Frequently Asked Questions

Functional medicine uses individualized therapies to look at the cause of the problem and then utilizes special testing to assess the patient. It focuses on the underlying causes of illnesses that could be contributed to by genetic predispositions and the environment one is in. 
Integrative medicine is very similar but instead of just looking at the physical and medical aspects of the patient it instead looks at them as a whole. That means that it doesn't only look at the physical aspects but also the mental, emotional and spiritual needs of the patient. All of these together can affect a person's overall well-being.

Integrative medicine’s biggest benefit is the fact it looks at the patient as a whole individual and addresses the root causes of illnesses by doing so. I went along with this though integrative medicine promotes a symbiotic and collaborative relationship between the doctor and the patient. 
This means that there is better communication. Another great benefit is that it utilizes every therapy possible to ensure that the patient gets the treatment that is perfect for them.

Over the past decade or so, integrative medicine has been becoming more and more popular. Because of this popularity, there has been an increase in doctors that practice it. But even with all this popularity unfortunately insurance does not cover integrative health care. 
The lack of coverage from insurance companies is solely because integrative medicine often encompasses treatments that these health insurance companies degenerative treatments. Because these treatments like acupuncture, massage therapy, infrared sauna, and many others are all deemed alternative they are not covered.

Yoga is an excellent addition to any Wellness journey. In terms of integrative medicine because it utilizes a wide range of treatments from both traditional as well as holistic and alternative methods yoga often finds itself a place in integrative treatment plans.

Integrative medicine utilizes evidence-based approaches to treat the entire patient- mind, body, and soul. Because it looks to utilize not only traditional but alternative treatments to do so it is often looked at as a more holistic form of medicine. 
The mixture of traditional practices such as prescription medication with alternative or holistic forms of treatment such as yoga, herbal remedies, or Ayurvedic principles means that it cannot be pigeonholed into a traditional medicine category. So because of the integration of these practices, it is looked at as a holistic medicine option.

Functional medicine focus is the root cause of the disease. Every symptom may be contributing to the illness and by tackling each one of those a more comprehensive treatment plan can be formed to treat the health concerns properly. In order to do this seven systems of functional medicine are looked at during the analysis process. They are:

• Assimilation is the process in which your body takes in foods and water thereby breaking it down into the energy and the nutritional features your body needs to function.

• Biotransformation and elimination are your body's systems that take the waste from your body's metabolization of sustenance and make it into compounds that are not threatening and therefore can be excreted from the body.

• Defense and repair are all about your immune system and its partnership with your body’s tissue repair system. Your immune system sends out neurotransmitters and hormones that instigate cell repair after inflaming the afflicted area.

• Structural integrity is all about cellular health. For your body to work properly cellular integrity needs to be monitored. When talking about this it's looking at veins and arteries as well as the tissues.

• Communication is a system that focuses on the hormonal system in your body. This means this pillar looks at the thyroid system, the hormone system, as well as hormone organs.

• Energy is all about the mitochondria in your body. These are the energy sources of every cell in one's body. As humans, we have a very comprehensive biochemical system that can wind up being the root cause of many different issues.

The last system that is looked at in functional medicine is the transport system. This is the system your body uses to not only move the nutritional factors within your body but your hormones and your enzymatic factors.

The best way to answer this question is that not every functional doctor is a naturopath, but every naturopath is a functional medicine doctor. This is because naturopathy focuses on characteristics of the symptoms of the disease whereas functional medicine looks at the entire body and how nature influences the functioning of that body. 

Naturopathy is focused on holistic cures and practical medicine treatments whereas functional medicine looks at the root by addressing lifestyle changes and including traditional medical treatments and tests, unlike naturopaths which only use natural and holistic methods of assessing your health.

Though many traditional medical practitioners will automatically look at medication and standard psychotherapy to treat anxiety there are a wealth of different ways that this mental health issue can be addressed. 

Anxiety is a symptom and there is always a root cause attached to that. With functional medicine instead of covering up the symptoms, the doctors at Shakthi Health and Wellness look to find the root cross and address that. 

Through the use of stress reduction techniques like meditation and mindfulness alongside gut health treatments and a focus on herbal and dietary nutrition, functional medicine can help with many of these side effects of anxiety thereby treating the root cause with minimal invasiveness.

Complementary and alternative medicines can be broken down into five major types. These types are: 

Whole Medical - this type of treatment is all about philosophy and explaining the disease, diagnosis, and therapy. Some common whole medical treatments are ayurveda, homeopathy, traditional Chinese medicine, and naturopathy.

Mind-Body - this aspect of complementary or alternative medicine deals with the emotional and mental connection between what is happening with your physical health. Treatments in this category include guided imagery, hypnotherapy, meditation, and biofeedback.
 
Biologically Based - when it comes to biologically based therapies it's in reference to looking at how natural and holistic remedies affect health. So in this category, you'll find herbal remedies, natural supplements, and diet therapy.

Body Manipulation - manipulation of the body is also one of the many different types of complementary and alternative medicine. This therapy is focused on the fact that you can regulate and heal yourself through the individual manipulation of within this field comes chiropractic,  reflexology, massage, and cupping.

Energy Therapy - these types of theories focus on energy fields that are within and without the body. So this encompasses things like acupuncture, Reiki, magnets, and therapeutic touch.

Multiple reasons exist for an individual to consider complementary medicine complementary medicine and therapies tend to focus on stress and relaxation so many people choose to use this when they're coping with hard times to know how to manage their emotions, and to help with their overall general well-being.

Along with that, there are other reasons such as:

• Alleviating symptoms or side effects of pre-existing conditions
• To help put their mental health 
• Prefer natural or holistic treatments
• Like the one-on-one connection with their physician
• Looking for a way to boost their immune system

There are a lot of advantages when it comes to using complementary medicine and your Wellness journey. But to really understand whether it's the right fit for you have to understand that this is well. Most of all complementary treatments are not a quick fix. It will take time and practice to get them results. 

Along with this, you have to be willing to make lifestyle changes and sometimes very drastic ones to adopt these complementary medical treatments. Lastly, there is a potential for some of these complementary medicines to interact negatively with prescription drugs.

There are several different core philosophies when it comes to complementary medicine overarching of those is that the physician should treat the person, not the disease. Other philosophies include illness often occurring when your body is out of balance and the Your body is designed to heal itself if given the right tools.

There are many different types of alternative medicines but many of them can fall under one of the five main alternative categories. These categories are homeopathy, eastern medicine, naturopathy, and Ayurveda.

Within these five types so there are many variations and so choosing one that works for you all relies on what exactly you're looking to gain from choosing alternative medicines.

Holistic health focuses on utilizing natural remedies to help heal your overall body. But to do that to be some delineation between what you're trying to treat in order to find the right treatment plans. This is why holistic medicine is broken down into five main categories.

These categories are:
• social
• spiritual
• physical
• intellectual
• emotional

Oftentimes holistic practices answer each of these areas individually to create a whole wellness plan so that every aspect that could be affecting your health is addressed.

A holistic diet is a natural lifestyle change that in accordance with the five areas of holistic medicine address every aspect of one’s wellness. To have optimized health you have to show respect to the body and give the systems the proper fuel to run smoothly. When it comes to the holistic nutrition attached to this diet you have to understand there is no one-size-fits-all answer. 

The only thing you can do is try to eat food that is as close to natural as possible. If that utilizes organic, unrefined, or unprocessed whole foods, use your intuition when it comes to eating, listening to your body, and respecting its communication with you.

Not only is integrative medicine important so that you are being treated as a whole person and addressing the root cause of the medical issues you're dealing with, but an important part of that process is preventative medical treatment. 

Preventative medicine is important for the pure reason that it is intended to reduce the chance of incurring severe health issues as well as age you in living a happy and healthy life. Preventative medicine is key to a comprehensive integrative treatment because it is intended to increase your vitality thereby extending your life.

Preventive medicine visits are just that. They are visits that encompass our doctors working with you to analyze your health and ensure that the Wellness plan that you've been working on is working properly.

Within these visits, you'll have a basic physical exam, screenings for things like blood pressure and cholesterol, for women pelvic exams and pap smears, colorectal and prostate screenings, as well as other things like our view of general health.

Many people are very interested in what natural medicine can bring to their lives. In truth, there are a wealth of benefits both for your health as well as other aspects of your life. 

One of the benefits that come with natural medicine has nothing to do with your extra health but rather the health of your bank account. Oftentimes traditional medicine is wildly more expensive than natural medicine.

In regards to the actual natural remedies and herbs used in the practice offer a more gentle and natural way for your body to heal. This ability to work with your body then reduces the risk of side effects that come with there's also versatility involved. You can easily try different herbs and remedies until you find the one that works for you.

There are times when we aren't able to get the right amount of vitamins and minerals in our bodies. When it comes to integrated medicine oftentimes will suggest IV therapy and for most this is a great idea there may be some small side effects like headaches or dizziness. But altogether IV therapy helps administer the vitamins quicker into your body and will see faster results.

That being said, if you're someone who has issues with Their kidneys or pre-existing heart condition, vitamins could be very hard for your body to process. This is especially true because it may interfere with your electrolyte balance in particular when dealing with potassium which could lead to a heart attack. So those with as we said kidney disease or issues, as well as heart conditions, should steer clear of this treatment.

IV therapy offers rapid delivery of vitamins and minerals that you need for your body to function properly. Typically after administering this therapy the effects of it will last for up to four days.

Oftentimes the idea of IV therapy is to help you detoxify your body or to ensure that your body has the minerals and vitamins necessary for your processes to do that for themselves. However, it does take time for your body to process those toxins out of your body. This may mean that you feel a little sick after the treatment.

Some may feel a little nauseous or have dizziness as well as headaches. These tend to go away within hours of treatment, and it is simply because there was a mass influx of vitamins and minerals, and your body is trying to compensate for that.

Though there are a ton of benefits there are also a couple of complications that could potentially arise from IV therapy. The two main ones are infection at the injection site and vein inflammation bruising. 

These however are just the complications that could arise from the physical administering of the IV. In regards to the actual vitamins themselves, they can be dizziness and headaches.

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to how long it will take for the vitamins and minerals to begin showing results. It depends on your age and several other factors. However, most often individuals see results from their therapy within four days but all the way up to two weeks after the treatment.

Acupuncture is a great treatment that helps with a wide range of conditions. however long the results last depend on the patient itself and the severity of the symptoms as well as their medical history. Some who have had acupuncture treatment have seen results lasting from weeks to years.

For those using acupuncture who are dealing with more severe symptoms, there may be more sessions necessary. Because there will be more sessions means that results can take longer to see and they may not be as strong as those dealing with minor health concerns.

Hydration is always key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. But there is no set rule on what needs to be done after acupuncture. The truth is that like with everything else in a holistic frame you need to really just listen to your body. If you are thirsty after your acupuncture session then you should drink water. If you're not then you should go about your day and just continue drinking your normal amount of water.

Infrared saunas can help detoxify and relieve pain. This may mean that you want to take advantage of these benefits as much as possible throughout the week. There is no set rule that says how many times a week you should sit down in an infrared sauna.
 
Most experts will suggest three or more times a week. But if you are comfortable with it and you have the time it is perfectly safe to take advantage of the infrared sauna daily. This is especially true if you're using it to help with weight loss. Ideally, these sessions should be between 30 and 45 minutes to see the best results.

During an infrared sauna therapy session, your body is sweating to remove all the toxins. That process doesn't stop the minute you leave the sauna. In fact, the body will have some time to cool down and this will continue the detoxification process. 

That means that those toxins will be left on if not removed. It could be advisable So it's not a lukewarm shower in order to help your body cool down to stop the detoxification process.

Photobiomodulation is a term that is used for multiple different therapies that utilize new tech and light waves. These therapies utilize LEDs as well as lasers of different wavelengths to help in a multitude of different ways. 

Red light therapy is just one of the therapies that fall under the photobiomodulation umbrella. Others that fall underneath this are laser therapy, deep tissue laser therapy, and LED therapy.

The treatment is non-invasive and doesn't have very many risks attached to it. This means that you can really do as many of these treatments as you want. But most experts will suggest three to five times a week for about four months.

Changes in any type of hormone can affect how your body manages its weight. That means that hormone replacement therapy is normal for you to gain weight. Though there are natural reasons for you to gain weight such as age and other health concerns there is no definitive proof that home replacement therapy is a definite catalyst of weight gain. 

That being said, a balanced hormonal system is key in ensuring your metabolism stays balanced as well. Therefore weight gain is not necessarily something that could happen but something that does happen quite frequently.

Hormone replacement therapy is often used to help combat the side effects of menopause and other hormonal imbalances. Oftentimes along with these hormonal imbalances comes a gaining of weight in particular around the midsection. 

Recently there have been many studies that have shown that hormone replacement therapy can actually help reduce belly fat. But those studies also showed that once the hormone replacement therapy had stopped the belly fat returned. So it's not going for a way to get rid of that extra weight in the midsection.

Microneedling is a very effective way to treat skin concerns and issues. There are many people who see results after one or two sessions. Typically this is a little reduction in acne, a more even skin tone, and even smaller pores. But everyone is unique, and everybody's skin is as well. So some will see results faster than others.

The healing process when it comes to microneedling usually takes about 24 hours. But it all depends on the individual and the extent of the microneedling process. It can take up to three days. But even though you may be healed within two to three days you still have to wait four to six weeks for the next treatment.

If you're suffering from gut health foods that will help you repair the issue is probably at the forefront of your mind. To get your gut back into shape the bacteria within it have to be balanced and that can be easily done with foods that are rich in pre or probiotics.

It can also be done by staying away from foods that are known to cause inflammation and substituting those for foods that help build your immune system. Some of the best foods to help prepare your gut are:

• Bone broth - this is created by simmering bones of whatever meat you are making the bone broth from. It is full of minerals and compounds that are well known to help improve your gut health. These include things like collagen and glutamine, proline, and arginine. These nutrients can help heal the lining of the intestines and stave off inflammation while building your immune system.

• Probiotics - foods that contain probiotics or things like yogurt. These are live good bacteria that can boost the already good bacteria and improve the variety of that bacteria in your digestive tract. They also can help absorb nutrients and build your immune system. These include things like fermented vegetables, miso, yogurt, and kombucha.

• Fish - in particular those that are high in omega-3 fatty acids. Fat helps create and balance good bacteria in your gut and fights off inflammation. On top of that, it can help repair damage in the intestine. So when looking at this in your diet you want to add things like salmon, herring, and albacore tuna.

These are just some of the foods that you can add to your diet to repair your gut health. Others you might consider are coconut milk, raw dairy products, greens, probiotic supplements, pineapple, and prebiotic foods.

Ayurveda is an Indian system of medicine that looks to help with your Wellness and health by balancing your body, mind, and spirit. It is a Full body that not only uses exercise and lifestyle changes but diet as well.

One of the most important components of this discipline is herbs and spices. Each spice and spice mixes your body from diseases while adding in a wealth of other benefits like improving your mental health and your digestion.

Having gut health exacerbates other health conditions you already are dealing with as well as makes and makes an impact on other aspects of your life as well. There are many ways that you can fix your gut health via holistic and natural means. Things like lifestyle changes which include diet, exercise, and stress management techniques are all ways that you can help heal your gut.

If you're wondering if your gut is healing here are some signs to look for:

• The digestive issue that you've been having disappears. That means that perhaps you are having gas, heartburn, bloating, or acid reflux. Sometimes poor gut health also causes diarrhea or Constipation. If it disappears then it's a sure Spire sign that your gut is starting to heal.

• Another sign is that your food sensitivities disappear. Oftentimes when your gut is out of balance you will find yourself being overly sensitive to certain foods. But if your lifestyle changes and focuses on healing your gut you notice that these sensitivities and the symptoms that come with them disappear then your gut is on the mend.

• When your gut is out of balance everything is out of balance and that often leads to skin issues. If you notice that issues like dandruff, rashes, or acne are starting to dissipate and clear up then perhaps your body is rebalancing itself and your gut health is returning to normal.