We are excited to introduce our functional medicine model for the management and treatment of chronic disease to southwest Michigan. Over the years we have seen a growing number of patients come through our general surgery practice with abdominal complaints and no significant abnormal findings on testing. This became increasingly frustrating as we felt very limited in our ability to help these patients that were clearly experiencing significant symptoms that were “not normal”.

Through investigation and our own research after becoming frustrated with our inability to help these patients, we came upon the field of functional medicine. This approach for medical care focuses on treating the whole patient, rather than focusing on an individual disease. This allows us to look for the root cause of an illness instead of treating symptoms or lab values with an increasing number of medications.

With this approach, we have been able to make a significant change in the health of many of our patients, without any surgery! We are eager to help anyone suffering with chronic health or gastrointestinal problems help find health and vitality once again.

In order to find the root cause of any health problem, we need to look not only at recent symptoms and events but also look extensively into your past history to search for triggers leading to disease and dysfunction.  Therefore we spend at least 90 minutes with you at your first appointment to go over your complete medical and personal history and look for clues to determine how best to restore well-being.  We will then discuss a variety of interventions including dietary and lifestyle changes, vitamin and mineral replacement as well as more traditional medical therapies when necessary.  All treatment plans are tailored to each individual patient.  Our goal is to work closely as a team with each patient to help you regain control of your health and well-being.

Rather than identify and treat specific and separate diseases or symptoms largely with medications, minor procedures or surgery as is done in most traditional medical practices, we practice with a patient-centered approach, focusing on signs and symptoms of malfunction throughout the body and how the different areas of dysfunction all relate to the patient’s health as a whole.  This allows us to address the root cause or core difficulties that then lead to a variety of health problems or troubling symptoms, rather than just addressing  one or two symptoms.  Functional Medicine practitioners spend a lot of time with their patients, listening to their histories and looking for interactions among genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that can influence long-term health and complex, chronic disease.

Functional medicine integrates traditional Western medical practice with “alternative” or “integrative” approaches to develop a science-based healthcare approach  based on up-to-date scientific research as well as human pathophysiology, or how your body’s cells, DNA and messaging systems work together to help every part of your body function at it’s best.

Many chronic diseases are diet and lifestyle-related diseases.  Therefore treatment of these often necessitates long-term changes in these areas.  This is a fundamental aspect of treating from a functional medicine perspective.