Gastrointestinal Disorders

Intolerances, Allergies, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, Gastro Oesophageal Reflux Disorder, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Dysbiosis, Leaky Gut

What is the gut microbiome? It is the trillions of bacteria found in the human gut - there are 10 times more bacterial cells than human cells in our body. The more modern medicine progresses, the more we realise the gut has an impact on virtually everything going on. 70% of the body’s immune system is found in the gastrointestinal tract. The gut plays a role in mood, appetite, sleep, digestion, memory, sexual function among many others through its various transmitters. Essentially the gut is central to a lot of pathophysiology, and is a focus of our as well in treatment.

Functional testing can help pinpoint gastrointestinal issues and imbalances. There are numerous tests, but stool testing is the most common test done and can be a challenge to interpret. Each of these conditions requires a tailored approach, and we provide that.

Skin Disorders

Dermatitis, Wrinkles, Eczema, Acne, Hives, Rosacea

The skin is our largest and most visible organ. Our appearance is important to us and it plays a huge role in our quality of life. If not managed accordingly it can result in stress, anxiety, social isolation, worsening physical symptoms and low self esteem. Whether they are aesthetic issues or not, we generally manage skin problems with steroids, creams, antibiotics, botox, fillers, laser and light therapy. With a functional medicine approach it is different because the skin is often a symptom of other imbalances elsewhere in our bodies.

Through functional medicine we will get to the root cause of skin issues - chronic infection, bacteria trapped in skin pores or hair follicles, hormonal issues, weakened immune system, vitamin/mineral deficiency, stress and lifestyle factors, high toxic load, increased inflammation, gastrointestinal issues. Many studies present links between gut dysfunction and skin conditions. Perhaps a cream or injection will make the skin look better or not, but solving the underlying issues are essential for having healthy and vibrant looking skin.

Sleep Issues

Insomnia, Tired All The Time, Fatigue

The cost of fatigue and sleep issues is enormous - missing work, feeling overwhelmed, social isolation, stress, low energy, pain, anxiety, exhaustion, poor concentration, making mistakes are just a few of many factors. Sleep is not just helpful to our health, it is essential period of life - it helps us age gracefully, improves our memory, improves creativity, keeps our emotions level headed, maintains our energy, helps with metabolism and play a huge role in healing and recovery. Sleep regulates our blood pressure, restores our neurons, regulates sugar and helps with immunity and is anti-inflammatory.

Sleep is woven into the patient as a whole and one of the 5 foundations of a healthy lifestyle. Functional medicine approaches sleep in variety of ways and approaches it on a mitochondrial level. Whether it is simple or more complex lifestyle changes, as well as through testing and treatment. Stress management, exercise, diet, gastrointestinal support, supplemental strategies, sleep hygiene, routines, and other supportive therapies are all explored. What we do during our wakeful state determines when we falls asleep, how we fall asleep and how we feel.

Weight & Hormonal Issues

Weight Gain, Weight Loss

The struggles of weight gain and loss often go beyond just that. There are underlying issues, rooted in lifestyle, mitochondria, genetics, inflammation and overall pathophysiological states. These issues are linked to the other body systems such as hormones, metabolism and immunity. Through functional medicine we identify the root cause - assessing the chain of function and where the problem lies, whether its production, transport, sensitivity or communication between systems.

We manage through lifestyle alterations, nutrition, supplementation, and bridging therapy with injections if needed.

Mental Issues

Stress, Work Burnout, Low Energy

Whether we just want to optimise our health or become more productive and amend our habits or we have deeper issues, functional medicine will get aim to solve it. Mental issues are not to be overlooked as seen as less compared to the physical symptoms. In functional medicine we view the patient as a whole, and the problems of one are closely linked to the other and cannot be viewed independently. The 5 foundations of lifestyle are sleep and relaxation, exercise and movement, nutrition, stress, and relationships. These 5 pillars are linked to our mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. If we can improve our lifestyle and remedy our body ailments such as gastrointestinal, immune and endocrine, then we can live a more healthy and energetic life.

Functional medicine views the body in systems of assimilation, defence and repair, communication, transport, elimination and biotransformation, structural integrity and energy. Combining this view with lifestyle and the vast wealth of conventional medicine enables us to grasp the root cause of issues and solve them. This results in more optimised and recharged health.

Cardiometabolic Disorders

Insulin Resistance, Blood Sugar, Cholesterol, Adrenal, Thyroid, Erectile Dysfunction

There are factors like genetics that we cannot control, but also lifestyle which we can control. People with a string family history of cardiovascular disease can utilise advanced testing through functional medicine to personalise their care and management. Functional medicine testing can identify genetic variations causing abnormalities in metabolism. Assessing a patients Q Risk and other lifestyle factors can give us a prognosis on their health, and making lifestyle adjustments can go a long way.

Terms like prediabetes or erectile dysfunction should not be viewed as permanent in most cases, and through implementing the 5 core functional medicine lifestyle changes along with supportive management we can go a long way in preventing and reversing these issues.