What sets functional medicine apart from traditional medical care? There are various subspecialties within conventional medicine, including cardiology, neurology, endocrinology, haematology, psychiatry, etc. It provides distinct treatments for each of the body's organs. However, a person is made up of intricate, interconnected web-like networks between the mind and the body. The underlying cause of a disease is more significant than its name.
A psychiatrist may therefore be unable to effectively treat a depressed patient with antidepressants if the underlying cause is a hormonal imbalance, such as an underactive thyroid. In contrast to conventional medicine, functional medicine and holistic gut health are not compartmentalized and focus on underlying causes, with therapies suited to the cause as opposed to the disease.