Chronic Conditions & Nutrition

In the United States, six in ten adults have a chronic condition and four out of ten have more than one. That is a staggering number of people. Chronic conditions include cancer, heart disease, diabetes, chronic lung disease, chronic kidney disease, stroke, arthritis, obesity, and Alzheimer's disease. Chronic conditions are defined as lasting a year or more and requiring ongoing care. At West Knoxville Medical and Chiropractic we offer services for the entire family.

What Is Functional Medicine?

Functional medicine is a form of medicine that seeks to find the root cause of a condition. While one condition can have many causes, it makes more sense medically to look for a root issue causing this condition and perhaps others. The person’s genes, lifestyle, and environment may all play a role in certain health conditions. By getting to the root cause, a treatment plan can be customized to the particular patient to effectively assist in the recovery process.

Nutritional Testing

Finding out what nutritional deficiencies a patient is suffering from helps to get to the root cause of a variety of chronic illnesses. It begins with a physical exam and includes blood tests and a lifestyle evaluation. Even if you live a healthy lifestyle and take multivitamins there is no guarantee that you are doing and getting what your body needs.

Micronutrient testing can check the levels of more than 30 nutrients including antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, and amino acids. The tests help us make an accurate assessment of where the deficiencies lie and design a plan of treatment.

There is no question that nutrition plays a large role in chronic diseases. Functional medicine takes a proactive approach to addressing it and helping the patient to make the changes their condition requires.

Contact Our Chiropractor in Knoxville, TN

If you are interested in learning more about functional medicine, call our team at West Knoxville Medical and Chiropractic in Knoxville today at (865) 287-5904 to speak with Dr. Leavitt.