Holistic Functional Medicine
What Functional Medicine is not!
There is no doubt that we all value conventional medicine when it comes to emergent or trauma care. If you have a broken arm then the emergency room is really no other place to be!
On the other hand when it comes to health or the treatment of chronic illness or disease conventional medicine has fallen short on every level. Instead of evaluating a patient as an individual and finding the root cause of their problem, conventional medicine merely fits a drug or medication to a symptom.
Symptom suppression is the gold standard.
If you have high blood pressure you are given a blood pressure lowering medication. If you have high cholesterol you are given a cholesterol lowering medication. At no time is the obvious question asked, “why do you have high blood pressure?” or “what is causing your cholesterol to be high?”
Functional medicine does not look to only suppress symptoms!
In essence you might say that conventional medicine works from the outside-in only addressing the superficiality of symptoms, whereas functional medicine works from the inside-out looking for and treating the root cause of your problem.
When a doctor fails to do anything more than suppress symptoms, the doctor fails you! The reason the doctor has failed you is because the underlying cause continues to create problems that bring back the return of the original symptom…. so more or stronger medication is necessary. Even more common is that as the underlying cause continues to create problems you get more and different symptoms.
Many diseases are nothing more than a bunch of symptoms that have been given a label because the underlying cause has never been discovered or addressed. If the root cause of a person’s loss of health had of been addressed correctly many situations would never have developed into a disease in the first place.
What is Functional Medicine?
Holistic medicine focuses on how the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual elements of the body are interconnected to maintain wellness or holistic health. In Functional medicine we recognize that lifestyle choices; diet, sleep, stress management and physical activity play an important role in the expression of health and in disease. But we also realize that environmental insults such as physical and emotional injuries, chemical and metal exposures, infection, toxic load, exposures to disease infested insects or parasites all affect our health.
Functional Medicine is the personalized approach to health care that recognizes the biological uniqueness of each patient. In contrast to conventional medical care, which is almost entirely focused on suppressing symptoms, functional medicine eliminates symptoms by addressing the underlying root-cause of a problem.
Our doctors are committed to finding the real reason you don’t feel great and addressing that cause in a healthy, non-invasive way. Just as in our example of high blood pressure or cholesterol we want to help you get that under control, we also want to address the reason they are high in the first place. The way we figure these things out is by doing some or all of the following, ordering appropriate laboratory or diagnostic tests, doing a thorough examination, muscle testing and of course taking the time to talk to you.
In doing so, we can establish the real reason for your situation and then the best game plan to addressing your situation specifically.
Sometimes it is in the natural holistic treatment of conditions like Cancer, Lyme, PTSD or alcoholism. Many times it is in finding the hidden reason for your condition that might include infections from parasites, fungus, mold, viruses and bacteria, then getting rid of it. And commonly it is providing the nutrients, enzymes or botanicals that will support your health as we re-establish healthy; blood sugar regulation, hormonal balance, thyroid function, gut function, nutrient balance, and the brain-gut axis. For some it can also be in boosting their health through diet, nutrients or anti-aging technology.
This comprehensive approach allows us to address all your health care needs!
Although we are not the right choice for a broken arm, we are the right choice for all other problems that are robbing you of the health, vitality and joy that you deserve!
In essence, functional medicine is an evidence-based field of health care that evaluates the health and function of the body as an interconnected whole, and approaches treatment of the cause in a natural and individualistic way.
We are here to serve you!
Experienced Leadership
With over 80 years of combined medical experience, Night Lite Pediatrics’ medical leadership team is proud to provide quality pediatric healthcare to children that live in or visit Central Florida. Over the last 10 years our medical leadership team has created a unique approach to Pediatric Urgent Care that can not only take care of children’s common illnesses but can easily coordinate with the area’s best hospitals for seamless patient admission if necessary.
Integrated structure with a network of specialists
We utilize an integrated care team as part of an overall system designed to deliver high quality standardized care. Our Night Lite Pediatrics team includes local and centralized resources to enhance program performance. This includes local specialists, hospitals, pediatricians and family practice partners throughout Central Florida
Coordinated Care Team
Our physicians, nurses and support staff work together to deliver efficient and cost-effective care. Our system of care is structured so our physicians are empowered to focus purely on clinical excellence for your family.