Dr. Steven C. Davis was an experienced licensed chiropractor, Certified Traditional Naturopath, Tribal Healer, and Pastoral Healer who sought truth through healing for over 40 years. In the following article is a review on how Dr. Steven C. Davis viewed the complex and evolving world of global health care, as well as how he believed functional medicine is no longer simply an alternative treatment approach — it is a game-changer.

In the realm of healthcare, there has been a growing recognition that addressing symptoms alone is not enough to achieve optimal wellness. Enter functional medicine—an approach that delves deeper into the underlying causes of health conditions.

Dr. Steven C. Davis was a leading expert in this field who knew exactly how functional medicine is able to go beyond surface-level treatment to target the root cause of an ailment.

By understanding the interplay between various systems in the body, functional medicine offers a holistic perspective that can bring long-lasting relief and improved well-being.

Below, more on Dr. Steven C. Davis’ explorations of how functional medicine was founded to treat underlying health conditions, paving the way for a transformative approach to healthcare.

Dr. Steven C. Davis on the Basics of Functional Medicine Basics

Functional medicine treats a disease at its heart while aiming for a more tailored treatment approach by comprehensively exploring its root causes.

Dr. Steven C. Davis explained that, through a functional medicine lens, inflammation may lead to various conditions, from depression and arthritis to heart disease and cancer. However, depression itself can be anything from the result of a vitamin D deficiency to an indicator of pre-diabetes.

Those practicing functional medicine look at the bigger health picture of each patient to determine exactly what the right treatment is for long-term success and benefits, not just temporary relief.

Dr. Steven C. Davis said that functional medicine practitioners would also look for triggers and clues both big and small. They would listen to medical histories, but go much deeper, identifying every potential cause of conditions both chronic and sudden. They study a patient’s stress levels, exposure to allergens, and nutritional habits. Genetics play a part as well, along with one’s unique microbiome.

The result: a customizable health care plan that is efficient but must also be long-lasting.

The Functional Medicine Difference

About 45% of Americans — 133 million people — had at least one form of chronic disease in 2018, with recent studies pushing that number to as high as 60%. Treatment is shockingly costly. Chronic diseases account for about 75% of healthcare spending in the U.S.

Dr. Steven C. Davis maintained that treating chronic diseases effectively and quickly is essential. About 80% of all deaths in America are attributed to one or more of the top chronic diseases — heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Functional medicine works proactively to find more targeted and sustainable approaches to treating the chronic disease epidemic. By looking at a condition more holistically, functional medicine’s shared goal is to provide long-term disease prevention and longer, healthier lives.

Dr. Steven C. Davis said that looking at underlying health factors instead of focusing solely on symptom relief can allow a whole person to be treated, rather than just their current disease. Functional medicine and the resulting personalized plan rely not solely on medication, but on managing several of the body’s most important systems and addressing main health pillars such as nutrition, stress management, overall well-being, and daily movement and activity.

The Whole Picture

Dr. Steven C. Davis has always said to think of a chronic condition or health issue as the tip of an iceberg. Above the surface, there may be obvious aliments such as obesity, cancer, arthritis, and more. Below the surface, however, is where the underlying causes often hide, including body system structural imbalances, digestive issues, and hormonal imbalances.

Traditional medicine has long been tied to the temporary management of symptoms and a reliance on medicinal treatments. A traditional approach is rarely made personal, often ignoring individual factors in favor of one-size-fits-all treatment plans that drastically vary in effectiveness.

For functional medicine devotees, each person is a body with intricately connected parts that make up their own uniquely complex system. For them, it’s why a deeper understanding of lifestyle, genetics, and environmental factors potentially at play is essential for identifying the best medical treatment.

Dr. Steven C. Davis has explained that the resulting approach may include traditional medications, but it more often also addresses changes to diet and lifestyle, reducing stress and integrating natural supplements.

Functional medicine practitioners may use the same diagnostic testing approaches as those found in traditional medicine, including genetic testing and blood tests, but they also pair the information found on a cellular level with the information uncovered from learning a patient’s lifestyle.

In the end, functional medicine has always zeroed in on long-term health and not just management. It’s this dedication to understanding an illness or condition’s potential root causes that hopes to provide not just a healthier tomorrow, but a healthier life for decades to come.