Functional Medicine
A holistic approach to health optimization.
What is Functional Medicine?
Functional Medicine is a modern, scientifically grounded approach that does not merely address individual symptoms but actively seeks their root causes. It rests on the insight that your body has remarkable self-healing capacities that can be activated once the right conditions are met. Through a combination of holistic assessment and detailed laboratory diagnostics, genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that influence health and predispose to chronic diseases are examined.
Principles of Functional Medicine
Treating Causes Instead of Symptoms
Rather than only treating headaches or fatigue symptomatically, Functional Medicine asks “Why?”. What is the actual trigger of your complaints? Once identified and addressed, symptoms can often be alleviated in the long term—and in some cases may disappear entirely.
Individualized Treatment Approaches
Every person carries a unique life and medical history. Therefore, Functional Medicine places great emphasis on personalized diagnostics and therapy—be it through nutrition, exercise, stress management, or sleep optimization.
Strengthening Self-Healing
Your body possesses enormous potential to regenerate itself when provided with the necessary “building blocks.” A balanced diet, sufficient exercise, good sleep, and effective stress management are crucial factors in supporting your immune system and self-healing capacities.
Treatment Concepts in Functional Medicine
NutritionThe adjustment of nutrition is the cornerstone of my treatment and consistently delivers remarkable results. Through targeted food selection and individually tailored nutritional strategies, inflammation can be reduced, metabolism regulated, and your vitality increased.
Exercise and Physical Activity
Exercise doesn’t always have to mean high performance. What matters is moving regularly—fitting into your daily life and preferences. This strengthens the heart, circulation, and metabolism alike.
Stress Management and Mind-Body Techniques
Whether breathing exercises, meditation, or Qigong—relaxation methods help reduce stress and promote mental health. A balanced mind has a proven positive effect on the entire body.
Nutrient Therapy
It can sometimes be challenging to meet the needs for certain micronutrients through diet alone. That’s why I specifically use dietary supplements such as zinc, selenium, iodine, magnesium, or vitamin D to address deficiencies and support the healing process. Omega-3 fatty acids also play an important role, as they have anti-inflammatory effects and contribute to maintaining healthy cell function.
Why Functional Medicine?
Leading experts like Dr. Jeffrey Bland and Dr. Mark Hyman emphasize the relevance of this approach in the face of the growing number of chronic diseases. Traditional symptom-oriented therapies often reach their limits. Functional Medicine, on the other hand, follows a holistic and simultaneously individualized path to effectively address complex health problems.
Applications of Functional Medicine
Fatigue Syndrome and BurnoutComprehensive root-cause analysis and targeted measures can permanently improve your energy levels.
Autoimmune Diseases
By identifying triggers and relieving the immune system, symptoms can often be significantly alleviated.
Chronic Bowel Diseases
An appropriate dietary change is central here before next focusing on the microbiome and actively supporting it. With the right concept, gut complaints can be sustainably alleviated and other conditions positively influenced.
Alzheimer’s
Dr. Dale Bredesen’s ReCODE protocol combines functional medicine with a comprehensive therapy plan that focuses on nutrition, gut health, hormone balance, and detoxification.
Cancer
Alongside conventional therapies, an anti-inflammatory diet (e.g., ketogenic) can be useful to slow tumor growth and improve quality of life.
Diabetes
Especially type 2 diabetes can often be significantly improved or reversed through a combination of dietary changes, exercise, and targeted nutrient support.
Chronic Pain and Inflammation
With a mix of anti-inflammatory nutrition, physical therapy, and effective relaxation techniques, pain can be reduced and well-being increased.
Cardiovascular Diseases
Appropriate nutrition, regular activity, and the regulation of inflammatory processes sustainably support heart health.
Functional Medicine in My Practice
I integrate the principles of Functional Medicine into a holistic and simultaneously individualized treatment concept. After a thorough anamnesis—in which we take time to examine your medical history, lifestyle, and potential causes—we create a plan tailored to you. This may include dietary recommendations, exercise concepts, stress management (including Qigong), and, if needed, nutrient therapy.
My goal: to activate your body’s self-healing powers and provide you with long-term greater well-being and quality of life. Together, we work on the concrete levers that influence your health status and find out what works best for you.
Do you have any questions or would you like to start right away? Feel free to contact me so that we can discuss together how Functional Medicine can help you personally.