Hippocrates
We agree with the ancient Greek physician. A nutrient-dense diet, preferably vegan, can provide the body with what could be considered powerful medicine. That’s one of the reasons why we chose to offer functional medicine (FM) at Dabbs Rehab Center of Maryland. We are the only practice in the area to provide FM.
According to the Institute for Functional Medicine, “Functional Medicine determines how and why illness occurs and restores health by addressing the root cause of disease for each individual.”
As we understand the incredible healing power of nutritious food, we consider certain foods to have medicinal value. From greens like kale and spinach to spices, including turmeric and cinnamon, great health can be as close as your pantry or refrigerator.
“We believe that food is way more powerful than medicine in treating patients,” said Dr. Dabbs, who is an expert functional medicine practitioner. “Ninety percent of patients who have gone through our functional medicine program have gotten better,” he added.
Conditions FM Can Address
Functional medicine has been shown to be incredibly effective at managing an array of health issues. These include
Bad Out & Good In
So many “foods” today are laden with pesticides, GMOs and preservatives, all of which have a harmful effect on the body. Getting the bad foods out of your diet and the good ones in can have a powerful effect on your health.
When our patients adopt a plant-based diet, for example, they get better! We recommend a vegan diet and one that follows the 80-10-10 rule: 80% good carbs like vegetables, 10% healthy fats like avocado and 10% protein such as lentils.
Our Whole Food Products
To help ensure that our FM patients get the nutrients they need, we offer 1,000 products in the office. We primarily use Standard Process® products because they are made of concentrated, organic whole foods.
FAQ
How long is a functional medicine care plan?
It’s a year-long treatment plan and we have you come in about eight times over a two-week period and then once a month, followed by once every two months. It’s our experience that by the fourth month, most patients are considerably better.
Do you retest at the end of the care plan?
Yes, we provide a REIMS test at the end of the treatment plan. We will check your blood, urine, saliva and pH chemical content. The test will tell us what you have too much of and too little of. We can then fine-tune that till you are 100% chemically fixed. Then your body will start to work optimally again.
Is sugar consumption causing my diabetes?
Most people think diabetes is caused by sugar, but it’s actually caused by meat consumption. When we take patients off meat, 50% of those with diabetes are no longer diabetic. The other 50% are able to reduce their meds in half.
How does functional medicine relate to chiropractic?
When patients have pain, they note that it’s always mechanical. But it’s chemically related too. For example, if patients eat an acidic diet, their body inflames. On the other hand, if we put them on an alkaline diet, they may have a vertebra out of place slightly, but it shouldn’t cause much pain. If that patient eats an acidic diet, however, they will be in more pain. When you remove the inflammation from their diet, the pain goes away and we’re fixing the structure at the same time.
Do you offer any workshops on nutrition?
Yes, once we can gather again, we will be featuring these about once a month in the office.
The first step in becoming a functional medicine patient is filling out a symptoms survey analysis about your body and how it’s working. You can complete it in the office or at home and email it to us or bring it one. Once we get it back from you we will input the information and will get a report telling us what health issues you have. The test costs $250, but we offer it to patients for free.
If you’d like to get out of pain, have more energy and possibly live longer, contact us today to book a free evaluation with Dr. Dabbs!