The IFM defines it “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.”

Why choose Functional Medicine:

If you’re here, it’s likely because you’re feeling frustrated and disillusioned with the solutions offered by conventional medicine and healthcare services to your health problems. You may be seeking answers to better understand your health needs or looking for an approach that goes beyond merely masking symptoms with medication.

Functional Medicine is about more than just managing symptoms—it’s about uncovering the root causes of health issues and tailoring treatments to each individual’s unique needs. Whether you’re dealing with chronic conditions, seeking preventative care, or striving for optimal performance, Functional Medicine can help you achieve your goals.

At TheGutWay, we specialize in an integrative health approach that addresses chronic health problems at their core, where they start. We reject the prevailing idea that health issues are merely random occurrences stemming from bad luck or genetic predispositions that only require more and more medications to suppress the symptoms. Instead, we advocate science-based they’re often a product of how we interact with our environment and are linked to common root causes. We promote the understanding that some of the most common, especially chronic, metabolic and autoimmune health problems, can often be healed, improved or prevented by addressing the pathological ways we interact in our day-to-day lives; how we eat and how this affects the health of our microbiome, how our stress manifest physiologically, to what products are we exposed to daily in our workplaces or at home and how this alters our gut health and hormones, the impact of past medications in current health, etc. Our approach combines the latest research on autoimmunity, nutrition, metabolic and hormonal health, and chronic inflammation, with the foundational principles of functional medicine.

We aim to complement, not confront mainstream medicine. We provide practical, pragmatic support and health guidance that translates into real-life improvements through open and collaborative communication with our clients. We won’t ask you to alter your current treatment plan or reject the input of conventional healthcare providers. Instead, we offer complementary treatments, testing, alternative options, guidance on investigations, assistance in understanding results, and strategies to address the challenges and inconsistencies that sometimes can arise within our overwhelmed healthcare systems during your health journey.

Relevant Information

1. At TheGutWay, we are a team of functional practitioners with backgrounds in nursing, nutrition, and functional medicine. We are not doctors, we do not prescribe or treat you with prescription drugs, instead, we provide guidance and information on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) treatments, focusing on nutrition, diet, supplementation, and health and lifestyle counselling. Our aim is to empower you to make your own informed decisions about your health and well-being, but never to prescribe you a specific treatment, administer or apply any given treatment by ourselves. The NHS on CAM medicine: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/complementary-and-alternative-medicine/
2. Functional medicine is a great choice when it comes to chronic conditions, inflammation and nutrition-related conditions, and hormonal and metabolic imbalance syndromes secondary to lifestyle and diet. It aims to fulfil the complex human health needs that can arise in any of us, but are not actually being addressed by the conventional health systems either due to their primarily having a symptoms-resolving approach, or sadly, because the progressive financial decadence of conventional health systems has lead them to lose most of the consistency and continuity with their patients. Functional medicine tries to identify and intervene on the mechanisms that are causing disease, instead of focusing on resolving the symptoms as the main target.
3. Conventional Western Medicine is in simple words one of the greatest miracles of our time, without it half of us would be dead and the other half sicker. It is the best for acute and emergency situations that require short or immediate attention. Is it perfect? Far from it, for many reasons that we won’t explore here, but please bear in mind that at least your needs are purely preventative and you don’t experience symptoms, the process of disease-diagnosis should ALWAYS start by informing your doctor first. Functional medicine will try to fill in the gaps and establish a medium-long term plan to address the root causes, but if you have a traffic accident, an infection or cancer, you don’t want a functional therapist, you want to head your way to the hospital.
4. Each case is different and it will depend on what your particular needs are, but on average, common supplements (ranging from specific vitamins, pre and probiotics to natural analgesics, micronutrients and post-biotics) for about three months can be around 100£. We don’t sell supplements nor make money from them, it’s up to you where to buy them. However, if you struggle to find a reliable source or prefer some advice on where to get them, we can of course help you with it.

On our site you can find information and resources to help you understand and explore this transformative approach to healthcare.

• Educational Content: Dive into articles, blog posts, and links to the latest research on nutrition, autoimmunity and health science.
• Contact our Practitioners: We can work closely with you to assess your unique health needs and create personalized treatment plans.
• Success Stories: Discover inspiring stories from individuals who have transformed their lives through Functional Medicine, check the case studies area.
• Nutrition and Lifestyle Guidance: Access expert advice on optimizing your nutrition and lifestyle choices to support your health and well-being.