Conventional Medicine by the Numbers

The numbers are straightforward enough: conventional primary care visits are problematically short, giving both patients and doctors very little time to even attempt taking a holistic approach to treatment. Far more often than not, this leads doctors to give their the prescription pad solution that, in the best-case scenario, treats the presenting symptoms with very little regard for potential underlying issues.

A More Functional Alternative

As a complete foil to the fast-paced, surface-level conventional approach, functional medicine prioritizes holistic care above all. It is primarily concerned with getting to the root cause of patients’ symptoms by deep-diving into their lifestyle (sleep, diet, physical activity, etc.), personal history, genetic information, psychological circumstances, and symptoms in order to come up with long-term solutions and preventative measures. To this end, physicians practicing functional medicine make it a priority to have enough time with their patients: at Robinson MD, for instance, the average new patient visit lasts between 60 and 90 minutes, and this is standard in the functional approach. Ultimately, functional medicine allows you, the patient, to better take control of your care by understanding why your symptoms are presenting, how your unique set of characteristics contributes to your symptoms, and what is in your power to change or improve in order to feel better.