Why Choose a Functional Medicine Model?
Throughout my career, I came to see the limitations of the traditional medical model in addressing the chronic disease epidemic that affects so many. We are managing chronic illness, yes, but are we truly helping people thrive? I grew convinced that the healthcare system was missing a vital opportunity: instead of addressing the root causes of age-related diseases, it was focusing on expensive and invasive treatment after the fact. This reactive model left little room for the proactive strategies that I believed could help many people avoid illness altogether.
Functional and anti-aging medicine represent a shift in this approach. These disciplines aim to uncover the underlying causes of illness rather than simply treating symptoms. Instead of waiting for symptoms to escalate, we investigate and address factors like inflammation, nutritional deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, and toxin exposure. By recognizing and mitigating these risk factors, we create a healthcare model that promotes lifelong health and resilience, allowing individuals to live longer, healthier lives.
In this model, the focus is not only on extending lifespan but on enhancing “healthspan”—the years of life spent in optimal health. Through tailored lifestyle interventions, functional medicine emphasizes diet, exercise, sleep, and mental well-being as pillars of health. And then the medicine starts - the use of biological science to treat the underlying dysfunctions. These are powerful interventions to prevent disease, treat disease and promote wellness, youth and health. It is not enough to add years to life; the goal is to add life to those years, ensuring that individuals remain active and vibrant as they age.
Anti-aging medicine is integral to this approach. Anti-Ageing Medicine is functional medicine which incorporates emerging research on aging and longevity as the most outstanding preventive health intervention of all - prevention of ageing and death. With advancements in our understanding of cellular health, immune resilience, and metabolic function, anti-aging strategies seek to slow or even reverse the processes that lead to age-related diseases. Through targeted supplements, repurposed medicines, therapeutic peptides, hormonal support, and cutting-edge therapies, anti-aging medicine offers tools to stop the ageing process and even reverse it. The main side effect of getting younger is prevention of common conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and cognitive decline: stay young AND prevent chronic disease.
Our healthcare system is evolving, but the need for proactive, preventive health strategies has never been clearer or more pressing. By shifting focus from disease management to disease prevention, functional and anti-aging medicine give us the opportunity to build a healthcare model that prioritizes vitality, independence, and longevity. I call this FAARM - Functional Anti-Ageing Regenerative Medicine.
Below a link to a book series on FAARM.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DJ5TMPJL?binding=kindle_edition&ref=dbs_dp_sirpi
Copyright Dr Christopher Maclay 2024. All rights reserved.
Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only, it does not constitute medical advice. Please consult with your health care practitioner for personalised medical advice.