With rates of type 2 diabetes and thyroid problems skyrocketing, numerous Americans are seeking out health care practitioners who specialize in treating disorders of the endocrine system. Your endocrine system, which includes glands such as your thyroid, adrenals, pituitary gland, and others, produces hormones that influence growth, metabolism, reproduction and sexual development.
Diabetes and thyroid disorders are two of the most prevalent diseases of the endocrine system. The former, diabetes, occurs when your pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or your body is not able to use the insulin that is produced effectively, leading to problems with converting blood sugar into energy properly. The latter, thyroid diseases, can include hyperthyroidism …show more content…
The symptoms or diseases you're currently feeling? Those make up the tip of the iceberg. Hovering below the water, and making up the iceberg's gigantic base, are the underlying causes of those symptoms or diseases, things like chemical exposures, negative emotions, hormonal imbalances, and much more.
Conventional endocrinologists may only address the tip of the iceberg. Functional endocrinologists address the rest.
To put it simply, Functional Endocrinology is a specialized branch of functional medicine, which is a broad term used to describe this proactive, patient-centered wellness care system. As the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) states: [2]
"Functional medicine is personalized medicine that deals with primary prevention and underlying causes instead of symptoms for serious chronic disease."
This system of wellness care operates on the principle that every person is an individual, therefore "one-size-fits-all" treatments like synthetic hormones and drugs are often may not be appropriate. It also acknowledges the science showing that how well the human body functions is equal to the sum of all of its parts. In other words, your endocrine system does not operate in a bubble; it is influenced by, and exerts its own influence on, all the other systems in your body. Your level of health is determined by the whole of your body's interconnected systems, rather than on one individual system functioning …show more content…
A doctor practicing functional endocrinology will ask why function has been lost in your thyroid gland, and determine what can be done to restore function. This is not a Band-Aid or patch-job as prescribing synthetic hormones essentially is. Rather, this system seeks to uncover the underlying imbalances that are causing your disease condition, whether thyroid-related, diabetes or otherwise, and then address them using diet, exercise, nutrients, and other natural, restorative modalities, while also removing any habits or substances (such as toxic chemical exposures, etc.) that are impeding your
Diabetes and thyroid disorders are two of the most prevalent diseases of the endocrine system. The former, diabetes, occurs when your pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or your body is not able to use the insulin that is produced effectively, leading to problems with converting blood sugar into energy properly. The latter, thyroid diseases, can include hyperthyroidism …show more content…
The symptoms or diseases you're currently feeling? Those make up the tip of the iceberg. Hovering below the water, and making up the iceberg's gigantic base, are the underlying causes of those symptoms or diseases, things like chemical exposures, negative emotions, hormonal imbalances, and much more.
Conventional endocrinologists may only address the tip of the iceberg. Functional endocrinologists address the rest.
To put it simply, Functional Endocrinology is a specialized branch of functional medicine, which is a broad term used to describe this proactive, patient-centered wellness care system. As the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) states: [2]
"Functional medicine is personalized medicine that deals with primary prevention and underlying causes instead of symptoms for serious chronic disease."
This system of wellness care operates on the principle that every person is an individual, therefore "one-size-fits-all" treatments like synthetic hormones and drugs are often may not be appropriate. It also acknowledges the science showing that how well the human body functions is equal to the sum of all of its parts. In other words, your endocrine system does not operate in a bubble; it is influenced by, and exerts its own influence on, all the other systems in your body. Your level of health is determined by the whole of your body's interconnected systems, rather than on one individual system functioning …show more content…
A doctor practicing functional endocrinology will ask why function has been lost in your thyroid gland, and determine what can be done to restore function. This is not a Band-Aid or patch-job as prescribing synthetic hormones essentially is. Rather, this system seeks to uncover the underlying imbalances that are causing your disease condition, whether thyroid-related, diabetes or otherwise, and then address them using diet, exercise, nutrients, and other natural, restorative modalities, while also removing any habits or substances (such as toxic chemical exposures, etc.) that are impeding your