Functional Medicine and Wellness
Genesis Functional Wellness - genesisfw.com
You don’t feel well; you don’t know why. You have been tested, medicated, and even provided a diagnosis or two, but you still don’t feel well, have no energy and possibly can’t lose those unwanted pounds no matter what you try. Sound familiar?
There are two important questions you need to ask: Are you addressing the cause of what’s making you unwell? Are your current methods working?
At Genesis we seek so find and address root causes in illness. Typically, the body does not breakdown and become dysfunctional without a catalyst(s). Root issues may include, but are not limited to:
Infections
Gut/microbiome imbalances
Autoimmunity
Emotional/physical trauma
Stress
Immune challenges
Environmental exposures (toxic mold, chemical, heavy metal)
Poor detoxification capabilities
Our bodies can usually handle some level of any of the above listed stressors. We may even be able to cover up a few symptoms with medications for a while. But, overtime, insult after insult, there is eventually a tipping point. This is usually when we experience the expression of symptoms and these symptoms become unbearable. Medications we once found helpful may not be able to cover the array of symptoms we are now experiencing. In preventative healthcare, the goal is to never get to this place, but often sick people find themselves here. Enough of these stressors overtime can cause some sort of autoimmunity, and then things really get fun! Not only do you have symptoms of an infection, poor immunity and inflammation, but you have the whole wonderful package of an autoimmune response. Autoimmune conditions are very inflammatory and wear out the immune system leaving it almost defenseless against more infection, etc. This is just one of the reasons that make it hard for most people, even practitioners, to pinpoint just what is going on. On the same note, something like toxic mold exposure can exacerbate any given illness or genetic weakness. This is another root issue that can often be missed. Symptoms will wax and wane regardless of how "clean" the diet is or how many supplements taken. This is truly a frustrating place to be and can often leave sick people feeling hopeless.
There is hope! Even the sickest of people can have a reduction in symptoms or a complete recovery, but it takes time and hard work. Dr. Vermeesch has her own story of chronic illness to health (read it here), but she always points out that is was not easy and took hard work and persistence. Today, she uses her clinical knowledge along with her own personal experience to help those that are seeking restoration of their own health.
Have you been unsuccessfully treated before?
Most traditional physicians cover symptoms with pills, while alternative practitioners do the same with supplements. Neither approach may get to the root cause of why you aren’t feeling well. We hear all too often of clients who have seen practitioners that have helped them in some extent or even greatly but after a period of time, the symptoms came back. We believe this is because most healing approaches “skim off of the top.” There may be some relief for a period of time, but it always comes back.
Our approach is designed to seek out and explain why and how. We to this by digging deep into your health history is crucial to learning what may have contributed to illness. Toxic stressors which can include Lyme disease, hidden infections, and chemical exposures can quickly hinder the body’s detox pathways and allow other toxins to bio-accumulate. Unfortunately, these stressors aren’t often recognized as major underlying contributors to health challenges.
What to expect
The Functional Wellness process begins by a getting a detailed history. This happens at our initial consult which is an hour long. Before this consult, initial paperwork is filled out to start building this detailed history. Dr. Vermeesch goes over this paper work and any labs provided before the consult. During the consult you will be able to add any details to your history. From this, Dr. Vermeesch is able to start putting some things together and also able to create a lab list to start putting the puzzle pieces together. This may include imaging, labs, or even environmental testing. This visit will also provide the client with the estimated cost, effort and time that will be needed in order to address the issues at hand. This visit by no means commits you to anything, it is simply a place to be heard and gather information.
The Genesis Difference
We’ve developed one of the most comprehensive health restoration programs available at Genesis Functional Wellness. It’s inception was born out of our search for true healing from our own family’s personal health struggles. We have implemented this program ourselves, with our children, and numerous other patients. It works. Our passion is to bring this to other individuals and families who are in need so that they too can experience true healing and full health.
At our office we are passionate about education and healing. Contact us if you would like to schedule a consultation to find out more about our Functional Medicine and Wellness programs and whether it is the right fit for you.