Functional medicine continually rises in popularity as more and more people want a more personalized, natural approach to healthcare. You may wonder whether you should have both a functional medicine doctor and a regular doctor, or if you should choose one over the other. You may also wonder if a functional medicine doctor can be your primary care provider.

Here’s what you need to know about functional medicine vs traditional medicine and whether you should have both types of doctors or just one. Let’s get into it.

What’s The Difference Between Functional Medicine And Traditional Medicine?

Both functional medicine and traditional medicine are fantastic approaches that can treat health issues and help you achieve and maintain general health and wellness. However, they are not the same thing. While both are rooted in science, they have key differences.

Functional medicine is a patient-centered, science-based approach focused on understanding how your unique genetic, biochemical, and lifestyle factors impact your specific health needs. It strives to treat health issues in a natural way.

Traditional medicine is science-based and can be patient-centered. It is widely accepted and used. Traditional doctors treat health issues with general wellness advice and recommendations, in addition to medication and more invasive treatments that functional medicine does not do, like surgery.

While many doctors of either approach will argue how theirs is better, the truth is that both functional medicine and traditional medicine have their merits. Both are good for different purposes. Hence why some people wonder whether you should have both a functional medicine doctor and a regular doctor.

Should You Have Both Types Of Doctors?

You can have both types of doctors, yes, but it isn’t a necessity. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health recommends informing yourself about the safety and effectiveness of any health approach that you are interested in. 

They recommend taking the same amount of care when choosing a functional medicine doctor as you would when choosing a traditional doctor. They recommend telling all healthcare providers that you work with about all health approaches you use in order to ensure safe, coordinated care. 

The NCCIH advises against using alternative methods in place of conventional methods that have not been proven as safe and effective and without consulting with your healthcare provider first. You can have both types of doctors in a complementary or integrative approach (which is when functional medicine and conventional medicine work together). Your primary care provider may be able to recommend functional medicine doctors to work with. 

Any functional medicine doctor that you see should be willing to work with your other healthcare providers. If they are not willing to collaborate with conventional medicine, continue your search. This is to preserve your safety, as many functional medicine approaches are still being researched. If your functional medicine doctor has no problem working with conventional doctors, this tells you that you can trust them to prioritize your health. 

Why You Shouldn’t Just Have A Functional Medicine Doctor

Functional medicine doctors are wonderful for giving you personalized advice and seeking the root cause of your symptoms. But wonderful as they are, functional medicine doctors do not provide emergency treatment or care for serious medical conditions. Health insurances generally do not cover functional medicine treatments, although they may cover certain tests and the like.

As such, see your functional medicine doctor for general wellness, in conjunction with your primary care provider. Keep your primary care provider to help you navigate the healthcare system, advocate for you, administer vaccines, prescribe medications, and the like. If you need surgery or suffer a serious illness or injury, your primary care provider will help you get the right care.

Can A Functional Medicine Doctor Be Your Primary Care Provider?

Many health insurances require that you choose a primary care provider. This is your main medical provider who is responsible for dealing with the majority of your health issues and referring you to specialists. The reason why you should have a primary care provider is to promote better health and wellness and to have someone who advocates for you in the medical system.

If you prefer your functional medicine doctor to your traditional doctor, you may wonder if they can be your primary care provider instead. While it’s a great idea to see a functional medicine doctor for general health and wellness and to get to the root of certain issues you may have, since most health insurances do not cover functional medicine, you will need a regular doctor as your PCP in addition to your functional medicine doctor. 

Do You Want To See A Functional Medicine Doctor?

Regeneration Health provides functional health services for both women’s and men’s issues. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you in your health journey.

Depression is one of the most prevalent mental illnesses and causes of disability here in the United States. Whether you are low-functioning or high-functioning, depression can create a cycle of maladaptive thinking and patterns. When you struggle with depression, it can be difficult to know what to do in order to manage it. 

Here are some helpful tips that may work for you when it comes to managing depression. 

A Disclaimer About Depression

As nice as it would be for there to be a “one-size-fits-all” treatment method, the fact is that what helps one person may be awful for someone else. In order to come up with the best way to manage your depression, it will likely take some trial and error, so take the following tips with a grain of salt. This does not mean that the following tips are ineffective, just that different things work for different people. By listening to your body and consulting with professionals, you can figure out what works for you.

It’s important to note here that if you have severe depression or it feels like nothing is helping you, this does not mean that nothing can help you. Help is out there and you can get better and find ways to manage your depression that work for you. If you are in a bad spot, ensure that you have mental health professionals in your corner, as they are the people who are best equipped to help those struggling with mental health issues. 

Tips For Managing Depression

#1. Try To Stay Active

This is one of those tips for managing depression that you’ve likely heard a million times before – because it can help. Exercise is a natural mood booster because physical activity releases endorphins. As Elle Woods famously said, “Endorphins make you happy!” 

If you have low-functioning depression, getting up and being active may seem like the hardest thing in the world. But even if you can’t make it to the gym or outside, even just walking around your house or pacing in your room can help.

#2. Get Outside

When you’re depressed, it’s easy to self-isolate and hole yourself up in your room. However, sunlight and nature can improve your mood. Getting outside, even if it’s just to sit on the patio, can help you to feel a bit better. 

If going outside is too much, you can try opening your blinds or curtains and cracking open your windows. That way, you’re still getting more natural light and fresh air than you would otherwise. While no cure for depression, the sun’s vitamin D can make managing depression easier.

#3. Set Realistic Goals

We’re all guilty of it: when people think goal-setting, they think about the big picture, their dream life, things that take time – and often, a lot of it, at that – in order to achieve. When you’re trying to manage depression, such big goals can make you feel even worse because you’re reminded of how far you still have to go.

Setting little, realistic goals can be useful when managing depression. Breaking large goals down into tiny pieces gives you plenty of micro-successes to celebrate. If you have low-functioning depression, a goal may look like brushing your teeth. Celebrate every win, whether it’s making it out of bed, putting laundry away, getting out of your home, or whatever other goal you may have set for yourself. 

If you are majorly depressed, setting multiple goals for the day may make you feel worse. Pick one, and over time, you can build on your goals. Achieving a goal, any goal, can help you feel more accomplished, making managing depression easier.

#4. Journal

If you’re trying to manage depression, you’re likely struggling with all sorts of negative thoughts, like rehashing that awful memory or beating yourself up for something you did or didn’t do. Journaling is a way to help yourself stop overthinking and fixating on an issue by allowing you to get it all out and identify where it’s coming from.

Negative thinking can make dealing with depression even more challenging than it already is. There are many different types of journaling you can try. Some people find it helpful to write out everything they are thinking. For others, doing that makes their depression worse and perhaps writing down things that you are grateful for or affirmations or goals that you have may be more useful to you. 

#5. Do Something New

When you’re depressed, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut. Forcing yourself to get out there and try something new gives your brain something else to focus on, which can be helpful when managing depression. Trying new things alters the levels of dopamine in your brain, which is the chemical associated with pleasure and enjoyment. 

Ineffective Methods For Managing Depression

The above are but 5 different tips that may help you when managing depression. It’s important to note that effective coping strategies don’t try to ignore your mood, but shift your focus so you can get out of your head. Many people turn to harmful methods of dealing with depression that can end up making it even worse over time, such as drinking, doing drugs, working too much, sleeping too much, self-isolating, and more. 

As nice as it would be if there were a cure for depression, it often takes time to feel better. What managing depression looks like will vary from person to person. Some people struggle with depression throughout their entire lives while others struggle with periods of depression after a major life event. Remember that whatever the reason for your depression, you deserve to feel better, and the best way to do this is through healthy coping mechanisms, such as those listed above.

Are You Struggling With Depression?

Regeneration Health takes a functional medicine approach to treating depression. We look to see if there is a root cause for your depression, such as inflammation, imbalance in gut bacteria, adrenal dysfunction, and other such issues. If underlying issues in your body are resulting in depression, we can provide treatment. 

If your depression is the result of chemical imbalances in your brain or personal circumstances, we can provide you with dietary guidance to ensure that nothing that you are putting in your body is making the problem worse. 

Managing depression is difficult, but professional help makes it easier. Contact us today to learn more about the treatment options we provide for depression.

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.