Is not being sick enough? What does it mean to be a healthy person? What is the definition of functional medicine on this subject?
Just because we have not been diagnosed with a disease does not mean that we are healthy.
Therefore, not being sick is not enough
. Disease can be explained as a diagnosis of a disorder, a disturbed balance in the body, and an organ or function becoming unable to function.
From a functional medicine perspective, the fact that an individual is sick indicates that the protective and preventive stages have been passed, in a sense. This does not mean that your deteriorated health is irreversible, but our main goal is to always use protective and preventive approaches, not to pave the way for diseases and not to get sick.
In the traditional approach, acute treatments are provided for the disease and symptoms and severe disorders are eliminated.
However, if the underlying cause of the disease is not eliminated, the person continues to live with that disease.
The middle ground between being well and being sick can be considered "normal". While there is an end to being sick, there is no end to being well. In a functional medicine diagram ,
well-being is depicted by an open-ended arrow. So there is always something better than our current situation.
We can always get better, especially if we can see that our body, mind and spiritual structure are a whole.
But we usually think it shouldn't get worse.
We ignore insomnia, aches, thyroid problems, difficult weight loss, indigestion, intestinal problems, reflux, bloating, and most importantly, mood swings.
Since we can continue our daily lives, we ignore these disease signals, saying "don't let it get worse".
But each of these is a signal of a coming deterioration, that is, disease! The best part of functional medicine is that it can be applied individually, can detect diseases before they occur, and offers a preventive approach.
Keeping the body healthy also affects our mental and spiritual health. At the root of the most common chronic diseases in adulthood; Long-term stress, lifestyle and nutritional mistakes lie behind it. In the midst of chronic diseases and all these root causes, we encounter the weight problem!
The most common denominator of the most common and constantly increasing chronic diseases of our age, such as diabetes, heart diseases, fatty liver and high blood pressure, is shown to be "obesity". Therefore, the main causes of chronic diseases are; It draws attention as nutritional problems, stress, sleep problems and sedentary life .
While functional medicine tries to reveal the root causes by evaluating all systems with a protective, preventive and personalized perspective, it also offers sustainable, quality-of-life approaches to recovery through personalized, holistic, lifestyle and nutritional treatments.
Are there absolute truths about being a "healthy person"? At what points is it relative, what should be taken as basis and what should be targeted?
Yes, there are absolute truths. summarizes this issue very well. In this book, Blackburn talks about basic issues that everyone knows but that are difficult to implement due to social reasons.
For example, nutrition . Although this subject is really relative and we all seem to know it very well, it is one of the most difficult subjects because it needs to be tailored to the individual. There may be congenital disorders, familial predispositions, environmental factors and many other special needs that need to be taken into consideration.
Although there is no ideal diet or a single type of nutrition that is valid for everyone, we can say that the Mediterranean type of nutrition is the healthiest type of nutrition accepted all over the world. Pegan diet , which is also recommended by functional medicine and which I follow . A diet that is plant-based, contains healthy and balanced protein and fat, is low in carbohydrates, and restricts gluten and dairy products according to the individual. One of the most important differences between elimination diets and individual adjustments after 4-8 weeks of practice.
Physical activity , that is, being active throughout life, is very important. Just taking a step is not enough. Selected according to personal inclinations and tastes; Including at least one of sports, yoga, gardening, housework, cycling, swimming and many other activities in our lives is incredibly effective on health. As our muscles and body become stronger, we also become emotionally stronger.
The third truth is sleep . Our body has a rhythm called "circadian rhythm" . With the increase in melatonin hormone secretion, this rhythm, which makes us feel sleepy around 22:00, is disrupted when we do not go to sleep. Cellular renewal, stimulation of the immune system and detoxification mechanisms work actively between 23.00 and 05.00. Therefore, this 6-7 hour period is very important for sleep.
The issue of stress is another absolute truth. Although we have a structure that can cope with acute stress, chronic stress , that is, stress that occurs as a constant negative reaction to what is happening in our lives, threatens our health and triggers the diseases of our age.
Social relationships also greatly affect life expectancy. There are studies showing that even the neighborhood we are born in affects our lifespan. Changing our own perception, perspective and reactions changes everything. Fortunately, this is something that can be learned and improved.
At what points in our lives should we make changes to reach a better version of ourselves? Where should we start?
When starting treatments, patients often hesitate about "not doing it properly" or are afraid of "not doing it right" . “Even if we take care of ourselves, the environment we live in is very bad, what can we do?” they say. The only thing we can change is ourselves, the important thing is to start and take the first step . When it comes to taking healthy steps, we don't know exactly where to start, especially as diseases increase and become chronic. For this reason, getting to the root cause, choosing personal approaches and receiving support throughout the process increases recovery.
We all have a reality. Sometimes it becomes difficult to take action due to emotional traumas, physical needs and similar situations. Our emotional and physical worlds influence each other. Demoralization affects health. If we cannot find a solution to the emotional side, we need to start from the physical side. Just like negative cycles, positive cycles trigger each other.
It is necessary to take the first step, love ourselves, be realistic in this process and identify the needs well. If support is to be received, it is very important to choose the right person.
Two things I would like to add are hope and inspiration, which I feel are very important during my own illness periods and which I try not to neglect.
What do you think is the biggest obstacle standing between an individual and feeling great? How do our mindset and perspective affect us?
Anyone who can turn within themselves and discover themselves is actually moving towards feeling amazing.
Generally, we are used to eating from outside . We try to provide all our needs from outside, including attention, love, admiration, success, friendship and even being healthy. Remembering that these are within us liberates us .
Relationships are, of course, wonderful experiences, but finding the answers, strength and energy within ourselves is the key. As the person turns inward, he reaches a state of serenity and gets rid of addictions. It rises in consciousness, increases its vision, begins to understand and feel meaning. He feels the feeling of satisfaction.
In order to return to reality and ourselves, it is necessary to regulate our perception and reactions. We need to keep our minds calm. There are many different techniques to achieve this. We need to find the one that suits us and apply it every day. But permanent results should not be expected immediately. The effects of these practices come at the end of certain processes. Still, being on that path makes one feel good.
Nature does not rush, but still achieves everything.
I often observe in my clients anxiety (about the past and the future) such as anxiety, anxiety about the future, not being able to realize their plans, fear of not happening again. But you shouldn't make plans in this life, as Mike Tyson said; “ Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth .”
Can you talk about your own transformation adventure, which is completely individual?
My close circle follows my adventure with amazement and they find courage when they see how I get through things.
What I have to say about this is that we cannot completely change our existence. I was quite stubborn, compulsive and very combative, especially until I was 40 years old . During this period, I exhausted myself and developed many health problems.
About 8 years ago, I experienced an emotional trauma that I never expected . Suddenly I was faced with menopause and many health problems . My increasing pain, digestive problems, migraines, thyroid nodules, endometriosis and the fatigue I experience every day... This situation affected not only me and my health, but also my daily life and relationships.
I have tried many different treatments such as acupuncture, homeopathy, osteopathy, chiropractic, bach flowers, ozone therapy and mindfulness techniques . Although these helped me recover a little, they did not fully work because both my physical and mental health were affected. Therefore, I could not get any permanent and effective results from any of the applications I tried.
It was at this point, in 2016, that I was introduced to Functional Medicine . I went to Cleveland , studied Functional Medicine, did an elimination diet. As a result of this discipline that I continued for 1 year, my body and metabolism changed.
Then I started dear and the most important mental change started at this point. In this program, I realized that I could reprogram myself if I wanted to. I moved away from my comfort zones and learned helplessness. I shifted my focus from shoulds to how I felt.
I believe everyone has their time. When it comes to ourselves, it is very important that the right time (universe) and the right ground (you) come together.
