What is Functional Medicine? Functional medicine focuses on the health of the whole body, explains Dr. Ashwani Garg, MBBS (Functional Medicine). Instead of simply focusing on a single issue, functional medicine promotes total body healing and restorative care. This is an effective means to cure chronic diseases in the body. All of us experience stress, environmental factors, and lifestyle changes.
These changes have a negative impact on your body. While medication puts a temporary fix on the body, it does not target the cause of the health difficulties.
Functional medicine takes time and patience. By using the holistic procedures of food, exercise, family history, and other factors, this strategy promotes healing and restores balance within your body. This sort of restorative healing does not use medication. Holistic methods work to improve body functions and eliminate medication.
Strengthen Your Immune System Naturally
Healing your body obviously is important whether you are coping with chronic health problems such as a diminished immune system. This approach to recovery focuses on curing the powerhouse of your body — your digestive tract.
Natural Vitamins and Minerals: Most individuals suffer from vitamin and mineral deficiencies. These deficiencies weaken the immune system and disrupt the balance in the body systems. A weakened immune system may result in skin disorders, lupus, Parkinson’s disease, and other autoimmune disorders.
A natural diet that includes all the needed minerals and vitamins will strengthen immunity. Some important foods to include in your diet are:
Dark greens like spinach and kale
Citrus fruits and red bell peppers- high in vitamin C
Dark berries — high in antioxidants
Garlic — a natural food to fight infections
Eliminate Gluten From Your Diet: Removing gluten from the diet does not mean you’ll experience immediate recovery. Removing gluten from your diet is a direct action that will provide you lasting benefits. Gluten is made up of protein collections which are in many grains. Gluten can cause considerable inflammation in the body. Work on incorporating natural foods to repair and rebuild your damaged system. Foods with vitamin C and Omega-3 fatty acids are crucial to this procedure.
Self-care: When fighting upper respiratory ailments, top priorities are plentiful hydration and rest. Drink a lot of fluids; homemade bone or vegetable broths can also be extremely beneficial.
Respiratory congestion & congestion: Vaporizers can be used with decongestants or essential oils like eucalyptus, menthol, peppermint, or frankincense.
Foods, supplements, and nutrients to support immune function: There are numerous nutritional supplements, plant-based botanicals, and supplements that can boost immune function and supply symptom relief through illness and might help to shorten the length of illness.
Vitamin C: Vitamin C may also help prevent infections caused by viruses and bacteria.
Vitamin D: Various studies have shown that it helps decrease the risk of colds and influenza.
Vitamin A: For short term use and especially for people who have moderate vitamin A deficiency, supplementation can be particularly valuable in helping the body’s ability to fight infections, especially with respect to respiratory infections.
Zinc: Zinc plays a major part in boosting immunity. Often available as lozenges, zinc can help reduce the frequency of infections in addition to the common cold.
Selenium: Selenium is a vital nutrient for immune function. It is also an antioxidant that helps boosts the body’s defenses against bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells.
Honey: Honey, rather raw, is a fantastic demulcent (it relieves minor pain and inflammation of mucous membranes), has antioxidant properties, also contains some antimicrobial effects.
Garlic: Garlic comprises an assortment of compounds that could influence immunity.
Probiotics: Probiotics have “good bacteria” that encourage the health of the gut but also influence immune system operation and regulation.
