When your immune system is constantly on high alert and continually triggering an inflammatory response, the inflammatory chemicals released can wreak havoc on your health. This low-grade state of Chronic Inflammation is understood to be an underlying factor in most of today’s lifestyle-driven chronic disease states.
From cardiovascular and autoimmune disease to neurodegenerative conditions and insulin resistance, Chronic Inflammation plays a key role in the development of those diseases as well as their chronic nature. We understand that most patients would rather get to the root causes of chronic, complex illnesses rather than simply treating symptoms. Not every medical practitioner takes that approach, but Functional Medicine doctors specialize in doing just that.
To learn more about any of our Functional Medicine treatment options for Chronic Inflammation - or any of your other medical or aesthetic needs - contact us online or call ☎ (631) 600-7950 to schedule your initial consultation.
Chronic inflammation is a medical condition where low-grade immune activation is prolonged over time, damaging healthy tissue and driving increased illness and disease. The body’s natural defense system simply fails to turn off. Rather than functioning normally – as a localized response to injury – it becomes a systemic condition that needs to be addressed.
Unlike normal, healthy acute inflammation that occurs in response to illness and injury, chronic inflammation occurs when that response escalates and becomes a destructive force rather than a healing one.
In functional medicine, the “bonfire” analogy is often used to describe chronic inflammation. Normal acute inflammation operates like a small, controlled campfire, but when too many logs are thrown on the fire, it begins to burn out of control and destroys everything around it.
Instead of just managing the symptoms of Chronic Inflammation, functional medicine doctors seek to identify and address the specific “logs” driving the immune system into overdrive.
The root causes of Chronic Inflammation are the “logs” that turn the campfire into the bonfire. Some of those underlying causes include conditions or triggers like:
Chronic Inflammation is a systemic condition that manifests with non-specific symptoms that are tied to multiple body systems. That is part of what makes it a complex condition to diagnose and treat. Unlike acute inflammation, which typically presents as sudden redness and swelling, the symptoms of Chronic Inflammation are systemic and sometimes even subtle.
Most patients don’t connect exhaustion, joint pain, skin rashes and digestive complaints and immediately jump to a diagnosis of Chronic Inflammation. Most conventional doctors don’t either. However, those are some of the common symptoms.
Primary symptoms of Chronic Inflammation include:
A Functional Medicine approach to treating Chronic Inflammation is designed to lower the temperature on the inflammatory bonfire raging in your body and restore your immune system’s intrinsic ability to self-regulate. Treatment approaches will almost always involve removing the inflammatory triggers or logs that have been feeding the fire.
The goal of Functional Medicine is to isolate the root causes of your individual health concerns and address them with appropriate interventions that restore your immune function and overall health. A Functional Medicine treatment plan for Chronic Inflammation considers clinical, lifestyle, hormonal, genetic and environmental factors and how they impact one another.
Treatments that may be used to address Chronic Inflammation include:
Research indicates that persistent, low-grade systemic inflammation can trigger or worsen depression. For that reason, Exomind for depression may be one of your treatment options.
With a patient-centered approach focused on root causes, Functional Medicine practitioners aim to bring to bear the most current scientific advances – in nutrition and genetics, for example - not simply to treat disease, but to achieve optimal health and wellness across the life span.
Functional Medicine is designed to be a lifelong, collaborative partnership between doctor and patient where, together, we seek to understand the function of all your bodily systems as an essential aspect of restoring your health and establishing lifelong wellness.
While the goal of Functional Medicine is to achieve overall, lifelong health, wellness and longevity, it is effective in addressing very specific, medical conditions like Chronic Inflammation, especially where other approaches have failed.
At your initial consultation, we will take a medical history and review any medications, supplements or herbal medications you’re taking, as well as assess any current medical needs you may have. A functional evaluation of your health typically involves a full physical exam that includes a review of your hormone function and includes other necessary testing
Our Functional Medicine approach means we take a comprehensive, hands-on approach to health, treating the body as a whole. In designing a personalized Functional Medicine treatment plan, we seek to understand your individual experience, health symptoms and wellness goals in context. Our goal is not simply to treat a symptom or a single condition even. We want to fully understand the root cause of your condition(s) and how they relate to one another.
With this information in hand, we then work with you to create a personalized Functional Medicine treatment plan based on the results of your evaluation.
Your personalized treatment plan will be designed just for you – with your input and step-by-step involvement. For more questions about Functional Medicine treatment options, reach out to one of our caring team members today. Call us at ☎ (631) 600-7950.
A Brooklyn, New York native, Dr. Rutman graduated with honors in biology from Binghamton University then pursued his medical education at New York College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his residency in emergency medicine at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx, where he excelled as chief resident and received recognition for his teaching abilities and patient care skills. He has been serving as an attending physician in emergency medicine for over 15 years at St Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson, New York, and other institutions.
As a member of the American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians and board certified by the American Board of Osteopathic Emergency Medicine, Dr. Rutman brings a wealth of knowledge to his work with his patients.
Recognizing the importance of weight management and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in promoting overall health and wellness, Dr. Rutman has undergone specialized training to become an expert in both fields with the goal of helping each patient achieve the best possible health outcomes through an informed, healthy lifestyle.
Our highly trained, compassionate team at Balanced Health & Wellness offers expertise and years of experience with a Functional Medicine approach to health and wellness. We offer a holistic, comprehensive approach to your overall health, wellness and longevity to bring optimal health and long-term solutions across the life span. Call ☎ (631) 600-7950 or contact us online for your first consultation.
