Functional medical practice seeks patients’ ‘triggering’ factors
Longtime Las Vegas chiropractor Steven Rudack does more than just adjust a patient’s spine.
He also looks to adjust a patient’s lifestyle.
Rudack, who has practiced chiropractic medicine in Southern Nevada since 1982, recently earned a fellowship in functional medicine. The idea is to understand a patient’s entire medical history and take proactive steps to resolve any lingering or longtime medical issues.
Rudack says the practice expands beyond traditional chiropractic treatment to “learn alternative forms of health care that put the patient first and not the restrictions of care placed upon the physicians by the insurance companies’ standard of care.”
In addition to chiropractic medicine, Rudack is certified in clinical acupuncture, clinical kinesiology and clinical nutrition.
“The focus of my practice is to help my patients design a lifestyle that returns them to vibrant health,” Rudack said.
Rudack owns Summerlin Chiropractic Associates and Total Body Wellness Life Enhancement Center on West Sahara Avenue.
The idea behind functional medicine is to understand and seek any “triggering factors” that might be the source of various illnesses suffered by a patient. The clinic will run numerous laboratory tests, but Rudack will delve into a patient’s medical history to root out any potential causes for illness.
Rudack said his patients seek answers to what might have made them ill in the first place.
“Our patients have often tried the medical route of care and are now looking for an alternative treatment that does not focus simply on improving themselves with prescriptive drugs,” he said.
Rudack treats patients with a wide range of illnesses, including auto-immune disorders, hormonal imbalances, chronic inflammatory disorders, migraines and gastrointestinal dysfunctions.
Many of his patients are new, but some of his longtime chiropractic patients have sought his advice for other ailments.
Among some of the services offered include clinical nutrition, body cleanse and detoxification programs, genetic testing, as well as chiropractic treatments and electroacupuncture methods.
Rudack said the clinic’s services are designed to be “patient-specific” and combine western medicine with the philosophy of eastern medicine.
“These services are designed for those individuals who are proactive concerning their health,” Rudack said. “It is a program of care to teach a lifestyle to prevent disease and the overutilization of pharmacology as the primary basis of care.”
Because many of the services aren’t covered by health insurance providers, Rudack works out payment plans with patients.
“This type of care is highly personable,” Rudack said. “They aren’t cookie-cutter programs.”
Contact reporter Howard Stutz at hstutz@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3871. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.
