Personalised Functional Medicine in Sydney: a new approach to health care

Personalised medicine in Sydney, guided by the Australian Centre for Functional Medicine merges standard medical approaches with advanced multidimensional testing and the latest medical research on natural and traditional medicines to discover the root of your health problems.

Sydney is experiencing worrisome levels of preventable chronic conditions, which the standard medical practice is struggling to address.

The Australian Centre for Functional Medicine has created a novel approach to health care, called Functional Medicine Sydney, which can make a difference in the lives of thousands of men, women and children suffering from chronic diseases.

Functional medicine Sydney is based on clinical evidence, merging standard medical treatments with state-of-the-art diagnostic testing and natural approaches to health that are backed by clinical evidence.

A brief history of Sydney, New South Wales

Sydney, NSW’s vibrant capital, is a diverse and fascinating city, home to some of Australia’s most iconic attractions, including the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. With an Aboriginal population dating back to, at least, 50,000 years, Sydney was founded in 1788 as a settlement for convicts. Across the following decades, Sydney attracted different waves of immigrants, firstly from England, then from other European countries. More recently people from all around the world have migrated to Sydney, making it the famous melting pot the city is today.

Sydney is also Australia’s most populous city. According to the National 2016 census, the Greater Sydney area is home to nearly 5 million people, about 49% males and 51% females.

The median age of this population is 36 years of age, whereas children under 14 made up about 18% of the population and older adults, over 65, made up nearly 14%.

The most common ancestry in Sydney is English, claimed by more than 19% of the population, followed by Australian (18.1%), Chinese (7.8%) Irish (6.6%) and Scottish (4.9%). Sydney is widely recognised as being one of the most diverse and multicultural cities in the world, with 43% of people living in Sydney having been born overseas. Foreign countries of birth with the greatest representation are China, England, India, New Zealand and Vietnam.

Sydney Health statistics

In Australia, chronic conditions are the leading cause of illness, disability, and death, and account for most health care expenses. Chronic conditions are defined broadly as long-lasting diseases, which require ongoing medical attention. Common chronic conditions include cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory conditions, chronic musculoskeletal conditions, diabetes, and mental health conditions.

Prevalence of chronic conditions differs across age, as people experience different conditions at different stages of their life. For example, mental health conditions are more common in people under 45, while cardiovascular disease is more common in older age groups. However, although chronic conditions affect people of all ages, you are more likely to get a chronic disease as you age.

Health in NSW

In NSW, the aging population is growing rapidly. The number of people aged 65 or older is projected to increase by 22% in 2031 and by 26% in 2051. This aging population represents a big challenge for health and social services.

Chronic conditions and their associated risk factors have a significant impact on individuals, their families and carers, and the Australian health care system. In Australia, these conditions caused 37% of hospitalisations in 2015 – 2016; contributed to 87% of deaths in 2015; accounted for 61% of the total burden of disease in 2011¹. It has been estimated that 50% of Australians have at least one chronic condition and around 23% of Australians had two or more chronic conditions in 2014-2015 (ABS 2015).

Some concerning figures from NSW include:

• 44,978 new cases of cancer diagnosed in 2016.
• 13,944 number of cancer deaths in 2016.
• 14,662 cardiovascular disease deaths in 2017.
• 12,690 cases of diabetes of high blood glucose in 2019.
• 16,622 potentially preventable hospitalisations in 2018-2019.

The causes (risk factors) of chronic conditions include non-modifiable risk factors (factors out of our control) such as age, gender and family history, and modifiable risk factors that we can control. Four modifiable risk factors have been linked to chronic conditions include: tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke, excessive alcohol consumption, poor nutrition, and lack of physical activity^7-8. In 2019, studies conducted in NSW showed that:

• 2% of adults smoke daily.
• 8% of adults drank alcohol at levels that place their long-term health at risk.
• 8% of adults were overweight and 22.4% were obese.
• 5% of adults did not undertake sufficient physical activity to incur health benefits.

There is growing evidence that significant reductions in these modifiable lifestyle risk factors lead to a decrease in the incidence of some chronic conditions^2-4. Therefore, prevention represents the most cost-effective, affordable, and sustainable approach to deal with chronic conditions. In the past years, Functional Medicine Sydney has emerged as a novel and comprehensive approach for the prevention and management of chronic conditions.

Functional Medicine Sydney

Modern functional medicine Sydney is an innovative approach to health care that seeks to identify the underlying factors driving a disease or set of symptoms. This approach involves merging standard medical treatments with natural approaches to health, guided by advanced diagnostic testing.

These advanced diagnostic tests involve measuring biomarkers found in the breath, blood, urine, stools, skin, and other parts of the body. They also involve testing the composition of the human microbiota in different parts of the body, most prominently in the gut, which in recent years has been revealed as an important factor influencing different aspects of health^5-6. Our panel of experts at Functional Medicine Sydney is experienced in the interpretation of these results and in using them to design optimal treatment plans.

Functional Medicine Sydney uses the latest findings of medical research and evidence-based natural therapies to understand how the interaction between genetic, environmental, and individual lifestyle factors contribute to the emergence and progression of chronic conditions.

The main outcome of the approach followed by Functional Medicine Sydney is a personalized health care plan for each patient. Such a plan holds the best chance to improve your chronic condition and help you recuperate your health.

The main difference between Functional Medicine Sydney and the standard medical approach or the approach used by complementary medicine is that we seek to understand the root of your problems and we employ cutting-edge clinical approaches to obtain answers.

Functional Medicine Sydney recognises that health problems are linked to multiple factors within your body that need to be assessed. For example,

• We understand that the vast microbial communities living in your gut and the rest of the body influence your health and need to be assessed.
• We are up to date with the current finding of medical research and are quick to implement relevant results that can benefit patients
• We understand the importance of lifestyle choices in driving different aspects of our health
• We believe in the importance of engaging with our patients and establishing a solid therapeutic partnership.
• We empower patients with knowledge about their condition and the factors that need to be addressed.

Functional Medicine in Sydney: why now?

Functional medicine Sydney, as implemented by the Australian Centre for Functional Medicine, is a modern, comprehensive, multidisciplinary, and evidence-based approach to health care. One of the central goals of modern functional medicine Sydney is to help reduce the burden of chronic diseases in this wonderful city.

The timing for the implementation of Functional medicine Sydney is optimal. As we move forward from the COVID-19 pandemic, we are confronted with the crude reality of the unmet needs of another pandemic: chronic diseases⁷. Sydney, as with all large Australian cities, needs to change their health care model, from using a disease-centred approach to a stronger focus on the patient and on understanding the underlying factors driving health and disease through the use of a systems-driven approach to health.

Functional Medicine Sydney focuses on every system on your body, recognizing they are all interconnected and it is important to understand the reasons behind disease or a symptom.

Join us, Today!

At the Australian Centre for Functional Medicine, our approach to health care combines modern clinical testing and standard medical treatments with cutting-edge medical research and evidence-based natural therapies.

The modern approach of Functional Medicine Sydney can serve as a model for wider implementation into mainstream medical practice, potentially helping to alleviate the pressure that chronic diseases are placing on NSW and Australian healthcare systems.

BECOME A PATIENT OF FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE IN SYDNEY TODAY

BECOME A PATIENT

Following your registration, you will get an initial consultation that can be in person or remotely, through our Telehealth system. During this visit, we will learn about your main health problems, evaluate your health and medical history and, potentially, prescribe one or more diagnostic tests. Then, we will discuss potential options to move forward, including discussing potential treatments.

References

1. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Evidence for chronic disease risk factors [Internet]. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2016 [cited 2020 Jun. 8]. Read it!
2. Franzago M, Santurbano D, Vitacolonna E, Stuppia L. Genes and Diet in the Prevention of Chronic Diseases in Future Generations. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2020 Jan;21(7):2633. Read it!
3. Wimalawansa SJ. Prevention of Chronic Diseases by Maintaining Physiological Concentrations of Vitamin D. J Clin Endocrin Diabe Rese. 2019;1(1):001. Read it!
4. Bae M, Kim MB, Park YK, Lee JY. Health benefits of fucoxanthin in the prevention of chronic diseases. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)-Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids. 2020 Jan 10:158618. Read it!
5. Round JL, Mazmanian SK. The gut microbiota shapes intestinal immune responses during health and disease. Nature reviews immunology. 2009 May;9(5):313-23. Read it!
6. Flint HJ, Scott KP, Louis P, Duncan SH. The role of the gut microbiota in nutrition and health. Nature reviews Gastroenterology & hepatology. 2012 Oct;9(10):577. Read it!
7. Horton R. The neglected epidemic of chronic disease. The Lancet. 2005 Oct 29;366(9496):1514. Read it!
8. Ng R, Sutradhar R, Yao Z, Wodchis WP, Rosella LC. Smoking, drinking, diet and physical activity—modifiable lifestyle risk factors and their associations with age to first chronic disease. International journal of epidemiology. 2020 Feb 1;49(1):113-30. Read it!