Art of Functional Medicine

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Standard of Care and Functional Medicine

Posted on by Meg McElroy MS, PA-C
  I once read a Facebook post in an integrative community group that asked members what natural “go-to” remedies were recommended to give her husband (who had been in an accident a few hours earlier, and was “showing signs” of a concussion).  Floods of comments came through, giving dietary and supplement device, until finally an […]... Read More
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Evidence based medicine in functional medicine

Posted on by Meg McElroy MS, PA-C
“First do no harm” We rely on evidence-based-medicine (EBM) to determine safe and effective treatments for our patients.  This is ideal for pharmaceutical drugs that are potent and carry many side effects/risks, herbal medicines and supplements that are utilized in high or continuous dosing, and physical medical interventions such as IV treatments and procedures. Over my […]... Read More
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Teaching vs Treating

Posted on by Meg McElroy MS, PA-C
When we go to the health care clinic, we expect to leave with a cause of our illness (aka diagnosis) and a treatment to feel better.  But there should be one more thing you get from your doctor – education. In functional medicine, the focus is on teaching patients how to obtain/maintain optimal health (versus […]... Read More
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Proving Functional Medicine

Posted on by Meg McElroy MS, PA-C
Functional medicine is rooted in evidence-based scientific research (aka “proof”), which helps those of us who have chosen this path back up our choices for labs and treatments. For any practitioner who has attended an Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) course, you know how overwhelming it can be with all the studies that are reviewed […]... Read More
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Insulin Resistance: The Facts

Posted on by Meg McElroy MS, PA-C
In our medical education, we learn about insulin resistance, and what parameters “define” insulin resistance syndrome (aka metabolic syndrome).   But how do we measure it and identify it?   Let’s start with a basic biochemistry reminder.  Insulin is an anabolic hormone made by the beta cells of the pancreas.  It’s purpose is to help […]... Read More
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Difference between functional medicine and mainstream medicine

Posted on by Meg McElroy MS, PA-C
I’m often asked the difference between functional and mainstream/conventional medicine.  I can repeat the typical definition of functional medicine (find the root cause, systems-based, etc), but I don’t think this really gets the point across.  Instead, I like to look at it from 3 different perspectives or mindsets. These are generalized, maybe stereotypical, but I […]... Read More
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The Art of Functional Medicine: 5 Things To Avoid as a Functional Medicine Provider

Posted on by Meg McElroy MS, PA-C
Functional medicine, a practice that involves looking for and treating the causes of symptoms (rather than just treating the symptoms), is a type of integrative medicine that was developed in the early 1990s.  The interest and use of this type of approach is exponentially increasing, largely driven by the number of patients that are experiencing […]... Read More