Dr. Mapes performing manipulation under anesthesia at a local surgery center. 

How often patients say, "WHAT I NEED IS MEDICINE". It is well established that medicine is the leading cause of death in this country. In April 14t1h 1998 the AMA reported that 106,000 people die each year from Medication in hospitals. In 2010, that number was reported to be 180,000. Why would anyone think that they need that?  Functional Medicine is a health care approach to medicine which is different from what the Allopathic doctor does. The allopathic doctor is a "disease care" doctor. When we get severely acutely sick we are fortunate to have the allopathic doctor but when you are looking for health, most of them have no idea where to start.

 Functional medicine is designed to help the body to heal its self.  Allopathic Medicine ( the kind practiced by most MD's ) is really not health care but is, more appropriately, care of SICK PEOPLE. Some of you might think that I am against the Medical profession; I am not. I do believe that it is an exercise in prudence to avoid the 4th leading cause of death unless one is very sick, and even then, it is best to look for alternatives. Yes, I said it; according to the AMA prescriptions given to patients in the Hospital, kills 106,000 people per year, making it the 4th leading cause of death in this country. Sometimes one can become so sick that nothing is as good as the power and speed of  medicine or surgery. When I get that sick, I will turn to Medicine and I frequently send my patients, and I believe that anyother choice would be ill advised.  In my practice it is my great pleasure to see people get well using a number of safer modalities.

Nutrition is at the core of functional medicine. Diet and Supplements are the mainstays. It is surprising to see someone who will religiously change the oil in their car and would never think of putting cheap gas in the tank, but for themselves will eat the standard American diet day after day. When I test my patients, for nutrition, the lab reports almost always show nutritional deficiencies. Food allergies are rampant and the patients are surprised to find evidence that things are amiss. They wonder why they can't physically perform well, and why they are depressed, irritable, in pain and acting old. They almost always think that it is normal to feel this way. I find great joy in helping them to change into heathy, happy people who can live and love at a higher level.

AN EXAMPLE OF WHY ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE IS NEEDED:

Allopathy has failed to reduce cardiovascular disease.

"The expensive technologically advanced treatments for coronary artery disease, such as coronary angioplasty, bypass surgery, thrombolytic therapy, antiarrhythmic drugs, and pacemakers are all palliative, not curative; none do anything about the underlying arteriosclerotic disease that causes the problem." JAMA Feb 3, 1993-vol 269, no 5.