Core System of Function
"When I work with a patient, I first determine which of their core functional systems are healthy and make every attempt to avoid interfering with them, while supporting those that are performing suboptimally. Guided by laboratory data, I intervene only as much as is necessary to help the body return to homeostasis." – Dr. Timmins
In obtaining an accurate and through diagnosis, your healthcare provider should use lab testing that provides insight into the body’s hormonal, immune, gastrointestinal, and detoxification systems. It is important to evaluate these four systems, whether you are very ill, seeking to prevent illness, or just trying to improve fitness levels.
Why these four?
Because the quality of their independent and interdependent function has a profound influence on your health.
While you should not ignore the standard preventive medical diagnostics—heart and lung tests and colonoscopies, for example—you must complete the diagnostic picture with functional assessments of the four core functional systems.
If one or more is compromised, the negative effects spill over to all other systems, creating a chain of events that perpetuate the Chronic Stress Response.
If you are serious about preventing health problems or curing existing disorders, you are cheating yourself out of success if you do not focus on these systems. Healthcare providers competent in Functional Diagnostic Medicine can help you navigate the relatively complex road to recovery.