The symptoms that functional medicine (a form of "Integrative Medicine") can help alleviate and relieve when utilized clinically correctly can be varied and diverse. Functional medicine physicians are trained medical doctors who’ve completed the training required for traditional medical specialties, but additionally provide a more patient centered care approach (as compared to traditional care, which is typically centered on simply treating the patient’s symptoms.
Functional medicine has been around for almost thirty years now, yet many prospective patients who may perhaps benefit from it, are not aware of the various symptoms that this specialty may be useful in treating.
What Symptoms Warrant Functional Medicine or Integrative Medicine?
Stress
Stress can be a physical, mental, or emotional reaction by your body to pressure from situations, circumstances, or events. It can be useful in acute situations to keep a person focused at times, and helps you get more done. However, if stress is chronic and prolonged, it results in damage to a person's mental, physical, and emotional health. Everyone needs to be aware of the potential warning signs of chronic stress so that help can be sought out if necessary.
Stress Symptoms
The symptoms often seen in cases of chronic stress can be broken into four categories: Emotional, Physical, Behavioral and Cognitive.
Emotional symptoms of stress include:
- Easily frustrated, agitated and/or moody
- Struggling to relax, racing thoughts
- Depression, low self-esteem, worthlessness, feeling lonely
- Avoiding people/crowds, anti-social
- Feeling a loss of control or desire to take control, overwhelmed
Physical symptoms of stress include:
- Decreased energy levels
- Headaches
- Unsettled stomach, nausea, constipation, and diarrhea
- Back pain, muscle aches, tenseness
- Racing heart, chest pain
- Chronic infections and colds
- Loss of libido and/or ability to perform
- Nervousness including cold/sweaty hands and feet, jitters, tinnitus
- Difficulty swallowing and dry mouth
- Grinding teeth and clenching jaw
Cognitive symptoms of stress include:
- Feeling forgetful and disorganized
- Continuous worry
- Inability to quiet your mind
- Poor choices of judgement
- Trouble focusing
- Being negative and/or pessimistic
Behavioral symptoms of stress include:
- Appetite changes - over eating or not eating enough
- Procrastination and avoidance of responsibilities
- Increased consumption of alcohol, cigarettes, or drug use
- Nervous behavior like pacing, fidgeting and nail biting
Fatigue
Fatigue can cause a vast range of other emotional, mental, and physical symptoms including:
- persistent sleepiness or tiredness
- headaches
- vertigo
- muscle aches, soreness, or weakness
- delayed responses and reflexes
- poor judgement and decision-making
- easily irritated and moody
- diminished hand-eye coordination
- loss of appetite
- decreased immune system function
- blurred vision
- short-term memory issues
- inability to concentrate
- hallucinating
- inability to concentrate
- little-to-no motivation
Insomnia
Insomnia symptoms may include:
- Problems falling asleep
- Waking up throughout the night
- Waking up too soon
- Feeling tired or sleepy during the day
- Depression, anxiety, or irritability
- Difficulty focusing, remembering, paying attention
- Increase in accidents and/or errors
- Worrying about sleep
Brain Fog
Brain fog symptoms can include:
- Memory issues
- Problems focusing or concentrating
- Trouble processing information
- Inability to problem-solve
- Feeling disorientated or confused
- Having a hard with calculations
- Impaired spatial and visual skills
- Trouble finding words
About Philadelphia Urology Associates
At Philadelphia Urology Associates, you will receive expert and experienced guidance and care. We understand what you're going through and will "gently" guide you through what are, unfortunately, extremely intimate, and personal health matters. Dr. Bruce Sloane and the entire staff will do whatever is possible to help you.
Dr. Bruce Sloane is a nationally renowned specialist in Men's Health issues and Age Management Medicine. Dr. Sloane also underwent an extensive training program and is Certified by the Kalish Institute to practice Functional Medicine in the Philadelphia area. Throughout Philadelphia County and the surrounding areas like Delaware County, patients seek his expertise and advice to treat their urological problems such as erectile dysfunction and other sexual performance issues. Using state-of-the-art equipment and having extensive specialized education and training, Dr. Sloane will find the treatments and solutions that will work for you.
If you have any questions about the treatments available for any urological disorders, we urge you to contact us now online or call us at (215) 563-1199 today to discuss how we can help you!
