How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.
Anne Frank
Wellness Services
The Healing Place currently offers functional medicine services and chiropractic care.
Is Functional Medicine right for you?
Each individual is at a unique place on their journey to health. In order to better understand the next best step for you, we have created a quick questionnaire. Click below to fill it out and we’ll get back to you! If it seems like a good fit, we’ll get you scheduled for a complimentary phone consultation with Dr. Amy before you begin any service.
(Note: this questionnaire is required before starting The Works.)
What is Functional Medicine?
Functional medicine uses scientific principles, the wisdom of natural healing, advanced laboratory testing, and therapies other than drugs or surgery to restore balance in the human body’s physiological processes. Rather than addressing health conditions as isolated diseases, functional medicine focuses on the individual and the underlying imbalances or dysfunctions to reestablish health.
As a Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner, Dr. Amy can provide hope to those individuals who are still seeking help for their symptoms, despite already having seen several other practitioners. With a functional medicine approach, patients are provided a fresh view and offered answers to questions about their symptoms. The service is centered on the individual and health is viewed as more than just the absence of disease.
Why Do We Need Functional Medicine?
Most individuals practicing in the conventional (Western) medical model use an approach oriented toward acute care. An example of when this approach is appropriate would be in the diagnosis and treatment of appendicitis or a heart attack with a particular set of drugs or surgery.
We are experiencing a rapid increase in the occurrence of chronic, complex diseases such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, dementia, and autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto’s, Celiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriasis. The acute-care approach fails when dealing with these chronic, complex illnesses as it does not take into account an individual’s lifestyle, diet, or exposure to toxins, which are commonly at the root of these conditions. Furthermore, most pracititioners using this acute-care model are not adequately equipped to assess the underlying imbalances of these chronic conditions nor are they able to apply the appropriate nutritional, supplementation, and lifestyle guidelines to prevent or reverse these illnesses in their patients.
“Prevalence of metabolic health in American adults is alarmingly low, even in normal weight individuals. The large number of people not achieving optimal levels of risk factors, even in low-risk groups, has serious implications for public health.”
6 in 10
adults in the U.S. have a chronic disease
Despite spending double per person on “health” as comparable wealthy countries, the U.S. has some of the poorest outcomes and falls behind in international rankings of longevity.
Labs & Supplements
Please be advised that the cost of labs and supplements are not included. These fees are separate and vary depending on the complexity and nature of the case.
How is Functional Medicine Different?
There are many ways in which a functional medicine approach differs from that of conventional medicine. Expand each point below to learn more.
Different Focus
There are many ways in which functional medicine practitioners differ from those that have had conventional medical training. In functional medicine, the focus is on the individual as a whole rather than an isolated disease. By listening to a client’s story and using advanced lab testing, we are able to consider the intricate network of interactions between an individual’s history, lifestyle, and physiology before developing a personalized plan to get someone back on the road to health.
Different Lab Testing & Interpretation
Many practitioners with conventional medical training will use generic, baseline laboratory testing, which does not provide a complete picture of a person’s health status. On the other hand, functional medicine uses advanced lab testing to determine the underlying imbalances and dysfunctions that are contributing to a disease process.
There is also a great difference in the way lab results are interpreted within conventional medicine and functional medicine. A practitioner with conventional medical training uses what is called a pathological range to interpret your results and diagnose disease. If you fall within the normal part of that range, you are considered healthy. If you fall outside of the normal range, it usually indicates pathology or disease. Therapies, which in this case are typically prescription drugs, are not applied until your results fall out of the normal range and you have been diagnosed with pathology or a disease.
This is in contrast to the way labs are interpreted in functional medicine. Instead of waiting until your results fall out of the normal range to take action, natural therapies are applied when we notice that some dysfunction is occurring. This can help to prevent a disease from ever manifesting in the first place. Functional medicine notices that dysfunction because a functional range is used to interpret lab results, instead of a pathological range.
So, let’s take a deeper look: pathological range vs functional range.
The pathological range numbers, which are used by those with conventional medical training, are based upon an average of individuals who have been tested at that particular lab. This means that the range may be completely different if you were in another state. This also means that your lab results are being compared against the average person who is getting tested. Nearly half of our population has a least one chronic illness, and that does not include those who have not been diagnosed. So, the pathological range which is being used to determine if you are healthy or not, is based on a whole lot of sick people. What does this mean for you? When you are told your results are normal and therefore you are healthy, it is not necessarily true. It just means your results are average. I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t want to have the same state of health as the average population (read: at least one chronic illness). Normal does not equal healthy.
On the other hand, functional medicine uses a more tightly controlled range, called a functional range, to determine your health status. Healthcare professionals and researchers who embrace the principles of preventative medicine have determined these functional ranges. Much of the research concerning functional ranges has been established by esteemed organizations, such as the American Association of Clinical Chemists (AACC). Using the functional range means that your lab results are not being compared to an average, but instead compared against numbers which would actually indicate proper function. This allows for a much better analysis of your health status. Proper function, rather than average, is a much better indicator of health.
When a pathological range is used, you are either healthy or diagnosed with a pathology or disease. The truth is, it is not that black and white. The functional range also allows for the practitioner to notice when dysfunction is occurring and when someone is moving toward pathology, and take action before a disease is diagnosed.
Different Therapies
In conventional medicine, typically drugs and/or surgery are used to alleviate a symptom, as opposed to addressing the root cause of the problem. In the case of chronic illness, the drug often just covers up the symptom while the actual underlying condition remains or continues to worsen. Functional medicine, however, determines the underlying imbalances or dysfunctions and uses natural therapies such as food, lifestyle behaviors, and supplements to optimize physiological processes. Functional medicine therapies remove anything that might be interfering with the body’s innate ability to self-heal and adds anything that may be lacking in order for the body to reach a state of optimal function and health.
The information and products used are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
FAQs
How long does an appointment last?
This is dependent upon which service you choose. Appointments will vary between 15 minutes and one hour.
What if I have a question? Do I need a follow-up appointment?
This is dependent upon which service you choose. If you are doing The Works, email support is available all throughout the process. If your questions go beyond the scope of email support, we will save them for one of your review appointments.
If you have chosen to start with a Breakthrough Appointment, you will have time during your appointment for questions. General questions can be submitted via email, and we will do our best to help you. If your questions are detailed, or require more time and discussion, we will request that you book an appointment so we can discuss your concerns in more detail.
Can I order my own supplements?
You can, although it is not recommended. Supplements can be costly so it is important to understand the quality that you are getting. Dr. Amy’s qualifications afford access to high-potency, high-quality supplements which we can pass along to you.
Do you take insurance?
No. The cost of services are due according to your chosen service. We offer a payment plan for The Works. Insurance is not accepted to ensure you get the best quality care and to avoid third-party interference.
Can I have my lab tests done through my primary care physician?
Most labs that we recommend will not be easily, if at all, attainable through your regular doctor. That said, some may be and you can always ask.
I’ve seen a specialist; how is this different?
Functional medicine looks at the body as a whole, interconnected system. When dealing with a specialist, sometimes their view can be limited to one particular bodily system and therefore valuable information can be missed. Each of your bodily systems and organs do not function on their own but rather are very intimately connected. When we change the focus from a particular conditon to the entire individual, it allows for a much more comprehensive understanding of what may be going on. This then allows us to target certain areas of imbalance to work toward re-establishing health.