What is Functional Nutrition Therapy and Why Do I Need It?

Functional Nutrition Therapy is a type of therapy that addresses the whole body and not just an illness or symptom. The goals of Functional Nutrition Therapy are to improve your health, prevent disease and help you achieve a higher quality of life through a healthy lifestyle. There are three major components to Functional Nutrition Therapy: individualized diet counseling, therapeutic lifestyle strategies and targeted supplementation.

The human body is an incredible machine that doesn’t always work the way it should. The role of functional nutrition therapists is to help people identify nutritional deficiencies, understand how to improve their diet, and manage food sensitivities so that their bodies perform optimally.

The Science Behind Why FNT Works

Functional nutrition therapy is more than just another diet. FNT is a protocol that uses food to heal the underlying cause of many chronic diseases. FNT includes a variety of treatments, such as a dietary approach, which helps in restoring proper gut function and in reducing inflammation with foods that are anti-inflammatory in nature. FNT also includes removing toxic foods from the diet and replacing them with nutrient-dense foods to help repair the gut lining, improve digestion and absorption, and help regulate immune responses.

The importance of a healthy gut cannot be overstated. The gut is the center of the immune system, controlling everything from food allergies to mood disorders. It’s also the home of trillions of bacteria that have major influences on our health and wellbeing.
There are various things that you can do to improve your digestive health, but before you start implementing these changes, it’s important to understand exactly what they are and how they benefit your body. A functional nutrition therapist is educated with the proper knowledge to guide you in what choices work best for your individual needs.

How Effective is Functional Nutrition Therapy in the Treatment of Chronic Disease?

Functional nutrition therapy is a natural and holistic approach to chronic disease. FNT is a complete, whole food diet that restricts processed foods and sugar, and includes a variety of fresh vegetables and fruits, as well as organic meats, poultry, seafood and healthy fats.

In eliminating the symptoms of chronic diseases, Functional Nutrition Therapy is effective because it gives both the body and mind what they need to heal. In addition, by preventing future illness it can also be more cost-effective for individuals who are at risk for chronic disease.

Functional Nutrition Therapy has been shown to help people with chronic diseases by providing them with their nutritional needs without triggering any adverse reactions from the body’s immune system.

Conventional treatments for chronic diseases typically include medications to help manage symptoms but they may cause other side effects, plus the patient must remain on the medication or the symptoms return. The results of functional nutrition therapy can naturally yield similar results in many cases and provide long-term relief.

What are the Conditions that can be Treated with Functional Nutrition Therapy?

Functional nutrition therapy can be used to address many conditions but is extremely beneficial for those with digestive problems because proper nutrition and lifestyle habits directly impact digestive health. FNT promotes healing for conditions such as acid reflux, GERD, gastritis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and SIBO as well as food allergies, sensitivities, or intolerances that can cause bloating, cramps, constipation and more.

It is common for those who engage in functional nutrition therapy to experience other conditions resolve simultaneously. Conditions such as skin disorders, fatigue, sleep disorders, joint and muscle pain, and even sexual dysfunction.

The Benefits of Functional Nutrition Therapy

Functional nutrition therapy is not just about what you eat. It’s also about how your body uses the food it takes in. That’s why functional nutrition therapists look at not just what you eat, but how well your body breaks down and absorbs nutrients from that food.

Functional nutrition therapists also consider:

– Your environment: Does it present any stressors? Do you practice forms of stress management?
– Your sleep cycle: Are you getting enough quality sleep? What environmental factors are negatively impacting your sleep?
– Physically activity: Are you physically active? Do you engage in therapeutic movement?

Why You Should Consider Getting a Functional Medicine Assessment If You Live with Chronic Disease

Everyone’s body is different. One person may have a genetic predisposition to a certain disease, while another person may develop the same pathology due to a lifestyle choice. A functional medicine assessment is a way for you to determine the root cause of your chronic disease, as well as how best to promote healing.

To be as knowledgeable as possible about your health, especially if you suffer from a chronic digestive or autoimmune disease, you should consider getting one.