Uncovering the “Cause” Behind Your Symptoms
If you have ever felt like your standard 15-minute doctor’s visit barely scratched the surface of your health concerns, you aren’t alone. Many people are turning to functional medicine providers for a more comprehensive approach to wellness.
A functional medicine provider is a licensed healthcare professional—often an MD, DO, Nurse Practitioner, or Physician Assistant—who has undergone specialized training to identify and treat the root causes of chronic illness. Instead of just matching a drug to a symptom, they look at your body as an interconnected system to understand why dysfunction is occurring in the first place.
Key Characteristics of Functional Care:
- The “Health Detective” Approach: Providers act as detectives, digging into your history from birth to the present. They explore the complex interactions between your genetics, environment, and lifestyle (diet, sleep, and stress).
- Highly Personalized Plans: Because every individual is biologically unique, two people with the same diagnosis (like migraines or IBS) may receive entirely different treatment plans based on their specific triggers.
- Extended Time with Patients: Unlike conventional visits that often last 15–20 minutes, initial functional medicine consultations typically run 60 to 90 minutes, or even longer, to ensure a complete understanding of your health story.
- Advanced Diagnostic Testing: They often use specialized lab work that goes beyond standard panels, including gut microbiome analysis, detailed hormone mapping, and nutrient level assessments.
- Diverse Treatment Options: While they can prescribe traditional medications, when necessary, their focus is often on a “food-first” approach, utilizing targeted supplements, lifestyle modifications, and stress management techniques.
Who Should See a Functional Provider?
Functional medicine is particularly effective for those dealing with complex, chronic conditions that haven’t responded well to standard care, such as:
- Autoimmune diseases (e.g., Hashimoto’s, Rheumatoid Arthritis).
- Digestive issues (e.g., IBS, SIBO, leaky gut).
- Hormonal imbalances and thyroid dysfunction.
- Chronic fatigue and persistent inflammation.
- Metabolic conditions like prediabetes or weight management challenges
Functional providers perform more extensive testing in labs such as:
Comparison of Laboratory Types
| Conventional Focus | Functional Focus | |
|---|---|---|
| Blood Sugar | Fasting Glucose (to diagnose Diabetes) | Blood Sugar Fasting Glucose (to diagnose Diabetes) Fasting Insulin & HbA1c (to find Insulin Resistance) |
| Thyroid | Thyroid TSH only (unless abnormal) | Full panel including antibodies and Free T3/T4 |
| Cholesterol | Total, LDL, HDL | Particle size, ApoB, and inflammation (hs-CRP) |
| Gut Health | Colonoscopy or standard stool culture | DNA microbiome analysis & inflammatory markers |
| Mental Health | Often no additional labs | MTHF, APOE, genetic markers, gene testing |
At True Health Care, we are looking to treat cause versus the symptoms. Dr. Stephanie is passionate about each person living their fullest, best life at any age. Reach out today at (385) 715-1090 to see how we can improve your daily life.
