Functional Medicine vs Conventional Medicine

Functional medicine, a holistic approach to healthcare, focuses on addressing the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of a patient’s well-being. This comprehensive approach aims to treat the whole person rather than just the symptoms of a particular ailment.

A Brief Comparison of Functional vs. Conventional Medicine

Functional Medicine Coaches are trained to consider various factors affecting an individual’s health, such as lifestyle, nutrition, stress levels, and environmental influences. By employing a multidimensional perspective, Functional Medicine Coaches collaborate with patients to develop personalized treatment plans that integrate both conventional and alternative therapies.

Contrasting this with conventional medicine, which often focuses on symptom management through pharmaceutical interventions, functional medicine seeks to identify and address the root causes of health issues such as chronic fatigue. Rather than merely applying a temporary solution, functional medicine, particularly functional medicine or functional health, delves deeper into understanding the underlying factors contributing to an individual’s health concerns.

The outcomes of functional medicine can be vastly different from those of conventional medicine. While conventional medicine may offer quick relief through medications, functional medicine aims for long-term solutions by addressing the fundamental issues affecting an individual’s health. This holistic approach may involve lifestyle modifications, nutritional changes, stress management techniques, and various complementary therapies tailored to the patient’s unique needs.  This approach allows practitioners to ferret out underlying causes of complex issues such as Mast Cell Activation Syndrome and Long COVID.

In essence, the Functional Medicine Coach serves as a guide, assisting patients in navigating the intricate landscape of functional medicine. By emphasizing collaboration and individualized care, these practitioners contribute to a more holistic and patient-centered approach to healthcare. The comparison between functional and conventional medicine underscores the importance of considering not only the symptoms but also the broader factors influencing an individual’s well-being.  Let’s turn now to the specifics of how Functional and Conventional Medicine differ from one another.

Comparing the Practice of
Functional Medicine to Conventional Medicine

While both Functional and Conventional Medicine aim to improve patient health, their methodologies, day-to-day practices, and philosophies differ significantly. Let’s take a look at how they differ philosophically, practically, diagnostically, preventatively, and so forth.

1. Philosophical Foundations

Functional Medicine Practitioner: Functional medicine operates on the principle that each patient is unique, and thus, treatment should be individualized. Practitioners focus on identifying the root causes of disease, which often involves understanding the complex interactions between genetics, environment, and lifestyle. The philosophy is holistic, emphasizing the interconnectedness of bodily systems and the belief that the body has an innate ability to heal when given the right conditions.

Conventional Medicine Doctor: Conventional medicine, also known as allopathic medicine, typically focuses on diagnosing and treating diseases through standardized protocols (read: “One size fits all”). This approach is often symptom-focused, with an emphasis on using medications, surgery, and other interventions to manage symptoms by giving a pill to cover the symptom rather than getting at the underlying cause. Ultimately, healing is not part of the equation as medications tend to mask the messages the body is giving off as it asks for help. The philosophy of conventional medicine is reductionist, viewing the body as a sum of its parts rather than a whole system.  This means patients are sent to one doctor for ear, nose and throat issues and a different doctor for gut issues.  These doctors often don’t communicate and see the problem a patient has through a very narrow lens.  If the underlying cause of the conditions is not addressed (let’s say a food allergy causing gut and sinus issues), the patient walks away from each visit with a medication or two to mask the symptoms, yet is still left with the problem which never gets identified.

2. Patient Intake and Initial Consultation

Functional Medicine Practitioner: A functional medicine practitioner’s day involves detailed patient consultations. These sessions are typically longer than those in conventional medicine, often lasting about 60 minutes. The practitioner takes a comprehensive health history, exploring everything from the patient’s diet, sleep patterns, stress levels, exercise habits, to their social relationships and emotional well-being. The goal is to gather as much information as possible to understand the patient’s overall health and identify potential root causes of illness.  Suggestions are offered to the person seeking help, and subsequent follow-up visits (which are frequent and lengthy) check in with the person to see how well those suggestions helped.  Sometimes various therapies are continued, and sometimes they are abandoned in favor of something that will work better for the individual.  The idea is to identify and implement solutions that work for each client and their unique needs.

Conventional Medicine Doctor: A conventional medicine doctor’s initial consultation is usually more focused and time-efficient, often lasting about 7-15 minutes. The doctor primarily gathers information related to the patient’s presenting symptoms. They take a medical history, perform a physical examination, and may order diagnostic tests to confirm a diagnosis. The emphasis is on identifying the immediate cause of the symptoms and determining the appropriate treatment, which is usually a medication.

3. Diagnostic Approaches

Functional Medicine Practitioner: In functional medicine, diagnostics don’t just involve testing.  Prior to testing, the functional medicine practitioner spends a good deal of time behind the scenes reviewing the intake data and puzzle-piecing together what went wrong when and figuring out where to intervene.  Sometimes, labs are helpful when things are still unclear.  Functional labs are broad and often include advanced testing that goes beyond standard medical tests. This might involve comprehensive blood panels, hormone testing, gut microbiome analysis, genetic testing, and assessments of nutrient levels. The practitioner interprets these results within the context of the whole person, seeking patterns and imbalances that could contribute to the patient’s condition. Functional medicine practitioners often use these tests to identify brewing disease that is not yet bad enough to be diagnosed, then guide personalized treatment plans that address the underlying causes of illness rather than just the symptoms.

Conventional Medicine Doctor: Conventional medicine relies on a more standardized set of diagnostic tools. Doctors typically order tests that are directly related to the symptoms presented, such as blood tests, X-rays, MRIs, or other imaging studies. The results are interpreted according to established medical guidelines, which usually means looking at reference ranges which are statistical norms, rather than ideal ranges of markers.  This is critical because statistical norms show what a given lab company sees on average in the people that they test.  Think about this for a minute – if you were to walk into an average big box store and take blood from 100 random people, do you think that these people would represent the ideal range of where lab markers should be?  Of course not! Our population is sick, so the statistical norms found from testing the average person doesn’t tell a conventional medical doctor what is a good range for where the markers should fall for good health.  They then use these statistical norms to give a diagnosis. The focus in conventional medicine is on identifying specific diseases or conditions once they are bad enough to diagnose rather than looking at markers that are showing patterns of disease development.

4. Treatment Modalities

Functional Medicine Practitioner: The treatment plans in functional medicine are highly individualized and may include a combination of dietary changes, lifestyle modifications, nutritional supplements, stress management techniques, and exercise programs. The practitioner may also incorporate alternative therapies such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, or mind-body practices like meditation and yoga. The aim is to support the body’s natural healing processes and restore balance to its systems.  By bringing the body into balance, the goal of Functional Medicine is to strengthen the body to ward off disease and/or to support areas of health that may need a little extra attention due to stress, diet, lifestyle, or other mitigating factor.

Conventional Medicine Doctor: Treatment in conventional medicine often involves prescribing medications, recommending surgical procedures, or referring patients to specialists for further care. The treatments are typically based on standardized protocols that may or may not have relevance to the individual seeking care. While lifestyle advice may be given, it is often vague and almost always plays a secondary role to pharmacological or surgical interventions. The goal is to “manage” the disease by alleviating symptoms.

5. Patient Follow-Up and Monitoring

Functional Medicine Practitioner: Follow-up appointments in functional medicine are frequent (usually every couple of weeks) and are in-depth, often lasting an hour at a time. The practitioner monitors the client’s progress closely, adjusting the treatment plan as necessary based on their feedback and any new symptoms, improvements, or test results. These appointments often involve further education on lifestyle changes, ongoing support for dietary modifications, and encouragement of mind-body practices. The relationship between the practitioner and patient is collaborative, with a strong emphasis on patient empowerment and active participation in their own health journey.  When a Functional Medicine practitioner has done a good job, the client no longer needs closely monitored care because they come away with knowledge to care for themselves.  This is not to say that people don’t follow-up from time to time.  After completing a program with a Functional Medicine practitioner, clients may choose to check in once or twice a year to ask questions, request follow-up labs, or discuss changes in their lives that may be having a negative effect on their health (like a stressful job or death of a family member) for help with management during a hard time.

Conventional Medicine Doctor: In conventional medicine, follow-up appointments are generally short – very short (about 7 minutes) – and are focused on evaluating the effectiveness of the medication or surgical procedure. The doctor may adjust medications, order additional tests, or refer the patient to other specialists if necessary. The follow-up process is often more structured and less frequent unless the condition requires close monitoring, such as in chronic diseases like diabetes or hypertension. The patient-doctor relationship is hierarchical, with the doctor providing instructions based on “Standard of Care” which is almost never modified to fit the individual, and the patient is expected to blindly comply, even when they know that the advice offered is not a good idea for them.

6. Collaboration with Other Healthcare Providers

Functional Medicine Practitioner: Functional medicine practitioners often work in multidisciplinary teams, collaborating with nutritionists, health coaches, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and other specialists. This collaborative approach ensures that all aspects of the patient’s health are addressed. The practitioner may also work closely with the patient’s conventional medical doctor, especially in cases where ongoing medication or surgical interventions are required.  Functional Medicine recognizes that once disease starts, sometimes it is necessary to have conventional medical intervention in the form of medication and/or surgery.  The goal of a Functional Medicine practitioner is to reduce the need for medications, try to avoid surgery if possible, and strengthen the health of the body to combat or reverse disease.  Restoration of health is the goal.

Conventional Medicine Doctor: Collaboration in conventional medicine usually involves referring patients to conventional medicine specialists or coordinating care with other healthcare providers within the same medical system. For example, a primary care doctor may refer a patient to a cardiologist, endocrinologist, or physical therapist. While interdisciplinary collaboration exists, it is often within the framework of conventional medical practices and may not involve alternative or complementary therapies.  Some conventional medicine practitioners do welcome other types of therapies, but more often than not, they are brushed aside as “not real medicine,” and doubt is cast on their efficacy.  This occurs even when patients report back that they had a fabulous experience with a practitioner such as an acupuncturist, and that their symptoms are improved.  Conventional medicine often sees Traditional Western Medicine as the one and only answer to health and disease management.

7. Patient Education and Preventative Care

Functional Medicine Practitioner: Education is a cornerstone of functional medicine, because as was stated earlier, a successful Functional Medicine program is one in which a client comes away with the knowledge and power to manage their own health and well-being. As such, Functional Medicine practitioners spend a significant amount of time educating patients about the importance of diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management. Preventative care is emphasized, with the knowledge that many chronic diseases can be prevented or reversed through lifestyle changes. Patients are usually provided with resources, such as reading materials, meal plans, and tips and tricks, to help them make sustainable changes.

Conventional Medicine Doctor: Patient education in conventional medicine is often more concise and focused on specific health issues, such as how to manage a chronic condition or the side effects of medications. Preventative care is usually centered around screening tests, vaccinations, and generic, non-tailored guidelines for maintaining a “healthy lifestyle.”  This usually comes across in the form of “Eat better and exercise more.”  This type of guidance is too vague and patients typically don’t understand what “eating better” means in absence of education on what constitutes good, healthy, clean food.  Likewise, many people think that “exercising more” means they have to take up a gym membership – and they may hate the gym! The advice provided is typically based on public health guidelines and standardized protocols.  It is almost never tailored to the individual and his or her unique needs and preferences.

In the end, when comparing Functional and Conventional Medicine, it is like comparing apples to automobiles.  While Functional Medicine is trying to educate, inspire, and empower you to be the healthiest person you can be, Conventional Medicine offers “Band-aid” style solutions that merely mask symptoms, don’t address the underlying problem, and leave people sick and continuing to need “healthcare” (or “sick-care”) services.