Functional Medicine

A medical model centered on investigating the root causes of disease and creating personalized, evidence-based treatment plans to address them.  Functional medicine owes much of its philosophy to naturopathic medicine but is more systematic in its approach, making it useful for complex chronic cases. This model acknowledges that one disease (for example, depression) can have many underlying causes, and alternately that many chronic conditions have similar underlying causes (such as inflammation).

When approaching a case from this angle, we collect an extremely detailed health timeline, sometimes starting from birth. This timeline includes use of antibiotics and other medications, toxic exposures (including mold), major life events (physical and emotional), and development of symptoms. Lab testing is also performed when needed, and results are viewed from the lens of optimal health rather than what simply falls in the reference range. Sometimes, unusual tests are performed looking at things such as the gut microbiome, hormone metabolism, and atypical chronic infections. Between the detailed health timeline and comprehensive lab work-up, the underlying causes of disease are identified and a roadmap is formed to wellness. Treatment plans primarily use diet, lifestyle changes, and natural therapeutics (herbs, nutrients).