Functional Medicine

Functional medicine

What is Integrative/Functional Medicine?

Welcome to Dawson Integrative & Functional Medicine, LLC (formerly known as Dawson Integrative Medical Center, LLC). We often get asked, "What do you do here and what is Integrative Functional Medicine?" Let me answer some simple questions.

We are a Primary Care Provider with a Twist. Functional Medicine focuses on treating the root cause of diseases and symptoms. We listen to you and partner with you in YOUR healthcare. We perform testing that is a bit more in depth and more comprehensive than you might have done at your normal PCP office; which gets you the answers you need.

Integrative Medicine means the combination of natural, alternative and traditional medicine modalities of treatment (a little bit of this and a little bit of that). Functional Medicine means finding the root cause or underlying factors of issues, looking at the entire body as a whole (aka holistic), asking the "why" questions and offering education, prevention and wellness. The body has an incredible way to self-regulate and heal when given the right tools, knowledge, and treatment plan. Treatment plans include everything from lifestyle recommendations, acupuncture, supplements, herbal medicine, wellness & vitamin injections.....to prescription medicine, if indicated. Our specialty areas are internal medicine relating to the reversal of chronic diseases, pain management, hormone health, thyroid management, weight loss, autoimmune, immune deficiencies, gut health, mental health and comprehensive wellness visits.

A diagnosis can be the result of more than one cause. For example, depression can be caused by many different factors, including inflammation. Likewise, a cause such as inflammation may lead to a number of different diagnoses, including depression. The precise manifestation of each cause depends on the individual’s genes, environment, and lifestyle, and only treatments that address the right cause will have lasting benefit beyond symptom suppression.

Rebuild your health from the inside out. We offer a doctor-led, holistic approach to medicine proven to treat the root cause of your health issues.

We look at genetic and lifestyle factors to find the best way to treat the root cause of your symptoms. From nutrition, exercise, and stress management to herbal medicine, supplements, and even prescription medications....we do it all. We offer in-depth, comprehensive laboratory testing, scientific analysis, and diagnosis to help identify the root cause and develop a customized treatment plan.

A personalized approach to medicine.

We see patients with a variety of health concerns. Many of them have tried traditional medical treatments in the past only to be left frustrated, feeling unheard, and continuing to struggle with painful conditions.

Some of the most common of those conditions are:

-Hormone Symptoms (men & women)

-Thyroid Management

-Weight Management

-Adrenal Fatigue

-Anxiety/Depression

-Chronic Pain

-Fibromyalgia

-Migraines

-Chronic Infections or Recurrent Illness

-Irritable Bowel Syndrome or Digestive Upset

-Autoimmune Issues

-Mast Cell Activation or Histamine Intolerance (MCAS)

-Mental Health Symptoms

-Mold Illness or Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS)

-Heavy metal Toxicity

-Gut Issues/Dysbiosis/SIBO

-Autism

-MTHFR Mutations & SNPs

-PANS/PANDAS

-"the unknown"

Conditions or Diseases Treated with Integrative/Functional Medicine

GASTROINTESTINAL HEALTH

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), Acid Reflux, Leaky Gut, Food Intolerances

AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES

Celiac Disease, Hashimoto’s Disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Lupus, Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis and more

CHRONIC INFECTIONS

Parasites, Tick-Borne Pathogens,
Epstein-Barr Virus, Cytomegalovirus, COVID long haul, Recurrent illness

FATIGUE

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Adrenal Fatigue, Hypothyroid

HORMONE IMBALANCES

Adrenal, Thyroid, Sex Hormones, PMS, PMDD, Menopause, Andropause (we see teens, men & women)

DETOXIFICATION

Metal and Heavy Metal Toxicity, Chemical, Mold/CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome)

MENTAL HEALTH

Anxiety, Depression, Insomnia, Brain Fog, PMS, ADD, Hyperactivity

FIBROMYALGIA

General Joint & Body Pain Syndromes

MIGRAINE HEADACHES

Chronic Headaches and Migraines

AND SO MUCH MORE!

Individualized Program Designed Just For You!

Functional Medicine doctors see patients every day who suffer from fatigue, thyroid problems, digestive problems, weight gain, muscle problems, cardiovascular disease, memory loss, foggy thinking or other exhausting conditions. They come to us after other doctors have dismissed their symptoms, telling them there is nothing more they can do. We are dedicated to working with you until we uncover the root cause of your problem. We combine experience, intuition and the latest proven testing protocols to detect any imbalances that affect your health and vitality.

INTEGRATIVE PRIMARY CARE-FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR PRIMARY CARE SERVICES

Primary Care? Functional Medicine? Where does one end and the other begin? We honestly believe that they are one in the same.

Our vision has always been to practice within the Integrative and Functional Medicine approach. Integrative means the combination of natural, alternative and traditional medicine modalities of treatment (a little bit of this, a little bit of that). Functional means the root cause of issues, looking at the entire body (aka holistic), asking the "why" questions and offering education, prevention and wellness.

Still though, we want to ensure our patients are aware that Functional Medicine is in no way meant to completely replace traditional PCP or internal medicine doctors. While we do offer "primary care" services; they must fall within our scope of Functional Medicine. We do recommend having a traditional PCP or access to an urgent care facility in the event of, or if a situation arises that is not within the Functional Medicine scope of practice.

Functional Medicine is not always a fit for everyone. You must have the desire for wellness, prevention and being proactive in your health care. You must be willing to partner with us in your wellness journey to get well and stay well.

WE ALSO OFFER MORE TRADITIONAL FAMILY MEDICINE, PRIMARY CARE, PEDIATRICS AND PSYCHIATRY UNDER THE FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE MODEL.

MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE

Unlike other Functional Medicine offices:

We DO NOT require you to purchase any type of product or supplement from our office; in fact, we typically do not have anything in our office to sell!!

We DO NOT believe you should be on excessive supplements or herbs either! More is not necessarily better.

We DO NOT believe in charging costly fees for office visits and services.

We DO NOT believe in charging membership fees.

We DO NOT believe in marking up lab tests, sell supplements/products and give you costly protocols. We encourage you to use your insurance and we are always looking for cost-effective treatments to provide access to affordable health care!

We do have a FullScript account which offers discounts to our patients. We encourage our patients to start there to price out any type of physician-grade (higher quality) supplement first. We also encourage patients to shop around to see where they can receive best pricing (Amazon, Google, etc).

It means more to us to have you be able to take the treatment and it should never be an issue of affordability. We just want you well. We are not sales people-we are physicians!!

All Functional Medicine offices are not equal! We encourage you to do some research on providers before you decide to work with them. Our office integrates Functional Medicine with evidence-based medicine.

What to expect in functional medicine appointments

YOUR FIRST VISIT (Intake & Physical Assessment)...

At your first visit, we will spend time reviewing your medical history and your current complaints, concerns and symptoms. Part of Functional Medicine is being able to connect the dots and put together the pieces of the puzzle. Comprehensive blood work and any other testing (imaging, etc) will be ordered. This is crucial to be able to properly diagnose and create an appropriate treatment plan. The blood work that we order will include more than what your typical doctor has previously tested for. We always start with traditional blood work at traditional labs, like Quest or Labcorp. If we are able to get the information we need from this panel, we will not need to test any further. Otherwise, we might recommend some of our Specialized Functional Medicine testing options we have OR you have the option to request them. Any recommendations will be given to you in the meantime until we meet again for your follow up to review all results.

YOUR FIRST FOLLOW UP VISIT (Results, Diagnosis & Treatment Plan)...

You will see the same provider you saw at your new patient visit. Roughly 2 weeks after your first appointment, we will meet again for your follow up visit. At this visit, we will review all your results in detail. Tests will be explained to you and what the results mean. A treatment plan will be created that is unique to YOUR situation. Treatment plans will involve natural approaches, alternative approaches, and traditional approaches-and/or a combination. We will discuss the pros/cons and risks/benefits of each. Each treatment plan will always include lifestyle recommendations because lifestyle is the most important medicine we have! Natural approaches include supplement protocols, herbal medicines or bio-natural forms of medications. Alternative approaches include complementary medicine, such as acupuncture. Traditional approaches include conventional medicine, such as prescriptions. Often times, a combination of all approaches might be appropriate. If a referral to a specialist is needed, we will coordinate that as well. Once a decision has been made, all information will be given to you to start your treatment!

We always advise our patients that natural approaches are the safest approach to take. While, natural treatments can often take longer to work, the effectiveness is all the same. If at any time, we need to modify your treatment, we can certainly do that.

SUBSEQUENT FOLLOW UP APPOINTMENTS...

The interval at which you will need to be seen will be determined by the type of treatment you are on. Natural treatments are typically seen in the office every 6 months or as needed. If you are on a traditional treatment with medication, this will vary based on the medication and how you are progressing.

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If you are not sure which provider to see, here are a few tips:

Dr. Christina & Dr. Walter practice NATURAL Holistic Functional Medicine & Alternative Medicine only. They do not prescribe medications. If you are looking for a more natural approach, then please schedule with one of the non-prescribing physicians.

Nurse Practitioners practices a BLEND of both traditional medicine & Functional Medicine. They do prescribe medications. If you are looking for more of a Functional Medicine twist but require medication management, please schedule with the nurse practitioner.

Please see above if you're confused on who to see!

ACCEPTING PATIENTS IN ALL STATES FOR FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE

HORMONE/THYROID/ADRENAL MANAGEMENT