Left unaddressed, cardiometabolic conditions leave individuals at risk of developing life-long diseases including heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. Many conditions fall under the cardiometabolic risk umbrella, including high blood sugar and hypertension, and they can be a product of inflammation, insulin resistance, and stress. Rather than tackling a disease once it happens, functional medicine helps prevent them from developing in the first place by tackling their underlying causes. Here’s a guide to how this holistic service can help people achieve optimal health.

What Are Cardiometabolic Conditions?

You’re at cardiometabolic risk when you have certain cardiovascular diseases or health conditions, including hypertension, high blood sugar, dyslipidemia, abdominal obesity, and elevated triglycerides. If you’ve been diagnosed with a cardiometabolic condition, you’re more likely to develop diabetes, heart disease, or have a stroke.

How Can Functional Medicine Help?

While conventional medicine can prescribe medications to suppress symptoms, it doesn’t cure these conditions. Functional medicine works by influencing the biological mechanisms that lead to chronic conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. By applying functional medicine principles to extensive health and lifestyle evaluations, wellness professionals can detect and even reverse situations that lead to higher risk of disease instead of mitigating them after they happen.

To lower your cardiometabolic risk factors, functional medicine providers can prescribe lifestyle changes, diet plans high in plant fiber and low in sugar and sodium, regular cardiovascular exercise to improve blood flow, strength training to reduce body fat and improve bone strength, and nutraceuticals and botanicals to promote wellness.

To experience the healing effects of functional medicine and ensure your health for years to come, visit Smith Chiropractic Clinic in Concord, NC. Since 1978, this chiropractic clinic has provided everything from chiropractic adjustments and injury rehabilitation to holistic services for long-term relief. Under the direction of Dr. Andy Smith, patients undergo blood screening tests to assess their risk of different conditions and receive tailored, goal-oriented plans to address them. Visit them online for more information on functional medicine, or call (704) 788-3126 to schedule a consultation.