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Functional Medicine Doctor in Los Angeles, CA

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Functional Medicine Doctor in Los Angeles,CA

Are you stressed? Do you have low energy? Hormone imbalances? Difficult weight loss? Trouble sleeping? Poor digestion? High Blood Sugar? High Cholesterol? High Blood Pressure? You may benefit from Functional Medicine

What is Functional Medicine?

Functional Medicine, or Functional Nutrition, addresses the underlying causes of disease by using a set of assessment tools and treatments protocols that focus on the optimal functioning of the body and its organs. Traditional medicine is symptom-based, acute-centered care which follows the pathophysiological paradigm. This pathophysiological paradigm states that you know you have a pathology (condition, disease), check the physiological markers and treat the pathogen with drugs or surgery.  Whereas, Functional Medicine, or functional nutrition is based on the physiopathology paradigm, which looks at the overall physiology of the individual through assessing molecular changes and patterns which are the fingerprint to all disease.  Functional Medicine, or functional nutritional practitioners perform a detailed health assessment and lifestyle evaluation followed by a detailed blood panel to assess that the physiology is out of optimal balance and treat with nutritional protocols and lifestyle changes to balance the physiology before disease processes manifest into gross clinical symptoms. If gross clinical symptoms have already manifested, then the goal is to still balance the physiology while being mindful of the patients symptoms and toxicity levels.  The idea is that as the physiology goes towards balance and the blood chemistry reaches optimal levels the symptoms should disappear. Sometimes the symptoms may increase due to healing crisis before they get better.  You don’t have to have gross clinical symptoms to benefit from a Functional Medicine assessment.

What is a Functional Medicine Assessment?

A Functional Medicine assessment consists of a detailed health and lifestyle evaluation along with a specific blood panel.  Dr. Rahim has specifically designed a comprehensive blood panel used by over a thousand labs in the country called Dr. Rahim’s Wellness and Prevention Panel.

The blood panel includes:




Thyroid w/TSH: Thyroid function is critical to your metabolism and affects your energy level, heart rate, weight control and more. The thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) is produced in the pituitary gland and stimulates the production of thyroid hormones. The TSH helps identify an underactive or overactive thyroid state. This comprehensive evaluation of your thyroid hormone levels includes: T-3 Uptake, T4 total, Free Thyroxine Index (T7), and Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone (TSH).





CK Total:  A creatine kinase (CPK) test may be used to detect inflammation of muscles (myositis) or serious muscle damage.


Sedimentation Rate, Modified Westergreen:  An indirect measure of the degree of inflammation present in the body. It is used to screen for inflammation, cancer, and infection. A high sed rate is found in a wide variety of infectious, inflammatory, and malignant diseases – the presence of an abnormality which needs further evaluation.


Additional tests that may be ordered if warranted from the initial blood panel:

CK (CPK) Isoenzymes:
This test is done if a CPK test reveals that your total CPK level is elevated. CPK isoenzyme testing can help pinpoint the exact source of the damaged tissue.  CPK is made of three slightly different substances:


LDH isoenzymes:

LDH-2 is concentrated in white blood cells.
LDH-3 is highest in the lung.
LDH-5 is highest in the liver and skeletal muscle.

Hair Analysis – Toxic & Essential Elements:

Elements are the basic building blocks of all chemical compounds, and human exposure to them occurs both from natural and anthropogenic (caused by humans, eg air pollution) sources. Many elements are considered nutrients and are essential for the proper functioning of the body. These are generally divided between macrominerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium and zinc, and trace minerals including selenium, iodine, boron and molybdenum.

Equally, there are a number of elements that are toxic to the human body, interfere with its functioning and undermine health—such as mercury, lead, cadmium, aluminum, and arsenic. These toxic metals have no known physiological functions. They can be toxic to organ systems and may disrupt the balance of essential nutrients.

Hair element analysis is a valuable and inexpensive screen for bodily excess, shortage or poor circulation of elements. It should not be considered a stand-alone investigative test for crucial element function, and should be used in combination with patient symptoms and other laboratory tests.


Test Includes: Aluminum, Antimony, Arsenic, Barium, Beryllium, Bismuth, Cadmium, Lead, Mercury, Platinum, Thallium, Thorium, Uranium, Nickel, Silver, Tin, Titanium, Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, Potassium, Copper, Zinc, Manganese, Chromium, Vanadium, Molybdenum, Boron, Iodine, Lithium, Phosphorus, Selenium, Strontium, Sulfur, Cobalt, Iron, Germanium, Rubidium, Zirconium