Top 10 Reasons for Hiring a Functional Medicine Doctor

Have you ever gone to a doctor who practices conventional medicine and felt like they treated you like an appointment time instead of an actual patient? Conventional medicine doctors tend to focus on getting through as many appointments as possible as they treat the symptoms of the issue rather than the root cause.

Identifying the root cause of the patient’s symptoms takes time, energy, and a thorough analysis of the individual person. That is why those who practice functional medicine take a great deal of time with each patient, especially on their first visit, to get to know the patient, understand the pain or discomfort, and work to figure out the underlying causes of their conditions.

When you work with Dr. Cheryl Winter, DCN, FNP-BC/APRN, RDN, IFMCP, you can trust that she will take a patient-centered approach to medicine. She is a functional medicine practitioner who believes that holistic medicine and integrative medicine can heal a patient from many acute illnesses or chronic diseases. Rather than simply treating the symptoms, our integrative and functional medicine practitioner will work closely with you to root out the cause and determine the best treatment plan.

What Do Functional Medicine Doctors Do?

Functional medicine doctors focus on a holistic approach to healthcare because it is the only way to ensure that the root causes of disease and conditions are discovered and treated. To function properly, the systems of the human body must work together in harmony. It would only make sense that practitioners should also use a holistic approach instead of a method that breaks the body down into hyper-specialized parts.

Functional medicine practitioners work to prevent disease and promote good health as a way of keeping patients out of hospitals. The functional medicine approach aims to get patients to their healthiest selves.

Top 10 Reasons to Visit Functional Medicine Practitioners

There are many reasons to visit a functional medicine practitioner like Dr. Cheryl Winter. While you may not be completely familiar with integrative and functional medicine as a practice, it is no secret that conventional medicine does not always work in the patient’s best interests. 

Here are some of the top reasons to visit Dr. Cheryl Winter and her functional medicine practice:

1. Address root causes rather than symptoms: A conventional doctor will primarily focus on your symptoms, not the underlying cause of those symptoms. This can leave you struggling with chronic conditions for years with no relief. Functional medicine clinicians, however, are trained to think of the body as an intertwined system, and when one system is malfunctioning, it often affects the others. Functional medicine asks the question, “What is causing the pain and discomfort?”
2. Receive patient-centered care: When you visit a practitioner who practices the functional medicine model, you will no longer feel like another appointment or a time slot as you would with traditional medicine. Integrative and functional medicine practitioners take time to get to know you, understand your lifestyle, and use your unique health history to develop a treatment plan.
3. Save money: Because the functional medicine movement is centered on preventive care rather than reactive treatment, it will end up saving patients money in the long term. If your functional medicine doctor can prevent an illness, then you won’t be making payments for hospitalizations, prescription medications, time off work, and other medical expenses.
4. Trust in a science-based approach: Functional medicine remains updated with the latest science, which incorporates the Human Microbiome Project, cardiovascular health markers, the impact of diet on health, stress, and other issues that relate to overall health.
5. Experience proactive, preventive care: Traditional medicine doctors historically treat patients who are already feeling the effects of illness. Rather than waiting until illness occurs, functional medicine determines the issues that may cause you pain before it actually begins. That means you spend more time feeling healthy!
6. Learn about your body and health: When you visit the doctor for treatment, it is assumed that you don’t have a medical degree. This means that our doctors will empower and educate patients about their own health.
7. Identify the root causes of chronic illness: Because the body is so intricately interconnected, a symptom may have a variety of different causes, or many issues can have the same symptom. A functional medicine doctor will work to identify the root cause of the illness rather than just treat the symptom.
8. Develop a relationship with your functional medicine practitioner: Because you are spending so much time with your doctor as she gets to know you and the condition you are dealing with, you will begin to develop a relationship with that practitioner. In traditional medicine, that is a very rare occurrence.
9. Experience Feel higher patient satisfaction and happiness: When a patient visits a functional medicine practitioner, the holistic treatment methodology results in improved patient happiness, health, and satisfaction.
10. Live a longer life: People are living longer, and they want to enjoy their lives for as many years as possible. Preventive care using integrative therapies works to prolong that happiness and health.

If you want to take advantage of all of these benefits of functional medicine, contact Dr. Cheryl Winter to schedule your medical appointment.

Contact Our Conroe, TX, Functional Medicine Practitioner

Dr. Cheryl Winter is not a member of the mainstream medical world because she has seen how much better the results can be from functional medicine. Conventional doctors are overrun with appointments, have to deal with mountains of paperwork from insurance companies and copays, and have very little time to focus on the individual patient they are talking to.

When you are looking for a new approach to treating your conditions or illnesses, traditional medical practices are not always the right route. With functional medicine, factors such as poor diet, lifestyle, and other integral aspects of your health all play a vital role in overall well-being.

Contact our functional medicine practitioner to schedule your appointment and experience a more holistic approach to medical care.