Our Approach
Why Integrative/Functional Medicine?
We are witnessing a sharp increase in the number of people who suffer from complex, chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, mental illness, and autoimmune disorders.
The current system of conventional medicine is oriented toward symptom care with physicians applying specific, prescribed treatments such as drugs or surgery that aim to treat the immediate problem or symptom.
Unfortunately, the conventional method falls short of addressing and preventing complex, chronic disease. In most cases it does not take into account the unique genetic makeup of each individual or factors such as lifestyle and environmental exposures to toxins. Integrative medicine provides a comprehensive treatment approach to factors such as genetics, diet, exercise, sleep patterns, stress as well as environmental toxin exposure.
What is Integrative/Functional Medicine?
Integrative medicine or functional medicine is classically defined as ‘relationship-centered care that focuses on the whole person, making use of all appropriate therapeutic approaches, healthcare professionals and disciplines to achieve optimal health and healing, including evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine.’
In other words, in this approach, we address the underlying causes of disease, using a science based, systems-oriented approach and engaging both patient and practitioner in a therapeutic partnership.
The Foundation of Our Approach
Gut and Digestive Health:
Our gut is at the core of our health. Understanding why it breaks down and how to repair it becomes a priority in treating most chronic ailments.
Inflammation and Immune Balance:
When the immune system shifts out of balance, inflammation can run rampant — causing a chronic, smoldering fire inside your body that contributes to disease and weight gain. Managing inflammation is a key aspect to achieving health.
Hormones and Neurotransmitters:
Hormones and neurotransmitters are important small proteins that play an important role in our health and sense of wellbeing and uncovering reasons for imbalances in these areas is essential.
Detoxification:
Detoxification is the science of how our bodies get rid of waste. If waste builds up, we get sick. The key becomes figuring out how to enhance our body’s capacity to detoxify and get rid of waste while minimizing our exposure to toxins.
Energy:
Fatigue is a common complaint of most patients. Understanding how to optimize our mitochondria (energy producing part of the cells) and how to reduce oxidative stress (which results from toxic insults, infections, allergens, stress, and just eating too much poor-quality food) is an often overlooked yet vital component to becoming a thriving human.
Lifestyle:
Lifestyle changes are a cornerstone of this healing model, since the state of our health is the result of interactions between genes and our environment. Diet, physical activity, stress, sleep, rest, fulfilling relationships, work, and school etc. are examples of aspects of lifestyle that are addressed during the development of treatment plans.
The Mind-Body:
Mind-body medicine uses the power of thoughts and emotions to influence physical health. Mind-body therapies are a group of healing techniques that enhance the mind’s interactions with bodily function, to induce relaxation and to improve overall health and well-being.
Healthy Environment:
Most things in our environment interacts with our genes to create health or disease. This is the revolutionary concept of epigenetics. Creating a healthy environment inside and out is our first step to balancing the system.
To schedule an appointment please contact us
Carolina Integrative Clinic
254 Towne Village Dr, Cary, NC 27513, United States
Email: office@ciclinic.com
Tel: (919) 869-6661
Fax: (919) 301-9349