Although advanced therapeutics and treatments have been developed to combat inflammatory arthritis, a majority of the patients never attain remission. However, many physicians and physiotherapists believe that environmental exposure, diet, and the amount of physical exercise can have a positive impact on the holistic health of the patients while also eliciting chances of complete remission.
While one may be hasty to assume that functional medicine contrasts sharply with the methods of traditional medicine, the truth is far from such notion. Functional medicine tends to expand upon the traditional medicine model by focusing on the root causes, underlying symptoms, and aberrations related to biological functions. Functional medicine implements highly individual and personalized treatment plans while considering lifestyle, environment, and genetic factors to play integral roles in the progress of a chronic condition/disease.
Commonly patients with inflammatory arthritis suffer from severe pain induced by Psoriatic Arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Spondylitis, or even Gout.
A work of research published in 2020 clearly shows that study subjects treated with Functional Medicine approaches tend to notice relief from pain faster in comparison to the standard treatment group. In addition, the individuals in the Functional Medicine group claim their average pain score to be much lower in comparison to the individuals who were simply undergoing the standard treatment. Moreover, the researchers also noticed that additional symptoms in their subjects were disappearing faster when functional medicine was combined with conventional treatment plans.
Multiple studies like this clearly show that Functional Medicine can quickly help with managing the pain associated with arthritis while also ensuring that the effects are long-lasting and without any side effects.
Hence, the question arises: why is Functional Medicine so efficient at treating arthritis?
Functional Medicine employs an integrative total mind-body approach which includes, gastrointestinal, endocrine, genetic, musculoskeletal, neurological, and psychological treatments based on proven scientific methods. Functional Medicine understands that a healthy gut is extremely important for maintaining a healthy immune system. Hence fixing a leaky gut, maintaining improved absorption, and adopting a healthy gut microbiome are some of the primary steps Functional Medicine employs.
Since arthritis is the result of chronic inflammation within the body, Functional Nutrition focuses on healing the gut, increasing antioxidants and intake of anti-inflammatory foods, lifestyle changes, limiting environmental disruptions, etc. to reduce inflammation and balance the immune system. Additionally, Functional Medicine delves into the root cause; the genetic changes associated with the autoimmune disorder and tries to realign the body’s immune response via comprehensive tests and examinations. Besides these, Functional medicine also relies on highly personalized exercise and yoga routines, acupuncture, IV therapy, and mind-body psychotherapy that ultimately work together to restore the immune system to its natural functions.
If you or anyone you know have been battling diabetes or undergoing diabetes treatment, please contact The Functional Medicine Center for Personalized Care, LLC (www.FxMedCenters.com) at 201-880-8247 or Specialized Therapy Associates at 201-488-6678 for our Integrative Mind-Body Health services. Our Integrative Mind-Body Health services incorporate Acupuncture, Functional Nutrition, IV Nutrition, Health Coaching, Exercise, Yoga, and Mind-Body Psychotherapy to support holistic healing and recovery.
Ishtiak Ahmed Chowdhury
References:
Chou CT, Pei L, Chang DM, Lee CF, Schumacher HR, Liang MH. Prevalence of rheumatic diseases in Taiwan: a population study of urban, suburban, rural differences. J Rheumatol. 1994;21(2):302-306.
Droz N, Hanaway P, Hyman M, Jin Y, Beidelschies M, Husni ME. The impact of functional medicine on patient-reported outcomes in inflammatory arthritis: A retrospective study. PLoS One. 2020 Oct 8;15(10):e0240416. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0240416. PMID: 33031458; PMCID: PMC7544031.
Singh J, Saag KG, Bridges SL Jr, Akl EA, Bannuru RR, Sullivan MC et al. Special Article: 2015 American College of Rheumatology Guideline for the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis Arthritis Care Res 2016; 68: 1– 25.
Hanaway P. Form follows function: A Functional Medicine overview. Perm J 2016;20(4):125–126.
Website: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000816.htm
