If you have a chronic disease like type II diabetes, asthma, Alzheimer's, hypertension, or atopic dermatitis, it's unlikely the severity of your condition will ever diminish under traditional healthcare.  Why?  Because our health system is designed to dull external symptoms with drugs instead of fixing the root causes of chronic conditions, which are often a mix of genetics and lifestyle factors.  It's far easier to prescribe a drug than to provide tailored health strategies for each person's unique lifestyle and condition -- and the result of this is a life-long dependence to prescription drugs.  Today's guest, Chris Kresser, is striving to change this model of healthcare.  Chris is a functional and integrated medicine provider, one of the most influential people in the health space, author, and entrepreneur who's been studying, practicing, and teaching alternative medicine for more than fifteen years. He believes diseases should be treated from the root cause, not the symptoms. This approach is called functional medicine and in this episode, Chris explains why it's the best solution we have for preventing and reversing chronic disease.  Join us to learn what functional medicine is and what you can do in your everyday life to treat and prevent chronic conditions.