Dr. Haendiges has just returned from Fellowship training in Functional Medicine through the Institute of Functional Medicine.  The educators at this program are leaders in their respective fields of medicine.  Dr. Gerald Mullin is the Head of Capsule Endoscopy at Johns Hopkins University and is a leader in Functional Gastroenterology. Dr. Patrick Hanaway is a leader in Diagnostic Evaluation in Functional Medicine.  Dr. Liz Lipski is a leader also in Functional Nutrition. 

This fellowship is a 6 step process that is based on a dynamic approach of assessing, preventing, and treating complex disease states.  This branch of medicine acknowledges that chronic disease is almost always preceded by a healthy period of declining function in one or more of the body's systems. In other words the process has already started long before symptoms are actually evident.  These dynamics are unique to each of us, based on our environment, our lifestyle and our genetic predispositions. 

"As a gynecologist and a bariatrician, I have had a unique birds’ eye view of these dynamic disease processes. While taking care of the woman from adolescence until death, I have seen the firsthand effects of disease from a state that is under the radar to a full fledged disease state.  I sat back a few years ago, listened intently to my patients.  My patients did not feel well. In fact, if you look at our society, many of us do not feel well. Why is that?  There is an underlying reason and I am anxious to share that with my patients. I was frustrated to draw a bunch of labs from a woman, and then to tell her at the end of the day, 'Your labs are normal. You are okay. There is nothing wrong with you!"  That is not the case. If a person is experiencing symptoms, that is the tip of the iceberg. I wanted to be able to help my patients beyond the "your labs are normal' stage.

For this reason, I am in a Fellowship program through the Institute of Functional Medicine. This is a multidisciplinary group of likeminded physicians, pharmacists and nutritionist. As we spiral out of control to nationalized health care, people can no longer afford to be sick, not physically or mentally.  I want something different for my patients. As part of this quest for knowledge and the ability to help my patients and my community, there are many things that I want to share with everyone.

Again, Functional Medicine is the future!  This branch of medicine takes account of the whole person including all aspects of nutrition and genetics. We now have the ability to test a person’s exact genetics in order to give them a looking glass into the future if certain modifications are not taken in lifestyle and nutrition.  It emphasizes the therapeutic relationship between a physician and a patient, refocusing on the body’s own internal ability to heal, and applies and therapies and modalities of both conventional as well as evidence-based components of complementary and integrative medicine.

Dr. Haendiges is thrilled to have the honor of her Fellowship training in Functional Medicine. If you have any questions about Functional Medicine or how this branch of medicine might apply to your health and wellness, please call for your appointment with Dr. Haendiges and Associates.