Functional medicine is becoming a widely used term, and many people claim to practice functional medicine even though they lack formal medical training. Unlike most functional medicine practitioners, Michael Arata, MD, is a board-certified medical doctor who specializes in functional medicine. An internationally recognized physician and interventional radiologist, Dr. Arata spent years treating chronically ill patients; in many cases, their health had deteriorated to the point where they needed emergency, life-saving care. After caring for so many people in crisis, Dr. Arata decided he could better serve people by helping them prevent disease and stay well, rather than treating them when they were critically ill. He integrated his clinical knowledge and experience as a physician with the philosophy of functional medicine. Unlike traditional medicine, which views health problems as separate and unrelated conditions, functional medicine views these problems as symptoms of underlying imbalances in the body and looks further “upstream” to identify and address the primary causes of illness. For example, if someone has multiple sclerosis, the traditional neurologist will select from a number of prescription medications that will suppress the body’s inflammation and immune response. The functional physician asks why inflammation exists in that particular patient and searches for the triggers and mediators, which could include gut microbes, chronic infections, physical and emotional stress, inflammatory foods, heavy metals, environmental toxins and chemical sensitivities. Then, he develops a plan to address them. Functional medicine allows us to understand the broad scope of illness not through the diagnosis of disease, but by understanding its mechanisms. Long-standing chronic conditions are often complex; identifying the underlying causes and triggers allows us to unravel what led to the diagnosis rather than just dealing with its symptoms. Dr. Arata seeks an understanding of how it is all connected – the pattern disturbances and system imbalances that eventually lead to what we call disease. His goal is to recruit the body’s own healing and regenerative properties, through lifestyle changes and clinical medicine, to restore balance and optimal health. Dr. Arata believes many illnesses can be prevented by partnering with you to gain control of your health, create a disease-free future and literally transform your life – Choose Arata Medical.