Back Clinic Chiropractic Spine Care Team. The spine is designed with three natural curves; the neck curvature or cervical spine, the upper back curvature or thoracic spine, and the lower back curvature or lumbar spine, all of which come together to form a slight shape when viewed from the side. The spine is an essential structure as it helps support the upright posture of humans, it provides the body with the flexibility to move and it plays the crucial role of protecting the spinal cord. Spinal health is important in order to ensure the body is functioning to its fullest capacity. Dr. Alex Jimenez strongly indicates across his collection of articles on spine care, how to properly support a healthy spine. For more information, please feel free to contact us at (915) 850-0900 or text to call Dr. Jimenez personally at (915) 540-8444.
It can be difficult to diagnose degenerative disc disease (DDD) because it grows gradually and can pose a multitude of associated problems (spinal stenosis, herniated disc, etc). For example, your doctor may be able to rapidly diagnose you for having a herniated disc, but it is more challenging to diagnose a herniated disc due to degenerative disc disease.
If you have back or neck pain that comes on suddenly, or in the event you have pain that persists, call a doctor who will refer you to a spine specialist. Your healthcare specialist will make an effort to discover the reason for your pain so that he or she can develop an accurate treatment plan for you�a method to manage your pain and other symptoms of degenerative disc disease and also that will help you recover.
As he/she works toward a diagnosis, your spinal specialist will ask about your present symptoms and what treatments you’ve already attempted.
Common Degenerative Disc Disease Questions
When did the back or neck pain begin?
What activities did you lately do?
What have you done for your own pain?
Does the pain go or radiate to other areas of your body?
Does anything lessen the pain or allow it to be worse?
Neurological and physical exams will be also performed by the healthcare professional. In the physical exam, she or he will notice your position, range of motion (how well and how much you can transfer specific joints), and physical state, noting any movement that triggers you pain. They will aslo feel for muscle spasms, notice alignment and its curvature, and will feel your back.
During the neurological exam, he or she will test your reflexes, muscle strength, other nerve changes, and pain spread (that is�does your pain travel from your back and into other parts of the body?). As it can impact your nerves or even your spinal cord, the neurological exam is especially significant in degenerative disk disease.
You may require to get some imaging tests, to diagnose degenerative disk disorder. You could possibly have an x-ray, which can help your healthcare specialist “see” the bones in your spine. X-rays are good at revealing narrowed spinal stations (spinal stenosis), fractures, bone spurs (osteophytes), or osteoarthritis. Your spinal specialist may refer to these as “basic films.” By that, she or he means that you will have several normal x ray viewpoints done. You’ll have one chosen from the side; that is called a lateral view. You will also provide a “straight on” shot, and it can be done in the front or the back. An x ray shot from the front is named an anteroposterior (AP) view; from the back, it’s called a posteroanterior (PA) view. On the plain pictures, your spine specialist will be trying to find break, scoliosis, and vertebral alignment �other spinal problems that can come along with DDD.
Your healthcare professional may also order flexion and extension x-rays to assess the stability of your back as well as your range of movement (how well your joints move). You’ll be requested to bend forward (flexion) and backwards (extension) during these x rays.
A computerized tomography (CT) scan or or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test may be demanded. These evaluations are somewhat more effective than x-rays at showing the soft tissues in your back and can help to identify issues such as a bulging disc or a herniated disc. A CT scan is useful because it’s more easy to begin to see the bones and nerves on it, therefore if a bone spur is pressing on a nerve, the surgeon can easily spot.
In case the specialist suspects nerve damage from degenerative changes in your spinal column, he or she may order a special test called an electromyography (EMG) to measure how fast your nerves respond.
Additional evaluations can be required by making a degenerative disk disorder identification.
Bone scan: To assist your surgeon find spinal difficulties for example osteoarthritis, fractures, or illnesses (which could all be related to DDD), you may have a bone scan. You’ll possess a rather small number of radioactive material injected into a blood vessel. Your bones will go during your bloodstream and absorb that. An area where there’s unusual activity, including an inflammation will absorbs more radioactive material. A scanner can discover the amount of radiation in all your bones and show the “hot spots” (the places with more radioactive material) to help your surgeon figure out where the problem is.
Discogram or discography: This is really a process that confirms or denies the disc(s) as the way to obtain your pain. You will possess a harmless dye injected into among your disks. When there is an issue together with your disk�like the herniated of it’s �the dye will leak from the disk. The surgeon will likely be capable of see that on an xray, and which will reveal him/her that there’s something wrong along with your disc.
Myelogram: To see for those who have a spinal canal or spinal cord disorder�perhaps nerve compression causing weakness and pain �you might possess a myelogram. In this evaluation, you’ll have a unique dye injected to the area around your spinal cord and nerves. (Before that happens, the region is going to be numbed.) Then you’ll have an x-ray or a CT scan. The image will give a thorough anatomic picture of your spine, notably of the bones, that’ll help your spine surgeon to recognize any abnormalities.
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic and spinal injuries and conditions. To discuss options on the subject matter, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .
By Dr. Alex Jimenez
Additional Topics: Whole Body Wellness
Maintaining overall health and wellness through a balanced nutrition, regular physical activity and proper sleep is essential for your whole body’s well-being. While these are some of the most important contributing factors for staying healthy, seeking care and preventing injuries or the development of conditions through natural alternatives can also guarantee overall health and wellness. Chiropractic care is a safe and effective treatment option utilized by many individuals to ensure whole body wellness.
Degenerative disk disease (DDD) can affect any area of the backbone, but it most commonly affects the low back (lumbar spine) or neck (cervical spine). Where you might have pain will be based on what area of your spine has got the disk degeneration.
You could experience pain for instance, at the site of the damaged disc�in your lower back.
However, the pain might also radiate (or travel) to a different part of your own body. The nerves that branch off your backbone travel to various areas of the body , so if the degenerated disc is pressing on a nerve in your back that is low �a nerve that’s heading down to your legs�you may experience pain in your leg, too. The pain message will “go,” and this can be called a radiculopathy in the medical world.
Symptoms of Degenerative Disc Disease
Typically, people who have degenerative disk disease have chronic back or neck pain. Sometimes pain will flare up�that’s called an acute episode. The main symptom, however, is pain, so you need to pay attention to it and what makes it better or worse.
With degenerative disc disorder, you might discover pain patterns like:
More pain when sitting for quite a long time, bending, lifting, or twisting
Pain when walking or running
Pain in case you shift positions often
Less pain when you lie down
It’s very important to deal with your back and neck pain correctly. In case your pain continues, seek medical attention � for those who have some of the crisis signals listed below and seek immediate attention.
Warning Signs You Need Instant Help for Degenerative Disc Disease:
Pain is getting worse
Disabling pain
Leg weakness, pain, numbness, or tingling
Loss of bowel or bladder control
Please go to the emergency room call your doctor and/or should you experience these emergency hints.
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic and spinal injuries and conditions. To discuss options on the subject matter, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .
By Dr. Alex Jimenez
Additional Topics: What is Chiropractic?
Chiropractic care is an well-known, alternative treatment option utilized to prevent, diagnose and treat a variety of injuries and conditions associated with the spine, primarily subluxations or spinal misalignments. Chiropractic focuses on restoring and maintaining the overall health and wellness of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Through the use of spinal adjustments and manual manipulations, a chiropractor, or doctor of chiropractic, can carefully re-align the spine, improving a patient�s strength, mobility and flexibility.
Degenerative disk disease (DDD) develops as an outcome of the effects of aging in your back and particularly in your intervertebral discs.
Additionally, it may be associated with an injury to the back, but in that scenario, your disks have generally become weak because, with age, disks lose water content, may become thinner; both of which can change shape and the strength of one or more discs. Before you feel the result of DDD� other symptoms as well as pain � your discs along with other backbone constructions are changing. That is simply the natural consequence of the stress and tension each of us places our backs through every day.
Causes and Effects of DDD
Effects and the causes of degenerative disc disease are relatively clear-cut: You age, your disks change, your bones could be affected, and also you can develop pain. It even helps to think as a cause and effect process or cascade of DDD: One anatomical change happens, which leads to changes and more degeneration in the structures of your back. These changes combine to cause degenerative disk disease and its particular symptoms.
DDD begins with changes in your intervertebral discs, but eventually it’s going to change another movement parts of the spine, like the facet joints.
Over time, the collagen (protein) structure of the annulus fibrosus (that is the outer portion of the intervertebral disc) changes.
Moreover, water-pulling molecules�and consequently water�in the disc declines.
These changes decrease the ability to manage back move of the disc.
How Disc Degeneration Occurs
The disc can be less spongy and substantially thinner. A disc that is thinner means the space between the vertebra above and below the disc gets smaller, which causes a brand new problem, this time with all the facet joints. They help stabilize the back, and changes move, in the event the disc loses height. Subsequently the cartilage that protects the facets starts to wear away, and they start to proceed too much: They “override” and become excessively mobile.
Function of the Spine with Hypermobility
Freedom causes another change in your spine. It attempts to cease the motion with the growth of little bony parts called bone spurs (osteophytes). Sadly, the bone spurs sometimes pinch nerve structures and cause pain. The bone spurs can narrow the space for nerves and the spinal cord �that disorder is called spinal stenosis. Degenerative disc disease won’t cause spinal stenosis but it’s something you should be aware of if you’ve degenerative disc disease.
Genetics and DDD
Your genes can also raise your danger of developing degenerative disk disease. You might be predisposed to excessive joint and disc wear and tear, so if someone in your family has or had degenerative disk disorder, you may even develop back pain or neck pain related to DDD.
Controlling Your Lifestyle
Eventually, the method you are living could result in degenerative disk disease. Smoking, by way of example, will cause them to degenerate faster and adversely affects your disks. Smoking really decreases the level of water in your discs, and water is part of what helps your discs absorb move. With less water content, your intervertebral discs can wear out sooner.
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic and spinal injuries and conditions. To discuss options on the subject matter, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .
By Dr. Alex Jimenez
Additional Topics: What is Chiropractic?
Chiropractic care is an well-known, alternative treatment option utilized to prevent, diagnose and treat a variety of injuries and conditions associated with the spine, primarily subluxations or spinal misalignments. Chiropractic focuses on restoring and maintaining the overall health and wellness of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Through the use of spinal adjustments and manual manipulations, a chiropractor, or doctor of chiropractic, can carefully re-align the spine, improving a patient�s strength, mobility and flexibility.
Degenerative disc disease (DDD) is commonly associated with aging. As you get older, your discs, like other joints within the body, can degenerate (break down) and become problematic: That’s a natural part of growing older, the body begins to deal with years of strain, overuse, and perhaps even misuse.
Nonetheless, DDD can appear in people as young as 20, so regrettably, youth doesn’t always protect you from this disc-related spinal condition. In fact, some patients may inherit a prematurely aging spine.
Degenerative disc disease involves the intervertebral discs, or the pillow-like shock absorbers between your vertebrae in your back. These help your back carry weight and permit complex movements of the back while maintaining stability. As you get older, the discs can lose flexibility, elasticity, and shock absorbing features. Additionally they become thinner as they dehydrate. The discs change from a supple state that enables smooth movements into a stiff and rigid state that restricts your movement and causes pain.
You could have degenerative disk disease if you experience chronic back or neck pain. It normally happens in your lower back (lumbar spine) or neck (cervical spine). Developing degenerative disc disease can be a slow process.
How Does Spinal Degeneration Occur?
Degenerative disc disease (DDD) can change many parts of your spine. To understand how, you first need a basic knowledge of what makes up your back. First of all, you’ve vertebrae, labeled in the picture below as the “vertebral body.” In your back, or vertebral column, you have 33 vertebrae.
Your spine is split into separate areas:
Neck (cervical spine)
Mid-back (thoracic spine)
Low back (lumbar spine)
At the low end of your back, you additionally possess the sacrum and also the coccyx, which is often called your tailbone.
Degenerative disc disease is most likely to occur in your lumbar spine or your cervical spine.
Intervertebral Discs
In between your vertebrae, you have intervertebral discs. These act like shock absorbers or pads on your back as it moves. Each disc is composed of a tire-like outer band known as the annulus fibrosus and a gel-like inner substance called the nucleus pulposus. Degenerative disc disease alters the discs and makes them less able to cushion the movements of the spine. With DDD, your intervertebral discs also become more vulnerable to injuries or conditions; they may bulge or herniate.
Together, the vertebrae and the discs provide a protective tunnel (the spinal canal) to where the spinal cord and spinal nerves are placed. These nerves run down the center of the spine and the vertebrae to various portions of the body, where they help you move and feel.
Facet Joints
Your spine also consists of facet joints, which are joints located to the posterior side (back) of your vertebrae. These joints (like all joints in your body) help facilitate movements and are extremely important to your flexibility.
Cartilage
Your spinal joints are covered by cartilage, which shields your bones as you move. Without cartilage, your bones would rub together and could be very painful. Unfortunately, your cartilage might be affected by general damage on your own back, plus it may wear away. That’s when bone spurs (osteophytes) can form as your body attempts to repair itself.
Muscles, Blood Vessels, and Ligaments, Tendons
Your back additionally has ligaments muscles, tendons, and arteries. Muscles are fibrils of tissues that power your motion. Ligaments are the powerful, flexible bands of fibrous tissue that link the bones together, and tendons connect muscles to bones. Blood vessels provide nourishment. These parts all work together that will help you move.
Further Concerns Regarding Degenerative Disc Disease
What is DDD?
Degenerative disc disease (DDD) isn’t really a disorder�it is the regular wear and tear process of aging on your spine. Unfortunately, as we age, our intervertebral discs (pillow-like pads involving the bones in your spine) lose their flexibility, elasticity, and shock-absorbing features. When this happens, the disks shift from a supple, flexible state which allows flowing motion, into a rigid and stiff state that limits your movement.
What Causes Degenerative Disc Disease?
Degenerative disc disease is generally the result of aging, and that means you are more inclined to have it if you’re older than 50. However, younger people can have symptoms of DDD as well. Injuries also can start the process that is degenerative .
The degenerative process causes your discs to lose their capability to cushion your moves. Slowly, the collagen (protein) structure of the outer portion of your disk�the annulus fibrosus�weakens. The degenerative process also affects the water content in your discs, as well as the water content is a must to preserving movement. With the water, DDD -attracting molecules in your disks decrease, making your disks become inflexible and more stiff.
Are There Non-Surgical Options to Treat DDD?
You can attempt, to help deal with pain from degenerative disc disease:
bed rest (only several days)
restricting your actions that boost the pain
light exercise (walking, swimming, etc) as recommended by your doctor
Over the counter medications
prescription medications
When Should Surgery Be Considered for DDD?
Although degenerative disc disease patients respond well to non-operative treatments, some patients do need surgery. Surgery should really be considered only after you have tried several months of non-operative treatment. You surgeon will recommend the best kind of operation for you. Here are a few common sorts of surgery used for patients with DDD:
Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF)
Foraminotomy
Microdiscectomy
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic and spinal injuries and conditions. To discuss options on the subject matter, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .
By Dr. Alex Jimenez
Additional Topics: What is Chiropractic?
Chiropractic care is an well-known, alternative treatment option utilized to prevent, diagnose and treat a variety of injuries and conditions associated with the spine, primarily subluxations or spinal misalignments. Chiropractic focuses on restoring and maintaining the overall health and wellness of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Through the use of spinal adjustments and manual manipulations, a chiropractor, or doctor of chiropractic, can carefully re-align the spine, improving a patient�s strength, mobility and flexibility.
El Paso, TX. Chiropractor Dr. Alex Jimenez examines if sciatica can radiate to the arms.
Muscular pain that comes on suddenly in your lower back is indicative of a muscle spasm. Your muscles will feel as though they have locked up, and the pain can be unbearable.
Sciatica
Several lumbar spine (lower back) disorders can cause sciatica � Sometimes doctors call sciatica a radiculopathy. Radiculopathy is a medical term used to describe pain, numbness, tingling, and weakness in the arms or legs caused �
No the sciatic nerve only affects the legs. No the sciatic nerve only affects the legs. Yes it can � a number of years ago i was in a car accident that left me with sever whiplash. as the years went on and i grew older the nerves between c6 �
Sciatica is defined as a severe pain in a leg along the course of the sciatic nerve. The pain is felt in the back of the leg running from the buttock down �
Another important stretch that I usually prescribe is a lumbar extension stretch. This one is especially important if the cause of your sciatic nerve pain is due to a �
Recovery time after back surgery for a herniated disc can take several weeks to months as the muscles and ligaments in the back heal. Most people who undergo such a surgery will find relief from their previous � There is also a danger of damaging the nerves of the back and spine.
Relief, Washington
Many people suffer from sciatica, a painful lower back condition caused by a pinched nerve. Sciatica can cause severe mobility problems and debilitating pain. In serious cases, the condition can lead to progressive lower extremity �
You can�t help but notice the biting, shooting pain that comes with sciatica. This condition affects the sciatic nerve that runs across the buttock and down the �
It is a widely accepted theory that a pinched nerve cause chest pain. These pinched nerves occur when exceeding amounts of pressure applied to surrounding bones �
El Paso, TX. Chiropractor Dr. Alex Jimenez examines scoliosis.
We all have curves in our backs, but scoliosis causes the spine to curve in the wrong direction. It causes sideways curves, and those are not the same as the normal curves of the spine. In case you looked at your spine from your side, you had see it curves out at your neck (cervical spine), in at your mid-back (thoracic spine), and out again at your low back (lumbar spine). Your back is likely to curve that way.
However, if your spine was looked at by you from behind, you shouldn’t see any curves. When there are sideways curves in the back from the back view, that is scoliosis. The curves can seem like an “S” or a “C.”
Spine Anatomy: Quick�Lesson
You first need to know what a healthy back looks like, to comprehend scoliosis. You will find four areas in your back:
Cervical Spine:
That is your neck, which begins at the base of your skull. It features seven little spinal bones (called vertebrae), which doctors label C1 to C7 (the “C” means cervical). The numbers one to seven signify the level of the vertebrae. C1 is closest for your skull, while C7 is closest to your torso.
Thoracic Spine:
Your mid-back has 12 vertebrae which are labeled T1 to T12 (the “T” means thoracic). Vertebrae in your thoracic spine connect to your own ribs, making this a part of your back comparatively stiff and stable. Your thoracic spine doesn’t move as the other areas of your back.
Lumbar Spine:
In your low back, you’ve got five vertebrae that are tagged L1 to L5 (the “L” means lumbar). These vertebrae are your strongest and biggest vertebrae, responsible for carrying lots of the weight of your body’s. The lumbar vertebrae are also your last “authentic” vertebrae; down from this region, your vertebrae are fused. The truth is, L5 may be fused with part of your sacrum.
Sacrum & Coccyx:
The sacrum has five vertebrae that usually fuse by adulthood to form one bone. The coccyx�commonly known as your tail bone�has four (but occasionally five) fused vertebrae.
Normal Spinal Curves: Lordosis & Kyphosis
When viewed in the side, you can observe the spine has both outward and inward curves. These curves help your back are also very important to flexibility and hold your weight.
There are just two types of normal curves in your back, and they’re called lordosis and kyphosis. Kyphosis means the spine curves inward, and lordosis means the spine curves out.
There are two spinal curves that are lordotic and two kyphotic in an ordinary back. Your cervical and lumbar spinal columns each possess a lordotic curve. Sacrum and your thoracic back have kyphotic curves.
While lordosis and kyphosis refer to a healthy curvature in your back, in addition they describe abnormal spinal curves which might be different than scoliosis. Lordosis that is strange is an extreme inward spinal curve. Kyphosis that is strange is a state that results in a hunchback or slouching posture, and you also will read about it in our Kyphosis Center.
Types Of�Scoliosis
Scoliosis is ordinarily associated with kids, but adults can have it, also. This generally occurs the disorder progresses aggressively or when scoliosis is not discovered during childhood. Most cases of scoliosis�more than 80%, in fact�are idiopathic, meaning they don�t possess a cause that is known.
Listed here are the various kinds of scoliosis:
Infantile idiopathic scoliosis is diagnosed in kids ages 0 to 3.
Congenital scoliosis happens when the spine doesn’t grow properly in the womb.
Neuromuscular scoliosis is caused by brain, spinal cord, and muscular system disorders..
Syndromic scoliosis grows as part of an illness or an underlying syndrome.
Juvenile idiopathic scoliosis is diagnosed in kids ages 4 to 10.
Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is diagnosed in young people ages 11 to 18.
Adult degenerative or idiopathic scoliosis is diagnosed in individuals older than 18.
Along with the types noted above, your back specialist may refer to your scoliosis early-onset scoliosis�a term for scoliosis detected before 10 years of age. Syndromic scoliosis, congenital scoliosis, neuromuscular scoliosis, infantile idiopathic scoliosis, and juvenile idiopathic scoliosis may all be considered early-onset scoliosis.
Treating Scoliosis
Scoliosis brings up images of braces and perhaps memories of being examined for it by the school nurse. Bracing is one of the most common treatment choices for scoliosis as the curve may be fixed by it without back surgery.
Sometimes, though, the curve is too extreme and bracing does not help enough. Because scenario, you could have scoliosis surgery to correct the curve. You can find out more on the topic of surgical treatment for scoliosis in scoliosis surgery for scoliosis and adults operation for kids.
For kids, particularly, it can be frightening to learn they have scoliosis. Having that label makes them different at a time in their own lives when they do not need to be different. They may not enjoy the concept of wearing a brace, either. But scoliosis is nothing to be scared or ashamed of. With the correct treatment, scoliosis doesn’t have to define your life.
Call your spine specialist in case you feel you may have developed sciatica. (Should you not already have a healthcare professional who specializes on spine health, you can ask a primary healthcare provider for recommendations).
You may have sciatica in the event that you’re experiencing symptoms,such as shooting pain down one or the two of your legs, or in case you have been experiencing weakness or tingling in your legs.
Through your medical visit, your physician or back specialist will ask you questions and perform some basic exams to try and identify the reason for your sciatica and create a treatment strategy for you�a method to control your pain as well as other symptoms also to help you recover. There are several spinal ailments which may lead to sciatic pain. Your treatment plan will be depending on the cause of your pain, so it’s vital that you get a precise diagnosis.
What to Expect During Sciatica Evaluations
First, your back specialist will ask about your present symptoms and remedies you’ve got already attempted. He or she will even ask some typical questions, like:
When did the sciatic nerve pain start?
Where would you sense pain? Is it all the way down your leg? Is it in both? Does it halt at your knee?
On a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst pain imaginable, rate your pain.
Are you really experiencing tingling or weakness in your legs and/or feet?
What actions did you recently do?
Does walking downhill or uphill increase pain?
What have you ever done with this sciatic nerve pain? Maybe you have attempted exercises or special drugs?
Does anything reduce the pain or allow it to be worse?
Neurological and physical examinations will be also performed by your healthcare professional.
In the physical examination, your doctor will find your position, range of motion, and physical state, noticing any movement that causes you pain. Your physician feel for muscle spasm, note alignment and its curvature, and will feel your back.
During the neurological examination, your back specialist will test your reflexes, muscle strength, and other nerve changes.
You will need to have some imaging tests, to diagnose the cause of your sciatica. You could have an x ray or a computed tomography (CT or CAT) scan. When it’s possible you might have a herniated disc or spinal stenosis that is causing your sciatica, your physician may order a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluation.
Together, all these various assessments and evaluations will give your doctor a more complete picture of your sciatic nerve pain. Using this information, he or she will most likely be able to make a diagnosis of the underlying cause of your sciatica.
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic and spinal injuries and conditions. To discuss options on the subject matter, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .
By Dr. Alex Jimenez
Additional Topics: Whole Body Wellness
Following a balanced nutrition as well as engaging in regular physical activity and sleeping properly are all proper lifestyle habits which can help increase and maintain overall health and wellness. Many common complications associated with improper lifestyle habits, such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer, however, the risk of developing these can be prevented with a few lifestyle changes. In addition, visiting a chiropractor and receiving chiropractic care can help maintain and improve the overall health of the spine as well as its surrounding structures.
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