Since functional medicine is patient-centered, focused on finding the root causes of problems, and strives to prevent problems as much as possible, you may wonder whether or not kids can see functional medicine doctors. Is functional medicine only for adults or would functional medicine doctors agree to see your kids?
Here, we’ll go into whether children can see functional medicine doctors and some things to keep in mind with your children’s medical care.
Can Kids See Functional Medicine Doctors?
The titular question you can here for. In short, yes, kids may see functional medicine doctors who do family medicine.
Children and adults alike can benefit from functional medicine alongside traditional medicine. There’s no pitting these two areas of medicine against each other, as both of them are important to your overall health.
However, a functional doctor should not be your child’s only doctor, the same as your functional medicine doctor cannot be your primary care provider.
Your Children Still Need A Primary Care Provider
As mentioned in the above section, while yes, your child can see a functional medicine doctor, they still need a primary care doctor. This is because traditional medicine and functional medicine work in tandem in order to keep you and your child in the best health possible.
For example, children must be vaccinated, for their health and safety, and for the health and safety of all who interact with them. You would need to see a primary care provider for this. Traditional medicine is also important for annual physicals, health screenings, specialty care, critical care, and preventative care.
A functional medicine doctor cannot replace a primary care physician – but their work can complement your primary care provider’s work. It’s crucial that everyone involved in your child’s care is open and willing to communicate with each other. Both your primary care provider and your functional medicine doctor should coordinate with each other.
This is especially important because combining different therapies and treatments can lead to adverse effects, which can be very serious. Everyone involved in your child’s care should know what therapies they are doing, what treatments they are taking, what medicines, vitamins, and supplements they are taking, and more, to ensure your child stays safe.
Additionally, many insurance companies do not cover functional medicine care and require a primary care provider on file. You will need to check with your insurance company to see what your plan covers and what it does not.
How Can A Functional Medicine Doctor Help Children?
In many different ways!
Functional medicine is focused on preventing health problems and getting to the root cause of any health issues that do appear. For example, a functional medicine doctor can provide tools about managing meal times, encouraging different types of exercise, decreasing stress as a result of chronic health problems, and improving your child’s overall quality of life.
When you work with a functional doctor, you can better help your child live a healthier, happier life. Functional medicine doctors look at your child as a whole person. What this means is that they take into account factors like what their sleep is like, what their diet is like, how much they exercise and play outside, the context of their family, community, and emotional state, and more. This helps them know what can be improved for your child’s health.
For instance, if your child doesn’t like to eat healthy food, your functional medicine doctor (and your primary care provider) can advise you on tactics to help with this.
A Word Of Caution
Functional medicine is wonderful – but every area of medicine has its bad seeds. Just think about how often functional medicine doctors say that traditional medicine doctors don’t care about their patients. It’s not true, but there are definitely some traditional medicine doctors that fit the bill.
If you want to take your child to see a functional doctor, ensure that they are actually able to provide your child with proper care. Some functional medicine “doctors” do not even come from a medical background and are not connected to a healthcare system. As such, you’ll want to check the doctor’s credentials to ensure that they are indeed certified.
Functional Medicine Care For The Whole Family
Here at Regeneration Health, we provide comprehensive healthcare services for the whole family. We’re passionate about helping people in all stages of life stay healthy or regain their health as best we can. Contact us to learn more about our functional medicine services.
