Natural Medicine vs Functional Medicine - What's the Difference?
Dr. Scott Resnick | Chattanooga TN
I find that a degree of confusion is commonly encountered around the terminology used to define different styles of medicine. Certainly in the era of “natural” foods, cosmetics, fabrics and the like, there is a growing tendency, and a greater consumer drive, towards products and services that are more natural. But what exactly defines “natural”, and how does this translate to the practice of medicine? Specifically, is Functional Medicine equivalent to, or different from Natural Medicine?
Defining Natural Medicine
My sense is that the term “natural”, when applied to the practice of medicine, defines less of what is utilized for the practice, and more of what isn’t. A natural medicine provider is prone to reach for treatments and interventions that are found in nature. Clearly a powder or a tincture made from a plant is natural, as is a food or a mineral. What I appreciate about a natural approach to health is that it is not limited to creams, tinctures or diets. A natural medicine practitioner could also tap into other components of nature that may well have healing applications. This could include the use of sound, light, vibrational energy or touch. Natural medicine bases treatments in that which is found in nature exclusively; modalities that incorporate any degree of pharmacology, such as the use of antibiotics, are specifically excluded from the practitioner’s armamentarium, whether by choice or by law.
How Functional Medicine Differs from Natural Medicine
Functional Medicine similarly tends towards a purely natural approach. The well versed Functional Medicine provider understands and utilizes the benefits of this approach, and will frequently utilize many of the modalities offered by a purely “natural” provider. I believe that the ability to tap into the complexity of the human physiology and spirit using purely natural approaches is powerful, and in many cases this could provide the single intervention that allows the patient to regain a state of optimized health. As a Functional Medicine Doctor, I will unquestionably reach for a food, plant, nutrient, hormone or supplement first. In a majority of my cases this is all that is required to repair and realign one’s health. Ideally we can attain a state of health that can then be maintained with the basics; clean water, organic foods, tranquility and community.
“I feel that on occasion one needs to utilize the advancements in science and medicine to rectify a severely damaged or unbalanced physiology that is contributing to one’s illness.”
- Dr. Scott Resnick
However I feel that a primary factor that differentiates a Functional from a purely Natural provider is the understanding that on occasion one needs to utilize the advancements in science and medicine to rectify a severely damaged or unbalanced physiology that is contributing to one’s illness. Yes, I prefer to utilize herbal approaches to rectify a yeast overgrowth. But if this fails, on occasion a person needs an aggressive course of anti-fungal drugs to rebalance the gut’s ecosystems. A severe case of Bacterial Overgrowth of the Small Intestine (BOSI) may respond to probiotics, but on occasion the use of a non-absorbed antibiotic is the best recourse. Severe adrenal depletion frequently responds to adaptogenic herbs, but rarely the individual requires Cortef, which is a drug used to replace cortisol.
In conclusion, I believe that a Functional approach offers the best of both worlds. In my practice I can go weeks without writing a “conventional” prescription, emphasizing the use of natural treatments, herbs, hormones and foods. But a functional approach to health really delves into the vast complexities of human biological and physiological systems. I strongly believe that the “Western”, purely allopathic, symptom-based and medicine-driven approach is generally doing more harm than good, and in my practice I make every effort to pursue health from a different, more “natural” perspective. But let’s not throw out the baby with the bathwater. With a hybrid, Functional approach, we can optimize our patients’ lives, health and longevity.
My sense is that the term “natural”, when applied to the practice of medicine, defines less of what is utilized for the practice, and more of what isn’t. A natural medicine provider is prone to reach for treatments and interventions that are found in nature. Clearly a powder or a tincture made from a plant is natural, as is a food or a mineral. What I appreciate about a natural approach to health is that it is not limited to creams, tinctures or diets. A natural medicine practitioner could also tap into other components of nature that may well have healing applications. This could include the use of sound, light, vibrational energy or touch. Natural medicine bases treatments in that which is found in nature exclusively; modalities that incorporate any degree of pharmacology, such as the use of antibiotics, are specifically excluded from the practitioner’s armamentarium, whether by choice or by law.
How Functional Medicine Differs from Natural Medicine
Functional Medicine similarly tends towards a purely natural approach. The well versed Functional Medicine provider understands and utilizes the benefits of this approach, and will frequently utilize many of the modalities offered by a purely “natural” provider. I believe that the ability to tap into the complexity of the human physiology and spirit using purely natural approaches is powerful, and in many cases this could provide the single intervention that allows the patient to regain a state of optimized health. As a Functional Medicine Doctor, I will unquestionably reach for a food, plant, nutrient, hormone or supplement first. In a majority of my cases this is all that is required to repair and realign one’s health. Ideally we can attain a state of health that can then be maintained with the basics; clean water, organic foods, tranquility and community.
“I feel that on occasion one needs to utilize the advancements in science and medicine to rectify a severely damaged or unbalanced physiology that is contributing to one’s illness.”
- Dr. Scott Resnick
However I feel that a primary factor that differentiates a Functional from a purely Natural provider is the understanding that on occasion one needs to utilize the advancements in science and medicine to rectify a severely damaged or unbalanced physiology that is contributing to one’s illness. Yes, I prefer to utilize herbal approaches to rectify a yeast overgrowth. But if this fails, on occasion a person needs an aggressive course of anti-fungal drugs to rebalance the gut’s ecosystems. A severe case of Bacterial Overgrowth of the Small Intestine (BOSI) may respond to probiotics, but on occasion the use of a non-absorbed antibiotic is the best recourse. Severe adrenal depletion frequently responds to adaptogenic herbs, but rarely the individual requires Cortef, which is a drug used to replace cortisol.
In conclusion, I believe that a Functional approach offers the best of both worlds. In my practice I can go weeks without writing a “conventional” prescription, emphasizing the use of natural treatments, herbs, hormones and foods. But a functional approach to health really delves into the vast complexities of human biological and physiological systems. I strongly believe that the “Western”, purely allopathic, symptom-based and medicine-driven approach is generally doing more harm than good, and in my practice I make every effort to pursue health from a different, more “natural” perspective. But let’s not throw out the baby with the bathwater. With a hybrid, Functional approach, we can optimize our patients’ lives, health and longevity.
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Learn more about how you can benefit from Functional Medicine
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Learn more about how you can benefit from Functional Medicine
Contact us to setup your free initial consultation.