Paleo Doctor Recognized as Functional Medicine Doctor of the Year

Functional medicine is here to stay

So, if you have spent any time on my blog, you know that I am a functional medicine practitioner. Functional medicine is the next wave in healthcare. However, what is different about functional medicine is that unlike other aspects of healthcare that have come and gone, it is here to stay. How can I be so sure that functional medicine is not a passing fad? The answer to this question is actually simpler than one might think. Normal function is the basis of good health. We are all aware that the current healthcare system is not setup to support return of optimal health, but rather to treat disease.

Functional medicine doctors genuinely care about their patients

While at a conference recently as a speaker I was asked to talk on the merits of setting up a nutritional pharmacy and how to use that pharmacy to best support patient care. The room was full of seasoned clinicians eagerly awaiting the content of the next lecture to find out how to better serve the patients that they work with. This is such a different mindset than what we think about when comparing traditional medicine. However, it is also the mindset that makes functional medicine different. Doctors that want to listen to their patient’s needs intently and with a close ear to detect the subtleties of dysfunction are what functional medicine is comprised of. So in a room such as this with such gifted practitioners, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the amount of talent in the room. These are the kind of clinicians that a true doctor would be honored to call a colleague.

Yet during the weekend, I received a significant surprise that I was not expecting. I was given the recognition that I could not have imagined receiving, especially when looking at the caliber of practitioners in the room. With great humility and pride in the work that I do each day, I was named Functional Medicine Doctor of the Year for 2013. This was an unexpected honor, and one that I am very proud to have received.

Seeing patient regain their health is reward enough

Afterwards, I reflected on the last year and what actions I had taken to have deserved such recognition. Ironically, the work that I did through the past year did not feel like work in any way. Moreover, it felt like sharing with colleagues and patients my clinical experiences that could benefit them and their patients. When I think of what it is that I have been afforded the opportunity to do each day, I consider myself a truly blessed person. To be able to watch individuals regain their health is priceless. It gives merit to the time away from home and the hours spent learning.

Practicing functional medicine instead of “traditional” medicine is the only way to truly help patients.

When I look back at the path that has lead me to where I am today, it is no mistake the events that have transpired to make me a Doctor of Functional Medicine. Functional medicine will stand the test of time, and do so by its own merit. This science that continues to emerge is the basis of mankind’s physical existence. It will endure long after other healthcare philosophies have faded into history by virtue of its ability to restore the basic physiology of the body.