Sharon Freeman Clevenger is a Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist who is trained in Cognitive Behavior Therapy.  The exciting news is that she is taking doctoral level coursework in Integrative Functional Medicine in order to provide the people that she helps the most up-to-date, science tested, individual psychiatric health care that is available.

So what is Integrative Functional Medicine?

The term Functional Medicine is a relatively new term in health care. It reflects the changes that have been made regarding scientific knowledge of health in the 21st century.   Basically, Functional Medicine focuses on returning your body to optimal functioning. To do so, we have to have current knowledge about your health, which is a function of your genetics (DNA) and the environmental “soup” that has interacted with your genetics.  The Integrative Part is the integration of all areas of health and well being into developing your own, unique health care plan.

Current science is now showing us that there are some very easily modifiable factors that contribute to health risk, and therefore can contribute to your overall health and well-being. When some of your biologic systems are out of balance; for example, lacking essential fats, minerals, nutrients or chemical, your body may fall out of "function", and you get sick. So, rather than just fixing your symptoms, a Functional Medicine practitioner looks to discover what caused you to fall into disease in the first place - and reverses those factors as much as possible to return you to the healthiest you possible.

Sharon uses peer-reviewed, contemporary, scientific research from around the world to help guide her decision making and health care recommendations.  She is continually studying to increase her knowledge of nutrition, supplement use, biochemistry, psychology, psychiatry and physiology so that she can provide science-based, personalized treatment plans to her patients.