Why Attorneys Should Care About Chronic Disease
As chronic disease rates rise, attorneys handling medical cases must understand the impact to build the strongest possible cases for clients.
One emerging trend attorneys should be aware of is functional medicine, a patient-centered approach that focuses on identifying and addressing the root causes of disease rather than just managing symptoms.
Why Functional Medicine Matters for Attorneys
Understanding functional medicine can help attorneys:
- Interpret medical records more effectively: You may encounter functional medicine approaches in case files, including lifestyle interventions, dietary changes, and alternative therapies. Familiarity with these treatments allows you to ask better questions and identify critical details.
- Assess future medical costs: Many functional medicine treatments are not traditionally covered by insurance, making them an important factor in damages calculations for personal injury cases.
- Anticipate case trends: When you stay informed about healthcare trends that affect your cases, you’ll be better equipped to serve your clients.
The Increasing Prevalence of Chronic Disease
Over the past 20 years, chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, respiratory conditions, obesity, cancer, and mental illness have been slowly on the rise.
Approximately 129 million Americans have at least one chronic disease, and nearly half of these have multiple conditions. Chronic diseases drive 90% of annual healthcare costs and are leading causes of disability and death worldwide.
According to the National Library of Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
- Heart disease accounts for 26.8% of all deaths.
- Over 23% of U.S. adults live with a mental illness.
- Around 11.6% of the U.S. population has diabetes.
- Approximately 4.6% of the U.S. population has at least one autoimmune disease.
Poor nutrition, a sedentary lifestyle, and the use of alcohol and tobacco are risk factors for many chronic conditions, making them preventable in some cases.
The Problem with Traditional Healthcare Practices
Modern healthcare often initiates treatment only after symptoms arise or a diagnosis is confirmed. This approach focuses on managing symptoms rather than addressing their underlying causes.
Many physicians prescribe medications to alleviate specific symptoms, which can lead to polypharmacy—taking multiple medications that may interact negatively and cause additional health complications, especially in institutionalized or hospitalized patients.
Functional medicine seeks to address these issues by focusing on prevention, early intervention, and personalized treatment plans.
What is Functional Medicine?
Functional medicine is a patient-centered healthcare approach that emphasizes the interplay of various factors, including genetics, diet, environment, behavior, lifestyle, and societal influences. Rather than treating symptoms in isolation, functional medicine looks at the bigger picture and aims to restore balance in the body.
Key focus areas include:
- Diet and nutrition
- Physical activity
- Environmental factors
- Stress management
Practitioners use extensive lab testing, genetic analysis, and holistic treatment plans that may include dietary changes, exercise recommendations, and stress management strategies alongside conventional medicine.
The 5-R Process: Food as Medicine
The foods you eat and your intestinal health are vital to every aspect of your life. Your metabolism, energy levels, cognitive function, and mood depend, at least partly, on your diet.
The 5-R Process used by functional medicine proponents emphasizes nutrition for healing. This process can help repair and regenerate damaged tissues, add necessary nutrients, decrease inflammation, support healing, and promote optimal digestive system functioning by reducing harmful substances and modifying dietary choices.
The five steps include:
- Remove things that negatively impact the gut environment. This could include removing foods that cause inflammation, getting rid of parasites or harmful bacteria, or reducing supplement or medication use.
- Replace nutrients, enzymes, or hormones needed for optimal health.
- Reinoculate with probiotic and prebiotic foods or supplements to assist the resident “good” intestinal bacteria in growing and improving the digestive process.
- Repair damaged tissues in the intestinal lining with nutrients and herbs often missing in chronic conditions, such as antioxidants, fish oil, glutamine, immunoglobulins, and zinc.
- Rebalance the body with healthy lifestyle choices that lead to healthy habits, such as eating a nutrient-rich diet, increasing activity levels, managing stress, and improving sleep quality.
How Functional Medicine Affects Legal Cases
With more clients turning to functional medicine for chronic disease management, attorneys must factor in these treatments when negotiating settlements or presenting evidence in court.
Functional medicine often differs from conventional medical practices, sometimes leading to conflicting expert opinions. Attorneys who understand these differences can better evaluate expert testimony and craft stronger arguments, whether challenging a claim or advocating for a client’s treatment plan.
Integrity Legal Nurse Consulting PDX helps attorneys interpret medical records, project future medical costs, and strengthen their cases with expert medical insights.
If you’re handling a case where functional medicine plays a role, or if you want to stay ahead of emerging healthcare trends, reach out to schedule a free consultation. We’re here to help you succeed in giving your clients the best possible representation.
Sources:
- Chronic Disease Prevalence in the US: Sociodemographic and Geographic Variations by Zip Code Tabulation Area | CDC
- An Empirical Study of Chronic Diseases in the United States: A Visual Analytics Approach to Public Health | National Library of Medicine
- Global Burden of Cardiovascular Diseases and its Risk Factors, 1990-2021: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 | National Library of Medicine
- Mental Illness | National Institute of Mental Health
- National Diabetes Statistics Report | CDC
- Estimation of prevalence of autoimmune diseases in the United States using electronic health record data | National Library of Medicine
- The Burden of Chronic Disease | ScienceDirect
- Worldwide Prevalence of Polypharmacy: A Systematic Review | National Library of Medicine
- Functional Medicine Past, Present, and Future | National Library of Medicine
- Functional Medicine in Nursing | American Journal of Nursing
- What is Functional Medicine? | Cleveland Clinic
- The 5-R Gut Healing Process | Center for Collaborative Medicine