What is Integrative and Functional Medicine?

Integrative and functional medicine are both patient-centered approaches to healthcare that aim to improve a person's overall health: 

• Integrative medicine

  Uses a combination of therapies and lifestyle changes to treat the whole person. Integrative medicine can include conventional treatments, as well as holistic and complementary therapies like massage, acupuncture, herbal remedies, and mind-body therapies. The goal is to create balance and harmony within the body to support natural healing processes. 

• Functional medicine

  Focuses on identifying and treating the underlying causes of a condition. Functional medicine doctors are fully licensed doctors who have completed additional training and certifications in functional medicine. They consider a patient's genes, environment, and lifestyle factors to determine the cause of an illness. Functional medicine treatments often include lifestyle interventions like dietary changes, nutritional therapy, and supplements. 

Functional medicine is a specialty within integrative medicine.

Integrative psychiatry is a holistic approach to mental health that uses a variety of therapies to treat psychiatric disorders: 

• Personalized care

  IIntegrative psychiatrists consider a patient's full life, including their mind, body, spirit, and personal life. They develop customized treatment plans that address the root causes of mental health issues, rather than just treating symptoms. 

• Conventional and complementary therapies

  Integrative psychiatrists use a combination of conventional and complementary therapies, including medications, psychotherapy, lifestyle interventions, and alternative therapies. 

• Holistic assessment

  Integrative psychiatrists consider many dimensions that affect a patient's mental health, including their physical, emotional, interpersonal, behavioral, nutritional, environmental, and spiritual dimensions. 

• Brain health

  Integrative psychiatrists may use brain SPECT imaging to identify issues that are contributing to a patient's mental health, such as traumatic brain injury. 

• Lifestyle interventions

  Integrative psychiatrists may use lifestyle interventions such as diet, exercise, stress reduction, and nutritional assessments. 

• Complementary therapies

  Integrative psychiatrists may use complementary therapies such as acupuncture, bodywork, massage, natural supplements, homeopathy, and botanicals. 

Integrative psychiatry aims to optimize a patient's health and wellness by rebalancing their mental, emotional, functional, spiritual, social, and community functioning.