Functional Medicine in Hong Kong
In this resource, we list all of the reputable functional medicine practitioners in Hong Kong.
What is Functional Medicine?
Functional medicine is a type of complementary medicine that includes a variety of untested and unproven approaches and treatments. Its proponents say that it concentrates on the “root causes” of illnesses by developing “individualized treatment regimens” based on interactions between the environment and the gastrointestinal, endocrine, and immunological systems. It has been labeled as quackery, pseudoscience, and a rebranding of complementary and alternative medicine.
Functional medicine is a systems biology-based approach to discovering and treating a disease’s underlying causes. Each symptom or differential diagnosis might be one of several factors causing a person’s sickness.
Who Started Functional Medicine?
Jeffrey Bland invented functional medicine. Bland launched The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) as part of one of his firms, HealthComm, in the early 1990s. In 2001, the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM), which promotes functional medicine, became a recognized non-profit. Mark Hyman is one of the most vocal supporters today.
The term “functional medicine” is used loosely by its proponents. According to oncologist David Gorski, the ambiguity is a deliberate strategy to make functional medicine difficult to question, but in general, its practice focuses on unneeded and expensive diagnostic procedures undertaken in the name of “holistic” health treatment.
Hong Kong Functional Medicine Clinics
The functional medicine concept arose from the ideas and viewpoints of a small number of significant thought leaders who recognized the value of a customized approach to disease etiology based on the latest discoveries in nutritional science, genomics, and epigenetics. These thought leaders figured out how to put these new discoveries to work in the clinic, addressing core causes with low-risk therapies that change molecular and cellular systems to reverse disease drivers.
Functional medicine thought leaders are able to use new knowledge in ways that typically resulted in remarkable improvements for patients who had previously failed therapies. A return to scientific ideas of developing new techniques to explore unifying variables at the cellular and system levels that underpin organism-wide issues as part of this advancement. Find Out More
Providers of functional medicine spend time listening to you and compiling your medical history. We utilize this information to figure out what’s causing your sicknesses, such as inadequate diet, stress, pollutants, allergies, genetics, and your microbiome (the bacteria living in and on your body).
The strategy stresses prevention and combines standard treatment with successful supplementary therapies from what is commonly referred to as “alternative” medicine. Our practitioners may offer individualized advice on diet, exercise, and stress management approaches, as well as recommendations on whether to pursue:
Many foreign and local insurance companies have direct billing agreements with OT&P Healthcare for patients having reconstructive operations. Many major insurance cards are accepted; however, please confirm with us beforehand.
List of Hong Kong Functional Medicine Clinics
Proponents of Functional Medicine
Instead of accepting a disease model based on the notions of “antecedents,” “triggers,” and “mediators,” proponents of functional medicine criticize current medical knowledge and reject its paradigms. These are intended to correlate to the underlying reasons, direct causes, and specific aspects of a person’s sickness. From these characteristics, a functional medicine practitioner will create a “matrix” that will serve as the foundation for therapy.
Adrenal exhaustion and a variety of chemical imbalances are among the ailments that functional medicine practitioners claim to detect and cure, according to research studies. Despite the absence of proof or research to back up his claim, Joe Pizzorno, a prominent figure in functional medicine, claims that 25% of Americans are poisoned by heavy metals and require detoxification. Detox pills, according to scientists, are a waste of time and money.
Functional Medicine is a science-based, customized approach to health and wellness. Rather than focusing just on the symptoms, it seeks to discover and treat the underlying cause of the illness.
Practitioners use a patient-centered approach and are aware of the lifestyle, genetic, and environmental influences on a patient’s health. This allows practitioners to treat the individual as a whole, rather than merely a collection of symptoms.
A sickness might have numerous causes, and several illnesses can evolve as a result of a single cause. Treatment that targets the source of the problem might have a long-term effect on the body. Because Functional Medicine practitioners view the body as a whole rather than a collection of parts, therapeutic techniques address the entire body.
Keto Diet & Functional Medicine in Hong Kong
Diet, genetics, hormonal fluctuations, prescription, over-the-counter drugs, and other lifestyle factors are all taken into account. People with chronic diseases that are resistant to standard medical treatment may benefit from this sort of specialist.
To determine the fundamental reasons for disease, functional medicine specialists examine your whole medical history. They typically devote more time to you than traditional doctors. They gather extensive data on the condition as well as your overall lifestyle.
They then devise a treatment strategy to address a variety of variables that may be contributing to chronic illnesses. Prescription drugs, vitamins, and other therapy may be included.
Finally, they monitor therapy progress and make adjustments as required. Because each therapy is customized to that person’s specific ailment, the functional medicine method is unique for each person.
A functional medicine doctor’s connection with you may differ from that with your primary care physician. It’s a more collaborative collaboration, according to The Institute For Functional Medicine: the doctor considers your input while also holding you accountable for your decisions about your health and treatment.
The care delivered in functional medicine is based on the system affected, not the diagnosis. A diagnosis of depression, for example, might have several reasons. Each reason will be researched and treated by a functional medicine expert, resulting in a unique treatment plan.
Integrative medicine Doctors have completed regular medical school education. The Institute for Functional Medicine, for example, may offer extra certification. Doctors then apply functional medicine principles to their primary practice area.
In Summary
More certification does not confer any additional legal standing on these doctors, but it does demonstrate that they have completed additional training and are dedicated to practicing in this field. A functional medicine certification is also available to acupuncturists, dentists, nurse practitioners, and other sorts of practitioners.
The majority of functional medicine specialists deal with complicated and varied health problems. Depression, chronic pain illnesses such as arthritis, and inflammatory diseases such as Celiac disease or inflammatory bowel disease are examples (IBD). These specialists’ unique approaches may help individuals manage chronic illness symptoms on a daily basis.
You can still see a functional medicine doctor if you don’t have a chronic ailment. Many of them also emphasize preventative care.