Frequently Asked Questions

Functional medicine is a personalized and holistic approach to healthcare that focuses on identifying and addressing the root causes of health problems rather than just treating the symptoms. Imagine your health as a tree: traditional medicine often looks at the leaves (symptoms), while functional medicine digs down to the roots (underlying causes) to ensure the entire tree is healthy.

Here are the key principles of functional medicine explained in simple terms:

• Whole-Person Care: Functional medicine practitioners look at your entire health picture. This means considering your lifestyle, genetics, environment, and even emotional well-being to understand what might be contributing to your health issues.

• Personalized Treatment: Because everyone is unique, functional medicine tailors treatments to each person’s specific needs. What works for one person might not work for another, so treatments are customized based on your individual health history and lab test results.

• Root Cause Approach: Instead of just masking symptoms with medication, functional medicine aims to find and treat the root causes of your health problems. For example, if you have chronic headaches, a functional medicine practitioner might look for underlying issues like nutrient deficiencies, stress, or food sensitivities.

• Preventive Care: Functional medicine emphasizes prevention by identifying and addressing potential health issues before they become serious problems. This approach helps you maintain long-term health and well-being.

• Integrative Methods: Functional medicine combines the best of conventional medicine with evidence-based alternative therapies. This might include a combination of medication, supplements, dietary changes, stress management techniques, and lifestyle modifications to achieve optimal health.

Overall, functional medicine is about treating the whole person and not just a set of symptoms. It’s a proactive and comprehensive approach to healthcare designed to promote optimal wellness and prevent chronic diseases.

Working with me at Functional Vitality Health is a collaborative, personalized, and supportive experience. Here’s what you can expect:

1. Comprehensive Initial Assessment: Our journey begins with an in-depth assessment of your health history, lifestyle, and current symptoms. This helps me understand the full picture of your health and identify potential root causes of your issues.
2. Advanced Lab Testing: We utilize comprehensive functional lab tests, including stool testing for gut health, hormone panels, and nutrient assessments, to gather detailed information about your body’s functioning. These tests help pinpoint imbalances and guide our treatment plan.
3. Personalized Health Plan: Based on the assessment and lab results, I create a customized health plan tailored to your specific needs. This plan may include dietary recommendations, nutritional supplements, lifestyle modifications, and stress management techniques.
4. Educational and Empowering Approach: I believe in empowering you with knowledge about your health. Throughout our work together, I will educate you on how your body functions and how different factors influence your well-being. This helps you make informed decisions and take an active role in your health journey.
5. Ongoing Support and Adjustments: Your health journey is dynamic, and I’m here to support you every step of the way. We will have regular check-ins to monitor your progress, make necessary adjustments to your plan, and address any new concerns that arise.
6. Holistic Care: I take a holistic approach, considering all aspects of your life, including diet, stress, sleep, physical activity, and emotional well-being. This ensures a well-rounded and sustainable approach to improving your health.
7. Focused on Long-Term Wellness: My goal is not just to provide short-term relief but to help you achieve lasting health and vitality. Together, we work on building healthy habits and making sustainable changes that support your overall well-being.

Working with me means you will be heard, understood, and supported on your path to better health. I’m dedicated to helping you uncover the root causes of your health issues and guiding you toward a vibrant, balanced life.

Getting started with Functional Vitality Health is simple and straightforward. Here’s the process:

1. Fill Out an Application: Begin by filling out a brief application on our website. This helps us understand your basic health concerns and goals.
2. Schedule a Free 15-Minute Call: Once we receive your application, you can schedule a free 15-minute call with me. During this call, we’ll discuss your needs, health concerns, and how I might be able to help you. This is a great opportunity for you to ask any questions and determine if we’re a good fit for each other.
3. Decide to Move Forward: If you decide to move forward after our call, we will schedule an initial consultation. The cost for this consultation is $500, which includes an in-depth functional medicine intake and a basic lab panel. This comprehensive evaluation will provide a detailed understanding of your health and help us create a personalized plan for you.

Ready to take the first step towards better health? Fill out the application Here and schedule your free 15-minute call today. I look forward to working with you!

Functional medicine can help you achieve better health and wellness by focusing on identifying and addressing the root causes of your health issues. Here’s how functional medicine can benefit you:

• Personalized Care: Functional medicine treats you as a unique individual. By considering your genetics, environment, and lifestyle, we create a customized treatment plan tailored to your specific needs and health goals.
• Root Cause Analysis: Instead of just managing symptoms, functional medicine aims to uncover the underlying causes of your health problems. This can lead to more effective and lasting solutions, addressing issues such as chronic pain, fatigue, digestive problems, hormonal imbalances, and more.
• Comprehensive Testing: We utilize advanced lab tests, including comprehensive stool testing, hormone panels, and nutrient assessments, to gather detailed information about your body’s functioning. These tests help identify imbalances and dysfunctions that may be contributing to your health issues.
• Holistic Approach: Functional medicine looks at the whole person, including diet, lifestyle, stress, sleep, and emotional well-being. This holistic perspective ensures that all factors influencing your health are considered, leading to more effective and sustainable outcomes.
• Preventive Care: Functional medicine emphasizes prevention by identifying and addressing potential health issues before they become serious problems. By making proactive changes, you can maintain long-term health and prevent chronic diseases.
• Support for Chronic Conditions: If you’re dealing with chronic conditions such as autoimmune diseases, IBS, or hormonal imbalances, functional medicine can offer a more comprehensive and integrative approach to managing and improving your condition.
• Empowerment Through Education: Functional medicine practitioners educate you about your health, empowering you to make informed decisions and take an active role in your health journey. This knowledge helps you understand how your body works and how to maintain optimal wellness.

By addressing the root causes of your health issues and providing personalized, holistic care, functional medicine can help you achieve improved energy levels, better digestion, balanced hormones, reduced inflammation, and overall enhanced well-being. It’s a proactive and comprehensive approach to health that supports your body’s natural ability to heal and thrive.

Conventional insurance-based medicine is built around the concept of labeling you with a reimbursable diagnostic code (diagnosis) and then finding the medications or a procedure to match.

A functional medicine model of care works to address the root cause of imbalances/disease (DIS-EASE), considering the connection of all the various body systems, as well as the mind, lifestyle, and diet. The core of functional medicine is finding the what and the why, therefore simply operating in a diagnosis to medication model doesn't fit with insurance-based practices.

In addition, if your doctor is spending enough time with you (both in-person and afterward researching your unique case) to get to the root of your issue, using advanced testing that takes more time and knowledge to interpret, and then personalizing your treatment plan to include natural therapies and a customized diet plan, then it's not covered by insurance.
This can be a good thing because this offers advanced testing and personalized care, 1-1 relationships with our coaches and clients, and more accountability through coaching.
Yes, functional lab testing is an investment, but not an expense. Working to transform your lifestyle and health will continue to reward you over your lifetime and give you back more time and energy (and often money) in the long run.

Supplements and lab re-testing will be additional costs. The supplement protocols that we create for you will be based on your unique goals, imbalances, and root cause(s) from your lab testing, so there is no way for us to know what and how much will be needed beforehand. Many of our clients also continue with some core maintenance supplements long-after they stop working with us.
Lab testing reruns are not included because some people do not need to rerun their labs, while others only need to rerun a few key markers that were off. Because the labs themselves are a large portion of the package price, we will actually save you some money ordering only the labs you need when retesting.