The Mindful Migraine

When I first heard the phrase “functional medicine” from my blogging buddy Midwest Mary, my first thought was – “isn’t all medicine functional? Why would I take a non-functioning medication?!?”

Curiosity piqued, I went off to find out more about ‘functional medicine.’

First stop – my computer’s AI assistant which replied:

I’m guessing that the “progressive treatment modalities” they refer to are what I call “alternative therapies.”

Second stop – The Institute for Functional Medicine describes itself as “a catalyst in the transformation of healthcare.” Functional medicine, “takes a comprehensive, whole health approach to prevention, health, and well-being; treats root causes of disease; and restores healthy function through a personalized patient experience — all while being a vital partner to conventional medicine.”

Sounds pretty good to me.

I’m increasingly becoming convinced that due to the entanglement of the mind-body connection, you can’t treat the physical body without keeping in mind our emotional wellbeing, AND the context within which we live. Migraine is not just physical pain, but also the result of contextual triggers and stressors, and the way that our individual selves respond to that stress.

Third stop – Wikipedia, who tried to burst the goodwill bubble, noting that functional medicine “has been described as pseudoscience, quackery, and at its essence a rebranding of complementary and alternative medicine. In the United States, FM practices have been ruled ineligible for course credits […and insurance…] because of concerns they may be harmful.”

I do sort of get this. I haven’t yet written about the intercranial massage I had a year ago, but the way she was waving her hands around my face and telling me that it was completely OK if I wanted to cry, was… odd. Then again, I HAVE written about EFT tapping, which Wikipedia also labelled ‘quackery’, whereas I think it HAS helped me.

When I went looking for an infographic to help explain functional medicine, I found this one – it clearly explains the difference between this approach and ‘conventional’ medicine:

[Image source: What is Function Medicine? (FAQ) – The Mills Institute]

If I had to think of a quick way to summarize the difference, I would say; traditional medicine focuses on ILLNESS whilst functional medicine appears to focus on WELLNESS.

The more I read about it, the more I get it. In the past, you would go to a neurologist about your migraines because they specialize in brain-issues. They talk to you for a short period of time, and then, based on your physical symptoms, they offer you a prescription or organize some tests. That implies a short sightedness on behalf of the medical profession, so I can see why people might lean away from traditional care.

However, the thing is, it depends on the doctor you see.

The worst doctor’s appointment I ever had (which I posted about two days ago), she implied she had no expertise in migraines, so no news for you, good luck, peace be with you, shut the door behind you on the way out. She made no further enquiries about my general health, my mental wellbeing, and offered no solutions about how to improve my life in general.

She was an example of ‘health care’ at its laziest (and most dangerous).

My neurologist however, is a ‘goodie’. He reminded me that my migraines are NOT just a brain-issue, and encouraged me to improve my mindset and lifestyle. Whilst he didn’t start up a therapy session or train me how to do Yin Yoga or HIIT, he DID give me a few app names and phone numbers of people to reach out to.

He was a specialist who recognized that he was part of a wider-web of assistance that was more than merely brain-related.

I suppose where I end up is that we can utilize the services of both kinds of treatment options. I wouldn’t recommend ditching your neurologist and only taking your advice from someone who specializes in acupuncture, and I get nervous and defensive when I hear healers who are almost aggressively-anti-prescription-medications. Similarly, I don’t know how I’d feel about a doctor who only wants to talk about increasing the dosage of my meds, and refuses to acknowledge that therapy could be beneficial or that a massage might help me feel better…

I don’t think treatment options need to be either/or – it probably should be both/and.

[Disclaimer – before signing off, it’s important to remember that I am NOT a doctor, and have no medical training – please do your own research and make enquiries with your health care professionals before making any changes to your medical treatment plan.]

One thing that I did notice when I was researching this topic, is that when the sites list illnesses which are commonly treated by functional medicine, migraine was NOT normally listed.

When I did a search specifically for migraine assistance from functional medicine, I did get some hits – all of which were businesses selling their services and supplements:

A Functional Medicine Approach to Migraine = talks about diet and promotes supplements.

A (second) Functional Medicine Approach to Migraines = talks about food sensitivities and nutrition and promotes supplements.

Functional Medicine Migraines | Root Functional Medicine = talks about an anti-inflammatory diet and sells supplements.

Anyway – you get the idea.

Overall, you and your migraine are you-nique… so it would be silly of me to be ‘pro’ or ‘anti’ this area of medical treatment… you need to explore what will work best for you.

I’d be curious to know if functional medicine has worked for you.

Take care taking care fine people, you’ve got this, Linda xx

PS – a lot of the websites that I looked at to discover more information were businesses – as such, I have to acknowledge that they were potentially biased – when doing your own research, you don’t have to discount what the websites are saying, just remember to always be mindful of what you are being told if there is a price tag attached to the information.

PPS – that said, here’s a couple of (business) websites that did help me get my head around the subject (I’m not a customer of any of them and including them here does NOT mean I’m endorsing their services):

The Ultimate Guide to Functional Medicine

5 Pros and Cons of Functional Medicine | Vytal Health

6 Big Problems With Functional Medicine That You Should Know

PPPS – Thanks again Midwest Mary for the tip-off that Functional Medicine exists!