FM is investigative and evidence-based. We make use of cutting edge diagnostic tools and laboratory testing to identify subtle dysfunctions or imbalances. Many of the investigations that are readily used in conventional medicine are focused on detecting overt disease. To preserve health and vitality, functional medicine looks beyond diagnosing overt disease. Personalized nutritional therapy, herbal medicine, customized nutritional supplements, stress management techniques, assistance with detoxification, lifestyle modification and—only in some cases when necessary—prescription medications, are all used to help restore proper function and balance.

The practice of functional medicine involves five essential components:

• Eliciting the patient’s complete story during the functional medicine intake that attends to social determinants of health.
• Establishing a mutually empowering partnership between practitioner and patient that is free of bias.
• Identifying and addressing the challenges of the patient’s modifiable lifestyle factors and environmental exposures.
• Organizing the patient’s clinical imbalances and underlying causes of disease in a systems biology framework.
• Providing personalized recommendations to guide the patient on their journey to improved health and wellness.  

The signature strength of functional medicine is its unified model that can be applied across a wide variety of health professions to facilitate integrated care. Functional medicine plays a key role in the effort to address the modern epidemic of chronic disease, the recurring threat of pandemics, and the ever-present need to foster health and well-being. Using these concepts and tools, functional medicine practitioners contribute vital skills for addressing and reversing the global health issues of today.