Functional medicine is a model of care that looks for the root causes of disease rather than only treating symptoms. It asks “why is this happening?” and treats the whole person (genetics, environment, lifestyle and biochemistry) as an interconnected system.
How it differs from conventional care
Conventional visits are often short and symptom-focused. Functional medicine typically involves longer consultations, detailed history-taking, and broader testing to map the underlying drivers of a condition, then a personalised plan spanning nutrition, sleep, stress, movement and targeted interventions.
What to expect from a functional medicine doctor
Expect deeper intake, specialty labs (hormones, gut, micronutrients), and a plan you actively participate in. Progress is tracked over time rather than judged at a single visit.
Why data matters in functional medicine
Root-cause care generates a lot of data: labs, wearables, symptoms and protocols. Bringing it into one longitudinal record is what makes personalised plans measurable. See how functional clinics do this at /solutions/functional-medicine.
Educational only, not medical advice.
See how clinics use Heads Up
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