the outside world and when they start to separate the consequence of this is leaky gut. Once we start to get particles into our bloodstream from our gastrointestinal tract that we don’t want there, this results in increased inflammation in the body.

Gluten directly impacts the lining of the gut through the production of a protein called Zonulin. This protein directly causes leaky gut! Some people can heal that gut permeability quicker than others. However, those that can’t heal as quickly are the ones that suffer from symptoms of gluten sensitivity.

Have you heard of non celiac gluten sensitivity?

You may have heard of celiac disease, but what you may not know is that non celiac gluten sensitivity is four times more common. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have celiac because gluten causes inflammation in all humans.

The only way to know if it’s affecting your day to day health is through an elimination. I recommend 30 days of eliminating gluten, 100%. One of two things will happen. Either your symptoms will lessen, and you’ll start to feel better. Or you won’t notice too much of a change, but upon reintroducing gluten, you’ll start to have symptoms that you didn’t know were there.