Functional Medicine Doctors Sydney

We’ll DIAGNOSE YOUR COMPLAINT and provide your TREATMENT TODAY. Functional Medicine Doctors on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

Make a Booking With Our Functional Medicine Practitioners

“The Doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease” – Thomas Edison

Our functional medicine doctors may utilise laboratory services to comprehensively investigate and thoroughly understand your individual health concerns to support your return to wellness and improve your quality of life.

We provide YOU with a PERSONALISED treatment plan that addresses your individual health issues in a holistic way. We address the cause of the problem not the symptom. We treat the person not just the disease.

What Is Functional Medicine?

Functional medicine puts an emphasis on discovering the underlying cause of your health complaint – not just addressing the symptoms. You’ll benefit from our personalised system of care that involves understanding and managing the underlying causes of an acute or chronic condition.

In essence, functional medicine treats the person (YOU!) who has an acute or chronic condition, not the condition alone. That’s the difference.

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Functional Medicine on Sydney’s Northern Beaches | Newport

Our team of health care practitioners are ready to DIAGNOSE YOUR COMPLAINT and PROVIDE YOUR TREATMENT TODAY.

(02) 9999 5544 BOOK ONLINE

What We Do

We spend more than 10 minutes with you.

We prescribe medicines based on a thorough enquiry and investigation into your health.

We explore, encourage, empower and direct you.

We always consider your dietary and lifestyle habits.

We look to understand.

We believe everything has relevance, every symptom and sign.

We care.

We listen.

We take action.

We educate and inform you about our medicines.

We prescribe drugs for symptomatic relief as well as addressing the cause.

We never pretend to have all of the answers.

We will always look to understand more.

We treat you with respect.

We do no harm.

Although functional medicine was built on the foundation of Western science, its approach is uniquely about each individual and provides the best of both modern science, traditional medicines, nutrition, diet and lifestyle advice.

It also emphasises the importance of a balanced state of being, encompassing the Physical, Psychological, Emotional and Spiritual.

Want to know more about functional medicine?

We’ve prepared the following information for you to enjoy!

The Functional Approach

This form of personalised, functional healthcare considers your holistic biochemical, bio mechanical, biological and bio-psychosocial framework.

We rely on current scientific knowledge, traditional holistic systems of medicine and state of the art diagnostic services. We use these to determine the influence that your unique genome, microbiome, environment, diet, work, lifestyle and individual biochemistry have on your health.

We take into account the impact that your own emotional and mental state may have on your physical health. We then determine through a discussion based enquiry with you the best way to support your return to a balanced state of happiness and wellbeing.

What is a functional medicine doctor?

A functional medicine doctor takes a patient-centred approach to treatment, rather than a disease-centred approach.

We are trained in Western biomedical sciences such as: anatomy, physiology, chemistry, biochemistry, clinical nutrition, symptomatology and diagnosis, pathology and pathophysiology of disease, clinical psychology, psychotherapy, counselling, human physiology, biomechanics of human movement, pharmacology, pharmacognosy, traditional herbal medicines and more.

Functional medicine practitioners are trained to identify health conditions and may utilise a variety of laboratory and imaging services. These investigations can help to point out biochemical, bio-mechanical, structural, gastro intestinal, genetic, immune, endocrine, neurological, nutritional and metabolic imbalances — which can often be at the root of many diseases.

Functional medicine modalities

Functional medicine doctors can be qualified across a range of modalities, including:

Our clinic consists of a combination of multi-disciplinary practitioners in these fields and more. For example, patients may choose acupuncture for fertility, or perhaps a more multifaceted approach to natural IVF support that crosses over into different modalities.

Most of our practitioners are AHPRA registered and are required by law to provide scientific evidenced based clinical care in a professional clinical environment.

What does a functional medicine Doctor treat?

We treat the person

We determine and treat the underlying causes of disease. In doing so, we work with our patients to find treatments that help return and restore wellbeing and health.

Does health insurance cover functional medicine?

Yes, some modalities that fall under the functional medicine category can be claimed on health insurance and medicare.

Every extras policy is different so be sure to check what therapies are covered, how much you can claim and how many visits.

Certainly mental health care plans and Medicare plans are accepted when referred from your GP to our Chiropractor, Psychologists and Physiotherapists.

Health fund services cover Chiro, Physio, Exercise rehab, Acupuncture, Chinese Medicine, Massage therapies.

What’s the difference between western and functional medicine?

A major difference between Western medicine and functional medicine is that functional medicine takes into account your lifestyle, diet, exercise, emotional, psychological, biochemical, bio- mechanical, bio-psycho social and physiological picture which informs a more comprehensive diagnosis and treatment plan.

Functional medicine employs a holistic approach. Functional medicine looks to address the underlying dysfunctions that may contribute to each condition. Conventional Western Medicine is fantastic at treating acute medical emergencies and saving lives with surgeries and prescription medications where deemed necessary. Integrative and functional Medicine Doctors are experts in health and wellbeing and treat the “dis-ease” not symptoms of disease.

Another key difference between functional medicine and Western healthcare is that it takes more time and engagement. It is more of a participatory experience where the patient is listened to and encouraged to collaborate and engage in their journey back to health and wellbeing. It is a respectful collaboration, a process of enquiry and discovery about you, the patient. You the patient are considered as the central character and expert in the story of your health journey. We listen, we care, we work together to see you thrive not just survive.

Patients when heard and encouraged to participate and take responsibility for their own health feel empowered. We educate and work with our patients so they understand how to take best care of themselves and their unique health concerns now and in the future. Functional medicine provides opportunities for patients to achieve greater insight and understanding about their health. Our approach is to co-create and achieve optimum health and wellbeing with you.

What does the evidence say about functional medicine?

In recent years, more and more traditional clinics are embracing functional medicine. A 2019 study found that those who received care from a functional medicine centre (like Therapy Works) showed great improvement in their case.

The evidence based approach draws on the latest research from peer-reviewed medical journals. It is not influenced by profit-driven models of care nor by pharmaceutical or corporate interests.

It should also be noted that we aim to explain to our patients that all health and treatment decisions involve weighing up potential benefits, potential costs and potential risks and that this process can help you to decide whether a treatment is appropriate for your case.

What’s the challenge with a symptom-based healthcare system?

People are more than just their symptoms – treating symptoms only may not address possible underlying causes of disease. While we’re not criticising traditional practitioners, we must point out the drawbacks to conventional health care.

Australians spend around $30 billion a year on out-of-pocket health costs. Some of these include prescription medication and GP visits.

You may have heard the saying that we don’t have a healthcare system, we have a sick-care system. This point of view has merits to be considered, both philosophically and practically.

Update for March 2020

If you’re worried about your health, and you’re one of these people that are buying up hospital masks, gloves, and antibacterial wipes, and you’re sanitising your home every second, but you’re still smoking, drinking alcohol, consuming caffeine, processed sugar, unhealthy food, don’t exercise, don’t eat organic fresh fruits and vegetables, don’t get sun, don’t drink filtered water, haven’t put a filter on your shower, don’t sleep, and are constantly stressed and negative, you’re wasting your time.

Your mask, gloves, and antibacterial wipes can’t save you from your own bad habits which are far more dangerous to you than the virus.

Supplements and your immune system are far more powerful than sanitising your hands.

At least the virus issue may taper off by June. But your bad habits are going to continue year after year slowly putting you into an early grave.

“THE TERRAIN IS EVERYTHING; THE GERM IS NOTHING” – Louis Pasteur

Note: According to the National Health and Medical Research Council “Where complementary medicine is used in place of conventional medicine, clinicians should discuss with their patient any potential health consequences of delaying conventional treatment that may be more effective. Clinicians should especially advise caution in cases where CM of uncertain effectiveness is used as a replacement for conventional medicine of known effectiveness.”

All of our practitioners are happy to work closely with and ask for informed consent when treating life threatening illness and when patients are undergoing Western medical care. Our services are not an either or option rather a collaboration of all necessary health care services. We believe in the best of both worlds.

Source: www.nhmrc.gov.au

Looking for the Best Functional Medicine Doctors?

Book Now – Functional Medicine on Sydney’s Northern Beaches | Newport

Our trained and compassionate practitioners help treat a variety of health challenges. Our team at Therapy Works to understand you, your body and delivers solutions and evidence based care. If you’re ready to achieve functional health, contact us today!

(02) 9999 5544 BOOK ONLINE