There are many important differences between functional and traditional medicine, including philosophical ones: while traditional medicine is largely focused on treating acute medical problems as they arise, functional medicine puts a greater emphasis on the management of chronic conditions and the promotion of lifestyles and behaviors that contribute to overall health. Therefore, functional medicine doctors are extremely invested in determining what the underlying causes of disease are and how to ameliorate them. Rather than simply treating symptoms, as traditional medicine tends to do, functional medicine seeks to modify the cause of the disease so that it is not triggered or allowed to flourish.   Functional medicine follows these principles:   • Holistic — Taking a comprehensive approach to patient health by understanding and addressing all the things that influence it, including lifestyle, environment, diet, and genes.   • Individualized and Patient-Centered — With a patient-centered approach, the patient’s voice is heard at every appointment, and each treatment they receive is tailored to meet their unique needs.   • Science-Based — By using the conventional approach to healthcare as a starting point, functional medicine can build on it with integrative health information.   • Collaborative — Patients, practitioners, and health coaches work together using functional medicine to overcome roadblocks, identify root causes of illness, and make the dietary and lifestyle changes necessary for healing.   • Efficient — Addressing root causes reduces health costs in the long run as it replaces the need for alleviating symptoms, reversing chronic illnesses, and preventing future illnesses.