What is Functional Medicine?

Functional Medicine is an approach that considers the complexity of our human biology. It recognizes that what can appear to be a similar condition, such as Diabetes or Depression, can have many precipitating factors that vary across individuals. Exploring and determining these main contributing factors (individual, social, environmental) can lead to more individualized recommendations that address the specific drivers of imbalance in each person.

In this sense, a Functional Medicine approach is not entirely different from other medical systems, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, which has long recognized that a condition that appears similar on the first take, like back pain or headache, may have fundamentally different imbalances and precipitating factors.

A Functional Medicine evaluation involves taking a detailed history to gain insight into a condition's potential underlying imbalances and root causes. The Functional Medicine approach provides a valuable framework to help organize complex medical histories and identify what may be the precipitating and mediating factors that are common across several health conditions.

Additional elements of a functional medicine evaluation can include a variety of standard and functional laboratory testing.