Maybe you’ve spent years suffering from chronic fatigue, digestive problems, hormonal disturbances, and or unexplained symptoms without being able to get to the bottom of it with the help of conventional medicine – and you’ve been referred to – or you’ve sought out – functional medicine. There’s a reason to wonder, though, before your visit because before heading to a first functional medicine appointment, you probably have a lot of questions about what will occur.

Your initial visit with the functional medicine provider goes beyond the usual 10-minute office visit to examine your health history, lifestyle habits and underlying causes of your symptoms. This is entirely different from traditional healthcare and being prepared and confident when you arrive walking in.

We’re going to cover all of the details in this guide, from what to share when you first meet with your functional medicine provider, the details about your lab testing, to what your treatment strategy will look like and how we’ll work together to achieve your best results.

What Is Functional Medicine?

Rather than jumping into what actually happens at an appointment, it’s good to have some idea of the philosophy behind it. Functional medicine is more individualized based on and is about the root cause of a disease instead of reacting to treat symptoms. Having an appointment with a functional medicine doctor appointment considers the person as a whole and takes into account various factors such as genetics, lifestyle, stress, environment, diet and more to understand why you are having symptoms in the first place.

Which is why, on a first appointment, a Functional Medicine doctor is likely to have more of a meeting than a regular medical doctor. The overall point is not to only provide a quick solution, but a comprehensive assessment of your health.

Functional Medicine Consultation vs. Traditional Doctor Visit: Key Differences

If you are only familiar with traditional healthcare settings, you may want to familiarize yourself with the difference in approach to healthcare before you go into the consultation with functional medicine. All of this is determined by these differences.

Appointment time with a practitioner. A traditional doctor visit usually takes 10-15 minutes and primarily questions you regarding your present problem. The initial functional medicine consultation is 60-90 minutes long, allowing your practitioner to learn the issue’s entire history.

Work on root causes, and not symptoms. Traditional health care treats symptoms with an isolated approach so the symptom of a headache is addressed with pain meds, the symptom of insomnia is treated on the sleep aid regimen. In functional medicine, the questions asked are why these symptoms are occurring in the first place, and diet, gut health, hormones, stress, and other factors are thought of as the pieces of the puzzle.

Testing goes deeper. Unlike a standard blood work visit, a functional medicine health assessment can incorporate more in-depth testing including a detailed hormone panel, screening of gut imbalance and nutrient deficiency screening to discover blood markers your doctor might not have thought to look at.

A collaborative, ongoing relationship. Functional medicine is not a one time appointment, but a collaboration with your practitioner that may include follow-up appointments to see how you are doing and plan accordingly.

Knowing these differences can help your first visit to a functional medicine doctor be the most beneficial for you.

What to Expect at Your First Functional Medicine Appointment

Therefore, here are a few expectations for your first visit to functional medicine. Let’s take an overview of what is typically done.

1. The Functional Medicine Intake Process

Generally, you will follow an intake process with your practitioner before even sitting down with them. These will typically include questions that are sent to you in detail beforehand including:

• Medical histories and full records of your treatment
• Symptoms at present time and symptoms when they began
• Diet and nutritional practices
• Sleep patterns
• The impact of stress and mental health conditions
• Family medical history
• Environmental exposures – toxins, mold, chemicals
• Lab studies, or diagnoses, from a week or two ago

The procedure in which this is done may take from half an hour to a few hours depending on the detail of the forms being completed. This is one of the most crucial steps since it provides the groundwork for your practitioner to proceed with your appointment.

2. In-Depth Health History Review

When you come to your appointment, your practitioner will go over your intake sheets with you. It’s here that the complaint doctor’s appointment is more different from the typical medical visit. Rather than jump straight into your symptoms, your provider will follow up with some additional questions to gain insight into the history of your health problems, possible causes and how your symptoms may be related in other areas of your life.

For instance, they might be interested in finding how a stressful life situation is correlated to digestive problems, or whether the quality of sleep is correlated to energy level and mood.

3. Functional Medicine Health Assessment

One of the most important things accomplished at a functional medicine consultation is a thorough functional medicine health assessment. This typically includes:

• A physical exam
• Talk about systems of the body (digestive, hormonal, immune, nervous, etc.)
• Evaluation of lifestyle issues, including stress management, exercise and sleep
• Review of all current medications and supplements

Your practitioner may also order targeted laboratory tests, such as extensive blood panels, most likely food sensitivity tests, hormone testing, or stool testing, to acquire useful data regarding what is transpiring within your body. As opposed to regular checkups, functional medicine can also explore beyond your blood tests and identify imbalances that the tests may not be able to show.

4. Discussion of Findings and Initial Recommendations

Some blood tests results will take time to get back, during your initial consultation, your practitioner will be able to provide initial observations and suggestions. These could be dietary modifications, lifestyle changes or supplements to start dealing with the symptoms immediately, whilst further testing is completed.

How to Prepare for a Functional Medicine Appointment

If you understand a bit about the functional medicine appointment, you should be able to optimize the value you get out of the visit. Here are some tips:

1. Complete your intake forms early. Think about what you are going to say in advance – detailed and thoughtful answers give your practitioner a better health picture.
2. Track your symptoms beforehand. If at all possible, record your symptoms for a week or two before your appointment and try to look for any trends that may be connected to food, sleep, stress or activity.
3. List your questions. Make a list of any questions you may have, so you can remember to ask them at the appointment.
4. Have the ability to discuss lifestyle. Functional medicine takes a holistic view, so you should be ready to be open and honest about the things you eat, how much activity you have, how you spend your time getting rest, and your stress levels.
5. Set realistic expectations. Healing for the root cause will take time. Your first visit is to get information and establish a foundation which is not supposed to be a “one and done” problem solving visit.

What to Bring to Your First Functional Medicine Appointment

To get the most out of your first functional medicine appointment, here are some items that will help you:

• List of drugs and supplements being used
• History of any previous lab tests or medical records (if available)
• Detailed intakes forms (if not submitted online previous to the lesson)
• A symptom journal or a health history note taking system
• List of questions or concerns you would like to discuss
• Insurance information (if applicable)

You can help your practitioner make the most of his or her time with you and prevent unnecessary delays in your care by having these items ready.

What Happens After Your First Visit?

Your functional medicine appointment will usually entail leaving with some first steps to fix, whether it’s a diet change, stress management plan, or even specific supplements. If a lab test was ordered, you’ll typically be given a follow-up appointment when the results are available where your provider will review the results with you and help to adjust your medical care accordingly.

This continued, collaborative relationship is an important part of functional medicine. It’s not just a quick visit once – it’s an initial step in a partnership to heal over and over for a long time.

Final Thoughts

You will have your first functional medicine visit and it’s not like any you have seen at a traditional medical office. It encompasses a complete approach to manifested symptoms, along with emphasizing and understanding you as a whole person, not just your symptoms. Knowing how to prepare for your appointment can help you feel assured and confident that you are set up for lasting health benefits.

When you’re looking for a direct path to addressing the underlying root of your health issues, HealthfullyU is the place to start your functional medicine journey.