There are three elements that should always be addressed when an individual is seeking health and wellness. There is a physical, chemical, and emotional component. Functional medicine encompasses these components – identifying the root cause of a patient’s illness and getting them on their road to wellness.
FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE MODEL
- Physical: Structural, spinal health, muscle balance
- Chemical: Nutritional status and biochemical balance
- Emotional: Psychological, mental, stress-induced
Physical Health
Physical Health is typically the most noticeable side of the health triangle. You quickly notice when bodily functions stop working. If you have trouble walking, can’t breathe, or feel yourself getting sick, you know there is something wrong with your health and that it requires attention.
Photo by William Choquette
Chemical Health
The significant component of Chemical Health is your nutrition. You are what you eat, drink, inhale, absorb, and consume in any way. All things you consume are broken down in your body and are either 1) used for energy or building blocks or 2) go to waste and are excreted via stool, urine, or sweat. For this system to work correctly, you need your detoxification pathways functioning optimally.
Photo by Jill Wellingtona
Our bodies get congested with not only poor food choices, but also by continuous environmental exposures. If our routes of elimination our congested, toxic burdens build up in our system and make us sick. These low-grade exposures produce inflammatory responses that continue to add up until our bodies can’t handle the detoxification load. This is when a chronic condition develops, such as hypertension, high cholesterol, rheumatoid arthritis, or diabetes.
Emotional Health
Photo by Hamish Duncan
What we think and how we feel affects us physically and chemically. There is a chemical reaction within the body with each thought and feeling! True mental health takes a lot of work. We must continually work on training our brains to react and respond in a way that supports our physiology. Our parasympathetic system (rest & digest) needs to work efficiently so we can recognize stressors and manage them as they present.
The mental aspect of health is the hardest to gauge as it is entirely internal and easy to dismiss. This encompasses spiritual, mental, and emotional well-being. This side of the triangle represents what you think, your relationships, and your attitude. This also includes your daily personal meditation and spiritual beliefs.
Here at Katas Integrative Health, we recognize the triad of elements – physical, chemical and emotional all need to be addressed in order to provide the best care to the Denver community. Our Whole Health Model is designed to serve YOU.
(Reprinted from LoHi Lifestyle Magazine, Jan-Feb 2020 issue)
