This is not a normal occurrence for those who may have been referred from one specialist to another, with a new medication each appointment and no real answers. But there are a million people who suffer from fatigue, digestive problems, hormone imbalances and chronic pain which require conventional medical treatment but no explanation. It’s also here that a functional medicine physician comes in – not to address the symptom in front of them, but to get to the root of the issue.

We at HealthfullyU believe that it is important to understand the body as one, not a set of complaints. This blog will go through the process step-by-step of how a functional medicine doctor is able to determine the root cause of disease, hams, and what to expect when you meet with them for the first time.

What Does a Functional Medicine Doctor Do?

So, how is a functional medicine physician different from a conventional physician? A functional medicine practitioner doesn’t append a diagnosis based on the symptoms and write up a prescription for a standard treatment – he or she is more of a health detective. They consider your genetics, environment, lifestyle, gut health, hormones and stress levels all together, as that’s what life is all about in reality.

A functional medicine physician asks questions such as:

• Why has this person complained of being tired, when everything shows normal?
• What caused these digestive symptoms to begin 3 years ago?
• Do you think there has occurred a change in this person’s life, diet or surroundings that contributed to the appearance of symptoms?

This approach to mental attitude from what drug treats this symptom to why it is happening is at the core of the entire functional medicine model.

The Functional Medicine Approach to Diagnosis

One fundamental tenet of the functional medicine concept is that the body is an interrelated system; that is, a failure in one part of the system frequently manifests itself in another. If you experience any of the following symptoms, you may be in poor gut health: skin problems, brain fog, joint pain, or changes in mood. A functional medicine physician is not looking for symptoms individually – they map the connections between these systems.

This usually involves a number of principles:

1. Comprehensive history-taking – Including birth history, past illnesses, medications, diet, stress, sleep, and toxin exposure
2. Systems based thinking – Looking at digestion, detoxification, hormones, immune system, and energy production as a connected system
3. Customized Data Collection – Including detailed laboratory testing to complement standard panel testing only.
4. Root cause mapping – Tracing the symptoms to the cause, for example, chronic inflammation, gut dysbiosis, nutritional deficiency or hormonal imbalance

This is the key distinction between root cause medicine and a conventional treatment of symptoms. The question is no longer “what medication can I take to reduce this symptom”, it becomes what makes the body act the way it does and what can I do to make it act the way I want it to?

Functional Medicine Diagnosis: Step-by-Step Process

Diagnostic functional medicine is not a single test, it’s not just a five-minute conversation. It’s a multi step procedure that is structured and geared towards discovering patterns that don’t get noticed in “normal visits.

Step 1: The In-Depth Intake
 

Your doctor will spend much of his time working out your entire health history before any testing is done. It may contain information like a penetrating timeline of symptoms, family history of illnesses, previous antibiotic or medicine use, stress patterns, and more. Oftentimes, a 15-minute traditional visit will not provide many of the clues that might be given from this step alone.

Step 2: Identifying Patterns, Not Just Symptoms
 

Your doctor searches for trends, or patterns, in several systems. An example of this: chronic bloating, skin eruptions, and anxiety all may stem from inflammation in the gut or blood sugar imbalances and not three distinct problems.

Step 3: Targeted Functional Lab Testing
 

Your doctor may perform certain testing to verify or exclude any potential causes based on the patterns he or she detects.

Step 4: Root Cause Mapping
 

Results must be considered in conjunction with the patient’s previous history and symptoms. Here is when Label Markers, symptoms and lifestyle all coalesce to identify the driver of dysfunction – this is what a functional medicine physician truly does when he or she diagnoses illness.

Step 5: Personalized Treatment Planning
 

After finding the root cause (or causes) of the dysfunction, a treatment program is designed to rectify that one dysfunction, not just cover up the symptoms of it.

Functional Medicine Lab Testing: What Tests Does a Functional Medicine Doctor Order?

The functional medicine laboratory testing is one of the keys to the differences between conventional medicine and functional medicine. Well, what tests will a functional medicine doctor perform? Common testing that depends on patient:

• Thorough stool examination – To evaluate the benefits of gut health and balance, signs of inflammation and digestion function
• Advanced hormone panels – Including cortisol rhythm, thyroid antibodies, and sex hormone levels
• The assessment of micronutrients – Which uses tests to look for deficiencies in vitamins and minerals that are not routinely measured by other tests
• Food sensitivity and related testing – Identifying immune responses that could be contributing to or causing inflammation
• Organic acids testing – To assess cell energy production, detoxification and neurotransmitter metabolism
• Blood sugar and metabolic panels – Things beyond glucose that you should consider – such as insulin and inflammatory markers
• Environmental toxin and heavy metal testing – when exposure is suspected as a contributing factor

These tests are performed specifically, in keeping with your symptoms and history, and are not a checklist of tests performed as they are during an annual physical exam. It’s how a functional medicine physician can help identify any dysfunction not picked up on in a normal blood work set.

What to Expect During Your First Visit to a Functional Medicine Doctor

First visits to a functional medicine practitioner should feel quite different than the 15 minute timeframe visit to a traditional MD that you are used to. A first session can last up to an hour, and a lot of detail will be taken through your entire health record.

On this visit you will discover the opportunity to:

• Take out extensive chart paper and fill out in-depth food, sleep, stress and symptom history forms prior to the appointment
• Give a detailed history of your health, including chronic conditions, medications and significant health changes in your life
• Discuss your symptoms and their effect on your life
• List the lab tests you feel would be indicated for your concerns
• Go out with definite course of action, not just a prescription

This is not just any extra visit, but an extended, personal visit on purpose! It provides your doctor with the comprehensive information they need to take the next step towards a more accurate diagnosis of your underlying cause, instead of a simplistic symptom diagnosis.

Root Cause Medicine for Chronic Illness

Root cause medicine represents a whole new approach for anyone with an unmet longstanding medical need. Traditional medicine tends to treat chronic conditions with chronic medications, functional medicine asks why there is dysfunction in the first place.

Your provider of functional medicine for chronic illness will consider some factors such as:

• Chronic, low-grade inflammation
• Undiagnosed autoimmune activity
• Bone loss caused by stressing and adrenal imbalance over a long period of time
• Deficiency of nutrients in the cell that disrupt the function of the cells
• Things in the environment or diet that keep it going

If these drivers are identified and addressed, many patients are able to achieve meaningful improvement – beyond symptom suppression.

Functional Medicine Doctor for Gut Health

You could almost say the gut is the foundation of health; which is why it’s called that. In the realm of functional medicine for gut health, digestive problems are often the primary driver of a myriad of other conditions such as skin conditions, fatigue, mood disorders, and even joint pain.

A functional medicine physician can use a comprehensive stool analysis and detailed, thorough dietary assessment to set out to uncover any factors that can cause inflammation throughout the body, which might include issues with bacterial balance, leaky gut or foods that are intolerant. Having Guts can lead to many chronic complaints, which may begin by getting to work on gut function.

Why This Approach Works Better Than Symptom Management

While conventional medicine has much to offer for acute care and emergencies, it may not be suitable for complex or chronic conditions, as it does not have a grain of responsibility for the cause of the disease. Instead, a doctor trained in the practice of functional medicine will spend the time, investigation and analysis to discover the root cause of your body’s lack of function, and design a functional medicine treatment plan to address it.

This won’t be a rather simple remedy. It takes a patient approach and thorough assessment and a joint doctor-patient effort. However, for those who feel disheartened or unheard by traditional treatment, it can offer the solutions they’ve been seeking.