Functional medicine is gaining traction as more and more people desire a personalized, root-cause approach to their health. Instead of treating only the symptoms, functional medicine takes the whole person—lifestyle, diet, genes, and environment—into account to create tailored treatment strategies.

But this does lead to a very important question: Are functional medicine doctors really MDs? The response is not so much a yes or no. While many functional medicine doctors are MDs (Medical Doctors) or DOs (Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine), some come from naturopathy, nutrition, or other health science disciplines.

In this article, we’ll explore what it means to be a functional medicine doctor, the different qualifications they may have, and how to choose the right practitioner for your health journey. Let’s dive in!

What is Functional Medicine?

Let’s say you have been tired all the time or have had digestive problems, and you go to the doctor, and they give you something and send you on your way. Unlike conventional medicine, which may aim to treat symptoms, functional medicine looks below the surface, trying to find out why those symptoms are occurring at all.

Functional medicine is a patient-oriented philosophy that takes all the bigger picture of your health into consideration. It doesn’t look at each symptom individually, but rather how all of the systems of your body, such as digestion, hormones, and immunity are related. This approach seeks to treat imbalances at their source, restore balance, improve well-being, and even prevent further health problems.

It’s detective work on your body. The functional medicine physician will look into lifestyle, genetics, diet, and environment to determine the underlying causes. They are liable to mix traditional medical protocols with alternative care, nutritional and lifestyle changes in an attempt to establish long-term fixes as opposed to short term band aids.

Functional medicine is about regaining control of your health, achieving balance, and living a long life — so you not only feel better but also thrive.

Who Can Practice Functional Medicine?

The first impression most people have of functional medicine doctors is that they must be medical doctors (MDs). Many practitioners with MD or DO credentials practice functional medicine beyond traditional physicians.

But who can actually practice functional medicine?

• Medical Doctors (MDs) and Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DOs). Most licensed medical doctors already incorporate functional medicine into their practice, bringing a root cause and holistic perspective to their traditionally trained patient care.
• Nurse Practitioners (NPs) & Physician Assistants (PAs).They can also be trained in functional medicine, and apply it to their patient care models.
• Naturopathic Doctors (NDs). NDs are trained in natural and holistic healing methods and often utilize functional medicine principles in practice.
• Some non-MD professionals practice Functional medicine and focus on nutrition, lifestyle change, and alternative care (e.g., Chiropractors, Nutritionists, etc.).

To ensure the practitioner offers functional medicine services that meet the healthcare needs, patients should research their healthcare providers’ qualifications and treatment methods. Whether a patient chooses an MD or another trained functional medicine practitioner, their aim is to discover and treat the causes of illness and customize treatment plans for the best health outcomes.

Are Functional Medicine Doctors MDs?

Functional medicine is more mainstream than ever, but often people ask, ‘Are functional medicine doctors legitimate — do they have an MD?’ The answer is sometimes, but not always.

Many functional medicine practitioners are MDs (Doctors of Medicine) or DOs (Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine). They are fully trained physicians who have:

• Completed traditional medical school training (four years of medical schooling)
• Medical specialty residency (e.g., internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics)
• Board certification in the specialty

Other MDs and DOs like to continue to expand their know-how with functional medicine and further education. Thereafter, they can put together mainstream medical schooling with cause-oriented, holistic practices in patient care.

Professional associations such as the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) provide certification for a clinician who wants to become a functional medicine specialist. This is not a medical license but a secondary certification that shows training in the principles of functional medicine.

Functional medicine providers would need to:

• Take courses in functional medicine approaches
• Be able to identify the underlying causes of disease
• Find out how health is affected by lifestyle, diet, and genetics

How Functional Medicine MDs Differ from Conventional MDs

When choosing a doctor, you may wonder how functional medicine doctors differ from conventional MDs. While both doctors undergo medical training, functional medicine doctors focus on a more holistic and integrative style of medicine. They aim to treat the root cause of health issues rather than just the symptoms.

Let’s take a closer look at what sets them apart:

1. Additional Training in Principles of Functional Medicine

Functional medicine doctors all complete traditional medical school training just like regular MDs. They also complete additional certification as a functional medicine specialist by organizations like IFM. 

This additional training allows them to include alternative medicine and preventive medicine in their practice with an emphasis on lifestyle changes, diet, and cause-focused treatment as opposed to medication.

2. Lifestyle, Diet, and Integrative Orientation

While old-school doctors may stick to a disease-centered model, functional medicine doctors view the whole person—lifestyle, diet, stress, and surroundings. Their practice intersects with integrative medicine doctors, who blend traditional therapies with evidence-based alternative practices like herbal supplements, acupuncture, and mind-body practices.

By lifestyle parameters like sleep, gut health, and toxin load, functional medicine physicians work towards rebalancing and optimizing long-term health.

3. Extended Patient Consultations & Personalized Treatment Plans

In contrast to the typical 10–15-minute doctor consultation, functional medicine doctors justify their approach through lengthy consultations—often 60–90 minutes. They take the time to listen to a patient’s entire medical history, lifestyle, genetics, and environmental toxins.

This comprehensive evaluation leads to customized treatment programs, which may include:

•  Dietary counseling
•  Special supplementation
•  Stress reduction techniques
•  Detoxification procedures
•  Gut microbiome restoration

Their goal is to instruct patients on long-term preventive medicine strategies rather than just being on meds.

Here is a quick table of comparison, too:

Aspect	Functional Medicine MDs	Conventional MDs
Focus	Treats root causes of illness	Treats symptoms
Consultation Time	Longer (60–90 minutes)	Shorter (10–15 minutes)
Approach	Personalized treatment plans	Standard Protocols
Treatment Methods	Nutrition, lifestyle, and natural therapies with medicine when needed	Medications and procedures first
View on Health	Whole-body, preventive medicine	Disease-centered
Testing	Advanced tests (gut health, genetics, hormones)	Standard blood tests and imaging
Common Conditions	Chronic illness, autoimmunity, metabolic issues	Acute illnesses, infections, general disease management

 

Where Do Functional Medicine Doctors Work?

Functional medicine doctors establish their practice locations based on their specialties while working in different healthcare facilities. The practice setting of functional medicine doctors differs from conventional doctors because they choose to work in small patient-focused clinics rather than hospital systems.

These medical professionals operate from different healthcare facilities, which include:

• Many functional medicine doctors establish their own clinics as private practitioners to provide both extensive patient care and integrative medicine services.
• Some functional medicine doctors choose to practice at multidisciplinary wellness centers that combine integrative medicine doctors with nutritionists and additional holistic health experts.
• Functional medicine doctors are starting to join hospital system care teams in large health networks as patient demand expands.
• Some functional medicine doctors offer personalized treatment plans through their virtual health and telemedicine services despite digital healthcare.

More healthcare organizations understand the importance of functional medicine doctors in supporting long-term patient health because of the rising interest in preventive and alternative medicine.

Conditions Commonly Managed by Functional Medicine

If you’ve ever felt like conventional medicine is just putting a Band-Aid on your symptoms rather than addressing the real problem, you’re not alone. Many people with chronic conditions feel frustrated when they’re given medications that temporarily relieve symptoms but don’t actually fix what’s causing them. That’s where functional medicine comes in.

Functional medicine is a cause-based strategy—it isn’t just asking, “How do we treat this?” but instead, “Why is this happening in the first place?” By looking at areas like diet, stress, genes, gut health, and toxins, functional medicine physicians help people overcome chronic illness in a way that leads to actual, sustained change.

Some of the most common conditions functional medicine addresses are:

Chronic Pain Conditions

People who live with continuous pain because of migraines, fibromyalgia, arthritis, or unidentified body discomforts spend their days taking medications for brief periods before experiencing disappointment. Functional medicine practitioners dig deeper. The medical approach seeks out possible origins, which include inflammation, together with food sensitivities and gut imbalances, and stored body trauma. Their individualized approach develops methods to lower inflammation and normalize hormonal balance while healing the nervous system, which yields lasting relief.

Metabolic Disorders

Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance, and persistent weight problems develop from hormonal imbalance together with chronic stress and inadequate diet, and disturbed sleep patterns, yet traditional medicine relies mainly on medication treatment. Functional medicine addresses the complete picture through dietary changes, movement strategies, and stress reduction techniques to enhance energy processing. The purpose of functional medicine goes beyond blood sugar reduction through medication because it works to reprogram metabolic functions alongside total health enhancement.

Digestive Disorders

People who experience bloating alongside IBS and acid reflux and Crohn’s disease, and chronic constipation face major disturbances from gut problems. According to functional medicine practitioners, the gut stands as the essential base for overall health, while they refer to it as the “second brain” due to its extensive linkage with mood and immune responses. They conduct a comprehensive evaluation before prescribing acid blockers or laxatives.

• Are food sensitivities causing inflammation?
• Is there an imbalance in gut bacteria?
• Is stress triggering symptoms?
• Are toxins playing a role?

Ready to get to the root of your health concerns? Book your Functional Lab Testing today at Advanced Integrated Health and take the first step toward lasting wellness.

Should You See a Functional Medicine Doctor? 

Choosing a doctor is a significant decision—especially if you’re looking at functional medicine. If you’ve been battling chronic symptoms or enigmatic health issues, or you just can’t stand managing symptoms with no real answers, you might be wondering: Is functional medicine for me?

Before you make your decision, let’s break down what you’re supposed to look at, when functional medicine is most beneficial, and why it’s so imperative that you check credentials.

Factors to Consider Before Choosing a Functional Medicine Practitioner

Not all doctors are appropriate for every patient. Functional medicine takes a unique approach, but that doesn’t mean it’s one-size-fits-all. Some of the most critical things to remember are listed below:

• Your Health Goals – Do you want long-term solutions or quick fixes? Functional medicine is ideal for someone who wants to understand why their health issues are arising, not just how to treat the symptoms.
• Approach & Treatment Style – Some functional medicine doctors use strictly natural methods (such as diet modifications, lifestyle changes, and supplements), whereas others integrate conventional medicine with a functional approach. It is necessary to locate a doctor whose philosophy is similar to yours.
•  Time & Commitment – Functional medicine isn’t writing a script and shooing you out the door. It’s a process that sometimes involves copious testing, personalized plans, and follow-up appointments. If you want to invest time into making changes that last, this could be for you.
•  Cost & Insurance – Functional medicine doctors usually do not accept mainstream insurance, so visits, testing, and treatment may be out-of-pocket. Be sure to ask about the cost upfront so there are no surprises.

When Functional Medicine May Be Beneficial

Functional medicine is particularly worth it when traditional medicine is not giving you the information or relief you require. If any of these situations are familiar to you, you might be helped by consulting a functional medicine doctor:

• You have a condition that won’t remit – If you’ve been diagnosed with autoimmune diseases, gastrointestinal problems, chronic pain, or metabolic syndrome and think that standard treatments aren’t helping, functional medicine can potentially uncover underlying causes.
• You’re feeling “off,” but your tests are normal – People tend to struggle with fatigue, brain fog, bloating, inflammation, anxiety, or hormonal imbalance, only to receive the news that their tests are normal. Functional medicine physicians test deeper than that, frequently with sophisticated testing, to identify underlying problems.
• You’d prefer a more holistic approach. If you search for solutions based on diet, stress, gut, and environment and do not necessarily require medication, functional medicine might be something that works for you.
• You’re ready to make lifestyle changes – Functional medicine isn’t about quick fixes—it’s about sustainable health improvements. If you’re open to making changes in your diet, stress levels, movement, and sleep habits, this approach could make a real difference.

Final Thoughts 

Conventional medicine is reactive—it only acts after the disease has manifested. Although drugs and surgery have their role, they do not treat the underlying causes of chronic diseases. Functional medicine, however, is different. It is based on lifestyle, diet, genetics, and the environment to prevent and even reverse chronic diseases.

Here at Advanced Integrated Health, we are committed to healing the entire individual, not simply treating the symptom. Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all solution, we employ advanced diagnostics and custom-tailored treatment protocols specifically suited to your body chemistry.

References

1. Ifm.org (2025) Certification Makes a Difference, Ifm.org. Available at: https://www.ifm.org/certification.
2. Pizzorno, J.E. (2012) ‘Clinical Decision Making–A Functional Medicine Perspective’, Global Advances in Health and Medicine, 1(4), pp. 8–13. Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00520-022-06986-8.
3. Pun, J. and Wong, W. (2022) ‘Navigating communication between conventional medicine and traditional Chinese medicine: a case study of cancer patients in Hong Kong’, Supportive care in cancer: official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 30(7), pp. 5729–5735. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-022-06986-8.