Functional Medicine in Bend Oregon

Kremer Family

Addressing the root cause has always been Dr. Kremer's approach in the treatment of injuries and chronic illness or disease. You can remove the pain or temporarily cover up a problem with a band-aid or medication, but have you truly fixed the problem? The same goes for the inability to lose weight, reduce fatigue, improve sleep, defeat depression, or regarding digestive health. Sure, a prescription medication or supplement might lessen your symptoms but without the appropriate and essential lifestyle changes and some dietary guidance, you're still just masking the underlying problem. Functional Medicine Kalish Institute and IFM trained Wellness Doctor offers the most well-rounded Functional Medicine program in Central Oregon. Dr. Kremer and his wife Cassie, provide the perfect balance of a true Functional Medicine approach with the equally important integrated lifestyle and key nutritional components. After an initial visit with Dr. Kremer, Cassie (our clinic's nutritionist) takes the next essential steps with the individual to review Dr. Kremer's recommendations and treatment plan. Cassie works with patients to improve sleep, reduce stressors and toxins, as well as perfecting dietary interventions and meal planning. When it comes to a Functional Medicine approach, we offer a very powerful and results-driven team.

Functional Medicine Doctor Bend Oregon Paleo Keto Dr. Kremer has been the Physician Columnist for Paleo Magazine for the past 10 years and he and his wife have contributed over 40 Functional Medicine related columns regarding Chronic Fatigue, Weight Loss, Food Sensitivities and Allergies, SIBO, Mental Health topics, Chronic Lyme Disease, Cancer, Toxic Exposure, Sleep, Digestive Health, Celiac Disease, Hormones, Ketogenic Diet, Dementia and Alzheimer's, and the list goes on. Check out some of their past columns HERE.

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What Is Functional Medicine?

The latest paradigm shift in healthcare is Functional Medicine, which takes a more integrative approach and focuses more on the cause rather than the symptoms. This goes for treating everything from chronic joint pain to getting to the root cause of autoimmune conditions, migraines, fatigue, and IBS. As so many chronic conditions or signs of poor health can be traced to some degree of neuroendocrine dysregulation, gastrointestinal dysfunction, or comprimised detoxification, Dr. Kremer focuses a great deal on correcting HPA dysregulation (adrenal fatigue), gut dysbiosis and nutrient replacement through specialty lab testing, dietary & lifestyle interventions, and targeted short-term supplement programs.

Functional Medicine is an evolution in the practice of medicine that better addresses the healthcare needs of the 21st century. By shifting the traditional disease-centered focus of medical practice to a more patient-centered approach, functional medicine addresses the whole person, not just an isolated set of symptoms. Functional medicine practitioners spend time with their patients, listening to their histories and looking at the interactions among genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that can influence long-term health and complex, chronic disease. In this way, functional medicine supports the unique expression of health and vitality for each individual.

Why Do We Need Functional Medicine?

Our society is experiencing a sharp increase in the number of people who suffer from complex, chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, mental illness, and autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis.
The system of medicine practiced by most physicians is oriented toward acute care, the diagnosis and treatment of trauma or illness that is of short duration and in need of urgent care, such as appendicitis or a broke n leg.
Unfortunately, the acute-care approach to medicine lacks the proper methodology and tools for preventing and treating complex, chronic disease.
There’s a huge gap between research and the way doctors practice. The gap between emerging research in basic sciences and integration into medical practice is enormous- as long as 50 years- particularly in the area of complex, chronic illness.
Most physicians are not adequately trained to assess the underlying causes of complex, chronic disease and to apply strategies such as nutrition, diet, and exercise to both treat and prevent these illnesses in their patients.

How Is Functional Medicine Different?

Functional Medicine involves understanding the origins, prevention, and treatment of complex, chronic disease. Hallmarks of a functional medicine approach include:

Patient-centered care. The focus of functional medicine is on patient-centered care, promoting health as a positive vitality, beyond just the absence of disease.
An integrative, science-based healthcare approach. Functional Medicine practitioners look "upstream" to consider the complex web of interactions in the patient's history, physiology, and lifestyle that can lead to illness. The unique genetic makeup of each patient is considered, along with both internal (mind, body and spirit) and external (physical and social environment) factors that affect total functioning.
Integrating best medical practices. Functional medicine integrates traditional Western medical practices with what are sometimes considered "alternative" or "integrative" medicine, creating a focus on prevention through nutrition, diet, and exercise; use of the latest laboratory testing and other diagnostic techniques; and prescribed combinations of drugs and/or botanical medicines, clinical grade supplements, therapeutic diets, detoxification programs, or stress-management techniques.

functional medicine Bend Wellness

Let thy food by thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food!

~Hippocrates~

For those Interested in more information about Functional Medicine and understanding more about the cause and prevention of chronic disease, visit the Institute for Functional Medicine, at www.functionalmedicine.org