and damage blood vessels, and that results in the diseases we see.” It’s this interaction between genes and environ-ment that is driving a shift away from the biomed-ical model of disease and treatment and toward a more integrated approach. Much like the similar biopsychosocial model, functional medicine pulls together research and findings from diverse disci-plines in order to create treatments that interrupt the disease process at the start. The underlying principles of functional medicine are also backed by a variety of studies, such as Stro-ebe et al (1998) and Elwert et al (2008). Such stud-ies have found a significantly increased risk of death among those who recently lost a loved one, even among participants whose health habits remained consistent before and after the loved one’s death. Functional medicine offers a variety of benefits in chiropractic treatment, ranging from a mere change of mindset to more effective treatments and better health outcomes. Stadelmann notes that functional medicine’s emphasis on defining health as optimal functioning rather than the mere absence of disease has benefits for overall well-being. “Functional medicine improves the treatment process because we’re starting to address founda-tional root causes. We’re not just doing a quick fix. We’re restoring health,” he remarks. Functional medicine can lead physicians to im-prove their mindfulness of patient complaints and have a fuller picture of the illness, according to Coleman. “The foundation of functional medicine is that it’s not symptom-based,” she explains. “You have to look for root causes. Listening to the patient and letting the story unfold, and then retelling the story back to the patient to make sure you got it right [is what keeps practitioners more mindful of health concerns beyond mere symptoms].” Functional medicine also has real benefits in terms of reductions in recovery time and improvements in patient self-reports. Stadelmann notes studies have shown a strong link between high-intensity turbo training and a variety of health outcomes like lower cholesterol levels, increased weight loss, more efficient glucose maintenance, and much more. “That still only shows us one piece of the puzzle,” she says, “but it’s definitely proving that we need to integrate exercise into care programs.” Benefits comprehensive treatments that resolve problems be-fore they begin. In functional medicine, biological, environmental and lifestyle factors are viewed from a systems-style approach that assesses the impact of each and finds areas where treatment is most effective. Coleman notes that functional medicine operates on the same principles as a firearm. “It’s actually quite simple,” she says. “Genetics loads the gun, and then the environment pulls the trigger. The modifiable factors you can address, like nutrition and social relationships, can affect chronic disease and either manifest as disease or not.” She points to the interaction of gene and environment as the core mechanism underlying functional medicine. “We can turn genes on and off. That’s just one com-ponent. It comes down to moderation. We need to love and care more. We need to move. We need to eat well. That’s how you modify disease expression.” Stadelmann notes that functional medicine is draw-ing on past research to change the way genetics is understood. “We think of genes as destiny. But what we eat, where we live, and how clean our air is all contribute to the way the gene is expressed. Modifiable lifestyle factors are the key places where we can make a change. The environment can cause inflammation in the body www.canadianchiropractor.ca Practical applications “The limitation in chiropractic,” says Stadelmann, “is that the scope of practice limits our capacity to do June 2016 Canadian Chiropractor 21
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