The AFMCP ™ (Applied Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice) course is a five-day professional healthcare provider training programme. Participants gain in-depth training in the principles of functional medicine. This course is one step on the path to Certification with the Institute of Functional Medicine.
Many people today are suffering from chronic, complex diseases. In many cases, modern healthcare does not appear to have effective treatments for these problems. Or there are treatments, but they only suppress symptoms. These treatments manage a particular disease or condition without ever hoping to resolve or improve it.
Functional medicine and herbal medicine
Functional medicine like traditional herbal practice has a different approach. It looks for the root causes of illness rather than only addressing symptoms. A person's genes can make them more susceptible to certain illnesses. But, genes are not the full story. In fact, dietary choices and lifestyle factors can have a huge influence.
Discovering the circumstances that have caused imbalances in a person's health helps to direct a personalised treatment plan for optimising health and wellbeing.
As a graduate of the AFMCP course and other courses on this subject, I incorporate functional medicine practices and principles into my herbal practice to promote the health and wellness of my patients.
Functional medicine practitioners
There is no single optimised model for practising functional medicine. In fact, many practitioners use functional medicine principles alongside or within the scope of their training. For instance, I use medicinal herbs and nutrition to promote health and wellness in my patients.
Other practitioners may also suggest herbal remedies in their treatment plans. However, as a trained medical herbalist and specialist in the use of herbal remedies, I can provide bespoke herbal prescriptions, rather than herbal products that are 'one size fits all'.
It is also in my scope of practice to assist or advise patients that are already taking drugs from their doctor. Medical herbalists are trained to know which herbs can safely be used alongside conventional drugs and which are not.