The current evidence behind functional medicine

Abstract

Functional medicine (FM) is a form of integrative medicine which attempts to manage chronic diseases by targeting their root cause. There are seven core clinical imbalances under which these root causes are categorized. Imbalances can be identified by combining a detailed history with comprehensive laboratory testing. Common causes of chronic disease in FM include intestinal dysfunction or leaky gut syndrome and heavy metal toxicity. These conditions have a solid scientific foundation but further research is still needed to determine their responsiveness to FM therapeutics. While FM has shown success in some case studies, overall FM diagnoses and treatments are lacking in conclusive evidence and it remains to be seen whether FM is a useful approach in the treatment of chronic disease.