At the Functional Medicine Center we believe in the body’s ability to heal itself and that our role is to facilitate that natural healing process. Our commitment is to help our patients restore and maintain optimal health through natural, non-toxic methods. We use both traditional and modern diagnostic and treatment methods. We will help you understand the causes of illness and learn methods of self-care so you can remain healthy without frequent visits to the doctor. Today, alternative medicine is becoming more prominent. Unlike modern-day medicine, which focuses on attempting to treat disease after it has been diagnosed, the Functional Medicine & Wellness Center determines the underlying factors of the body’s dysfunction that lead to disease. People are recognizing the benefit of seeking an alternative to traditional medicine; one that will help them achieve and maintain optimal health. How we do it different? We look at the whole picture. Like other health-care practitioners, we follow a routine to learn about our patients. We consult, review a patient’s history, conduct a physical examination, and request laboratory testing. However, unlike other health-care providers, at the Functional Medicine & Wellness Center, we conduct a careful analysis of the patient’s structure and pay particular attention to the spine. We also inquire about your lifestyle — Do you eat well? Do you exercise? How do you deal with stress? What do you do for a living? And so on. We find the origin of the problem. By gaining intimate knowledge of a patient, we can make a diagnosis. Included in the diagnosis is the probable reason for your pain or discomfort. At the Functional Medicine & Wellness Center we seek the origin of the illness in order to eliminate it – we do not simply treat the symptoms. For example, if the headache you’ve had all week is being caused by misaligned vertebra and an irritated nerve, do you continue to take pain killers indefinitely, or do you realign the vertebra to prevent the pain? We fix the origin of the problem. Chiropractors have a term for misalignments: subluxations. A vertebral subluxation is a misalignment of the bones that protect the spinal cord.