The challenge with functional medicine is that there are so many lab tests out there- all of which are useful in some way. There are also many great nutritional companies and many good nutritional protocols. The challenge is that there is so much available it is impossible to learn everything and even more difficult to apply it all to members of the practice in an organized way.
The model I am beginning to follow is based on both simplicity and the order in which people typically get sick. It focuses on 3 main body systems in a specific order. Based on experience with my own health and others this order seems to make sense.
Often we get sick when a major amount of stress occurs in our life. This overworking of our adrenal glands( stress hormones) causes an imbalance. This stress hormone imbalance weakens our immune system and then we get bacteria,yeast or parasite infections in our gut and a leaky gut. When our gut gets unhealthy then our detoxification mechanisms get overwhelmed and further decline in our health occurs as a result.
This functional medicine model says that for the majority of people we start with testing the stress hormones ( salivary adrenal stress test). Once we get the stress hormones normalized we then test and correct any infections in the gut. Once the gut is totally back to normal then we correct any faulty detoxification processes. Of course this 1,2,3 approach is a process that takes time. By following this order for the majority of people, we can make fundamental improvements in the persons health which will both last and yield the best result possible.
Yes we are going to follow the model ourselves- I, Deb and Megan are all getting an adrenal stress profile done in the next week and then begin a program based on that testing. We welcome any questions this blog post may bring to mind.