Functional Medicine

Functional Medicine Uncovers the Root Cause of Disease to Restore Health

Answering the question: Why? When dealing with chronic disease, it’s important to ask the question, why?

Why did you develop this disease?
What are the underlying factors?
Can anything be done to correct what went wrong to restore health?

Functional medicine at Innovative Health in Weston, Wisconsin identifies genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that influence health and complex, chronic disease. Biochemical imbalances and nutritional deficiencies are found and corrected to restore normal function to the body.

When your body functions as it was intended, symptoms disappear, and medication may become unnecessary.

It can be difficult to distinguish between treating symptoms and correcting the cause of a condition. However, this distinction is important because it’s the difference between managing a disease and getting better.

Dr. Kevin Ritzenthaler, DC, DCBCN
Wisconsin Functional Medicine Specialist

Traditional vs Functional Medicine

Functional medicine might be considered by some to be a “new” approach to treating conditions and diseases. In reality, it’s probably the oldest approach in the world. Hippocrates has been credited with saying, “The greatest medicine of all is teaching people how not to need it.”

Traditional medicine excels at delivering life-saving measures for acute medical problems. But when it comes to treating chronic disease, the current “pill for every ill” healthcare model is failing. Chronic disease is on the rise, and life expectancy is falling.

Functional medicine offers a scientific, researched-based approach to combat chronic disease by restoring health.

In-Depth Look at Your Health

Have you ever felt like you don’t have enough time with your doctor to really talk about your health?

Our functional medicine appointments are longer. We take the time to listen and ask questions to get a complete picture of your health. The end goal is to correct what is not functioning properly within your body to restore your health.

Don't Settle for Cookie Cutter

Beware of clinics with a shelf full of packaged solutions for a range of conditions. As a Diplomate in Clinical Nutrition, Dr. Kevin Ritzenthaler will look at a detailed history of your current health status to develop a plan that is just for you.

“The greatest medicine of all is teaching people how not to need it.”

Hippocrates

GENES + LIFESTYLE + ENVIRONMENT = DISEASE

Wisconsin Functional Medicine Specialist

Research has shown that genetics alone account for only a small fraction of disease. How your environment and lifestyle interact with your genes is the true root cause of most disease. There are seven foundational lifestyle factors that influence health:

Genetics
Nutrition
Exercise
Exposure to Toxins
Sleep
Stress Levels
Relationships

Since no two people share the same foundational lifestyle factors, functional medicine must look at each patient as a true individual. Foundational lifestyle factors impact how your cells function, repair, and maintain themselves. Cell function, in turn, influences larger biological functions including:

Immune system function
Regulation of hormones and neurotransmitters
Inflammatory response
Digestion and absorption of nutrients
Elimination of toxins
Structural integrity
and much more

When these processes are disturbed or out of balance, it can lead to disease.

What to Expect

Treatment begins with a detailed history of your present health status and an exam. The doctor may also request a detailed look at current dietary habits.

Then, tests are ordered to help identify biochemical imbalances and nutritional deficiencies. Test samples may include blood, urine, and saliva.

Upon review of the lab results, a treatment plan will be developed. It may include a combination of lifestyle modifications and dietary changes, empowering you to take an active role in regaining your health. The doctor may also prescribe nutraceutical supplements. The doctor will work with you to monitor your progress throughout the treatment plan.

The tests conducted by Functional Medicine doctors are not typically found in traditional medical offices.