What is functional medicine?

Many Dutch people have never heard of Functional Medicine, but this movement of highly trained doctors and therapists is beginning to gain traction Fortunately, many insurance companies often reimburse a portion of the cost from supplemental insurance.

Functional medicine is an evolution in medical practice that better meets the healthcare needs of the 21st century. It is a systems-oriented, science-based approach that determines HOW and WHY disease occurs and restores health by addressing the root causes of disease for each individual.

By shifting the traditional symptom-oriented focus of medical practice to a more patient-centered approach, functional medicine addresses the whole person, not just an isolated complaint.

Most of our patients are so dysregulated that several systems fail and need to be helped.

It requires a detailed and deep understanding of your unique genetics, biochemistry, physiology and lifestyle factors and uses that information to create personalized treatment plans that lead to improved health outcomes.

Your specific treatment plan will integrate Western medical interventions with what are sometimes considered “alternative” or “complementary” approaches, including nutrition, botanical medicines, supplements, detoxification programs, stress management techniques and exercise and posture, among others.

In Functional Medicine, there is no one-size-fits-all treatment, so even if you and a friend of yours have the same symptoms or condition, you won’t get the same treatment plan.

Simply put, functional medicine focuses on rebalancing body systems into a state of harmony so that you can have ultimate health and vitality! Instead of surviving, live again.

So if you suffer from a chronic illness or have a collection of unexplained symptoms, working with functional medicine can help you gain profound insights that can transform your health.

The form of approach relies on a partnership between patient and practitioner where the goal is to work the total patient rather than fighting the disease with a pill as a symptom fighter.

Complimed uses conventional Western techniques along with complementary treatment modalities.

As an expert in functional diagnostic nutrition, I achieve results by:

• Working systematically (in order of importance)
• Focus on optimizing whole health (not just managing symptoms)
• Conduct tests to identify healing possibilities (not just guessing)
• Education about lifestyle changes (not just medication, supplements or food restrictions)
• Delving into you not only on your complaint

Why choose functional medicine?

Many people are not properly diagnosed or are told to “just live with it.” Or the symptoms fall “within the norm” which means something like just barely dying but feeling deathly ill.

With us, you are listened to and there is plenty of time to discuss your complaints. We also have a number of tests that are not (yet) used by your own doctor that will probably allow us to find what is wrong.

We also look at multiple causes because the body is a whole of systems. If a domino falls over, it often has a huge impact on the entire system. And unlike regular doctors where you are usually back outside within 8 minutes with a prescription, experiencing it as if you are nothing more than a diseased liver or a damaged joint. So you get more time more attention and a much more holistic approach as far as your symptoms are concerned.

In conventional medicine, treatment is still often localized and based on disease, not on the patient as a whole, as an individual with a unique body, constitution and personal circumstances. There is too little practical nutritional knowledge about the connection of nutrition and health problems and organ systems in the body. Thus, mutual causes of and connections between complaints are often not (h)acknowledged. I tell my patients that heredity loads the gun, but the environment pulls the trigger. The way we eat, exercise, manage stress and exposure to environmental toxins all contribute to the formation and progression of chronic diseases. We are getting older, but 1 in 4 people in the Netherlands already has a chronic condition over the age of 40.

What can you expect in treatment?

Of course, it depends on the protocol to be followed, but in brief:

Testing
are used as needed to get to the correct cause of your symptoms. With the results, a protocol is made which lasts from a few weeks to sometimes more than a year for complicated complaints.
There are steps in the protocols, often first a bit of liver support to remove toxins and eliminate wrong foods from the diet. We support the body to reduce the load where necessary by opening up natural detoxification pathways with nutrition and supplements,. The gut plays a big role in this in most of my patients. Many people have increased permeable gut ( leaky gut). We then look at inflammation and the immune system, possibly bring hormones from the adrenal and
thyroid
in balance if needed. And bring existing progressive autoimmune reactions as well as possible (such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes,
Hashimoto
) to a halt. . I help you, how to better manage stress, balance blood sugar, and with proper nutrition and supplements we fill any deficiencies supplements.

Many patients have complaints related to digestion or symptoms of irritable bowel. Here, removing foods that trigger reactions, balancing the gut flora and using supplementation to replenish deficiencies is very important.

How to apply.

You can make an appointment via the

contact form

Prior to your first appointment, it is advisable to firmly communicate your details and complaint history to us. This will allow us to properly prepare for your arrival. Questions include an overall picture of your health in the present, as well as related to past symptoms or events. You can also find this list

here

You fill out this list and return it by email at least two days before the consultation.

The role of nutrition is very important

Complaints and pathologies today are becoming more complex. With increased pressure, there is an increasing awareness among people of their own health and the role of nutrition. Nutrition is a relatively simple way to work on health preventively and independently. The best doctor is in the kitchen!

People are searching the Internet themselves for reliable nutrition information. However, there are so many different -often conflicting- messages about nutrition and health i the media that there is a lot of uncertainty and confusion among people about nutrition and supplement use. In addition, the available information is often colored in the media because of mutual commercial interests. For example, in the 1970s my father was led to believe that, above all, he had to stop using butter and go on the Becel because of heart disease. Now we know better. But even the discussion of which foods are good for you now becomes unimportant if you can’t stand them. I myself grew up with milk and a cheese sandwich. Only later in life did I find out I couldn’t stand milk and cheese very well. I myself got through that just fine but my brother always had bronchitis as a child. Now he is almost 70 and notices scarring in his lungs giving him a COPD-like appearance. All the while he never smoked. Well in those days we didn’t know any better than that milk was the white engine. Not so!

And what about all the snacks children bring to school? Packed with sugar, they bounce through the classroom. The ADHD stamps are flying around your ears. Well believe me that nutrition plays a very important role in this. Please read my exorphin chapter.

Example of treatment at Complimed

A 49-year-old severely emaciated and fatigued man

He had diarrhea and blood in the stool, was dizzy, forgetful and could only do 30% of his work.In response to the symptoms, an imupro test was initiated. A daily cortisol curve was also measured an intestinal flora study and a testosterone profile was made. Minerals and heavy metals were measured by oligoscan. Gut evaluation was needed because patient was suspicious of a fungal infection and because of emaciation and muscle wasting with digestive disturbances.

The examinations revealed a significant candida overgrowth and clostridium. In the family, colon cancer and breast cancer were common. There was also histamine hypersensitivity because the DAO enzyme is not working properly. The adrenal gland was found to be malfunctioning wrs due to a period of prolonged stress. The intestinal flora examination showed the fat digestion was not working properly causing deficiencies in fat-soluble vitamins. The androgenic hormones ( testosterone) were way too low.

Patient first followed targeted nutritional counseling for a few weeks in which he had to temporarily exclude some foods and then slowly reintroduce them. Sugar had to be avoided. Good fats were slowly built up with the help of enzymes.

To remove the parasites and fungi, agents were used after several weeks. The structure of the bowel was in sync with this.Because patient was so dizzy the cause was looked at which seemed to be in the middle ear. The Epsley method gave significant relief after only a few days. Because the stomach acid was not acidic enough, patient was recommended temporary enzymes with adjuvants for digestion.After a few weeks, the adrenal gland was also helped and within about 8 months the patient was again functioning very optimally. He had gained 5 pounds gained more energy and muscle.

Little boy with growth disorder and sometimes undesirable behavior

Bram, 14, has growth retardation and sometimes asked himself strange questions. We do a test and remove the intolerances. Bram grows 12 cm in 1 year and is again pleasant in behavior. He has relapsed after 1 year and needs to be corrected again and motivated to keep his neurotransmitters properly balanced. He is now taller than me and feels fine. He does still tease his sister occasionally.

Fatigue and weight reduction

a 28-year-old man with some underweight came to me with abdominal pain nausea, itching, reflux and fatigue. Previous examination ( colonoscopy, stomach examination ultrasound) showed no abnormalities. An intestinal flora examination indicated that he had helicobacter infection and an absorption disorder of his fats due to poor absorption. He had been on antacids for 20 years. We first started to taper off the antacids. Improve his digestion and fight helicobacter. After 3 months, the symptoms were much better. He gained 5 pounds and was less tired

Example ; Young man with ulcerative colitis

A 27-year-old former Olympic athlete reported that he was on the list to have a piece of intestine surgically removed because of ulcerative colitis. He was on the heaviest possible corticosteroids(remicade) . He felt lethargic and was depressed bowel tests even now showed his calprotectin was high. We first started improving the diet, gluten went out and also other foods he appeared intolerant to. He was given very high chlorella and other anti-inflammatories by me. Soon the bowel calmed down, the medication could be phased out and proved unnecessary after 1 year. The gut is healthy again and he is smiling again.

Example; businessman falls asleep during meeting

A 37-year-old businessman suspects a food intolerance. The test shows few abnormalities. However, after exorphin testing, it appears that this man cannot tolerate gluten because of a defective DPPlV enzyme and exorphin sensitivity. After keeping this food away, there is no more problem