Medical Quackery or Not?

Below is a quote sent to me via the Mayo newsletter that I’m a member of in response to my comments regarding functional medicine…

“I am a medical professional, and what you describe as functional doctor is a mixture of quackery and osteopath. You can have this way better if you can become a patient at the Mayo system, because when you are with them, they look at any aspect of your health, including nutrition!. I see different endocrinologists and gynecologists at the Mayo because either one is specialized on a very specific section of their medical knowledge.”

Let me start by listing and clarifying the various terms that are used in the world of medicine.

1. Integrative 2. Alternative 3. Holistic 4. Naturopathic 5. Functional

6. Osteopathic medicine 7. Conventional (Allopathic) medicine.

Holistic,  Alternative, and Naturopathic terms are oftentimes used interchangeably.

A doctor of osteopathic medicine (D.O.) is a fully trained and licensed doctor who has attended and graduated from a U.S. osteopathic medical school. DO and MD degrees are equivalent:

A doctor of allopathic medicine (M.D.) has attended and graduated from a conventional medical school. DO and MD degrees are equivalent:

Integrative Medicine—

Integrative medicine came into play when patients began to seek a more “natural” or “holistic” approach to good health.

Integrative medicine is “a concept that was known as alternative medicine back in 2007 when the Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine was first published. That’s because these types of treatments were seen as alternatives to conventional medicine. Since then the term alternative medicine has gone through several evolutions as more is learned about this growing field.” Brent A. Bauer, M.D., Mayo Clinic Guide to Integrative Medicine

The integrative approach involves various therapies that include: nutrition, exercise, chiropractic, massage, relationship and spirituality, meditation, music, guided imagery, yoga, tai chi, etc.

The integrative approach is integrated into the traditional approach when conventional medicine is needed for a total healthcare plan.

The difference between integrative and alternative medicine is that alternative medicine is used in place of traditional medicine. An example is when a patient decides to use an herb diet or some other natural therapy to treat cancer instead of traditional approaches such as surgery.

Integrative medicine combines traditional treatments and holistic therapies. An example of this is to use acupuncture and meditation, in addition, to helping with cancer treatment.

Functional Medicine—

Two of the most rapidly growing forms of medical attention today include functional and integrative medicine. In 2014, Cleveland Clinic was the first academic medical center in the country to establish a dedicated functional medicine program

 Functional medicine typically utilizes special testing to assess and identify what exactly is causing your problem. Rather than prescribing a pill for a symptom, the functional medicine providers gather your medical history and other methods to identify the root cause(s) of the illness, including triggers such as poor nutrition, stress, toxins, allergens, genetics, and your microbiome (the bacteria living in and on your body).

This approach centers around the idea that one condition can have many causes or conversely, that one cause can have many conditions. For example, you could be suffering from one condition, like depression, that is caused by Vitamin D deficiency, low thyroid, and antibiotic use, or you could be experiencing depression, heart disease, arthritis, and diabetes that all stem from inflammation.

This model of care seeks to answer the question, “Why are you ill?” so you can receive personalized, effective care for your needs.

Once the triggers are identified, a healthy living plan is customized for you.

Functional medicine, and integrative medicine function in a similar, albeit different, way as they seek to evaluate the patient as a whole and not just as a disease. And they both work with traditional medicine if or as needed.

When it comes to your health, you want to ensure that all of your needs are met.

My experiences and thoughts–

Over the years I have seen so many different allergists, dermatologists, and ENT specialists and have gotten as many diagnoses and prescriptions as doctors.

I’ve gone to chiropractors and acupuncturists whose approach was that adjustments or needle sticking were all that was needed to help with all my medical issues.

In this last chapter of my life, I am trying a new approach.

An approach where a doctor takes into consideration all of my symptoms and tries to discover the root cause for a healthcare plan that will address all or most of my health issues.

When I first heard about functional doctors I searched for one in my area for a long time to no avail.

The first several functional doctors that I saw

Then in 2021, I saw several promoting themselves as functional doctors.

The first person I saw advertising as a functional doctor was a chiropractor.

The chiropractor believes that if the spine is out of balance and is not working properly, all the other parts will be affected.

Her practice sold vitamins and I was “prescribed” vitamins after the first consult before there was any idea of what was going on with me medically. The adjustments and vitamin therapy began during the second visit before trying to discover what my issues were.

The second person I saw advertising as a functional doctor was an acupuncturist.

The acupuncturist believes that if the QI  (refers to the vital life force or energy that runs through all living beings) is out of balance and is not working properly, all the other parts will be affected.

The acupuncturist immediately started doing acupuncture. Questions were asked about my medical issues and that is all. At least the chiropractor ordered a few blood tests to get the levels of vitamins in my body (even if she did “prescribe” vitamins before the results :).

The third person I saw advertising as a functional doctor was a pain doctor.

The initial consult in this visit was so nothing that I didn’t return. I knew it would be a waste based on the first visit consult.

None of these doctors was a DO or MD. My lesson from this experience was to look for a DO or MD functional doctor.

I found one. Not local but one that could be accessed via Zoom. And that is what my article talks about in my health journey.

How do you determine which method is best for you?

Don’t go to just anyone. Those promoting themselves as functional doctors have taken a course in functional medicine. But they are not necessarily medical doctors. Before choosing a functional or integrative medicine doctor, do your research. Consult with them to see if they are offering what you are seeking. Even after doing research, you will not know if this is for you until you get involved. The ones that I saw promoted everything I was looking for in a practitioner. But once I visited, I saw it was simply a good promotion.

Do your homework. When selecting a functional doctor, find out as much as you can about that person’s training, experience, specialty, and association with professional organizations and hospital affiliations. Are they board-certified in functional medicine by a credible medical board? Also, consider the doctor’s treatment philosophy. Is it similar to your views?

How do you feel? Consider how comfortable you are with the provider. Do they make you feel at ease? Is the provider respectful of your concerns and beliefs? Remember, functional medicine takes a team approach, involving you and the provider, so make sure you feel comfortable and respected and that they are someone with whom you would like to work.

Appointment time. Choose a provider who will spend enough time with you so that they can gain a full understanding of your needs.

Are the right questions being asked? To understand you as a whole person and not just a disease, be prepared to answer lots of questions, including questions about your diet, exercise, sleep habits, how you feel emotionally, your religious beliefs and practices, close relationships, and more.  But expect these questions to be acted on. I don’t want to answer questions only to have them put in a folder and not acted on.

Back to the person who wrote in the above quote (at the beginning of this article).

There is a lot of confusion about what the various medical modalities are and what they do.

The person who wrote that quote says she is a medical professional. I’m not a medical professional. I’m just an 83-year-old who has a lot of experience with the medical profession and who has a keen perspective of knowing when someone is not right for me.

I disagree that functional medicine is quackery. I do agree that some of the practitioners who are not medical doctors may do more harm than good.

I don’t know if this functional approach will help me or not. But you will know because I will journal as I go through the journey.

Anyway, this is my opinion.