Research backs up the effectiveness of Functional Medicine

Often, when I tell people I’m a Functional Medicine doctor they ask, “A what kind of doctor?”

It might be a new phrase to some, but it’s the future of medicine, available right now. In the many years I’ve been practicing Functional Medicine, I can’t tell you how many patients I’ve seen recover from chronic illness and create the health they’ve always wanted using these principles.

That’s because Functional Medicine looks at the body with a systems-based approach, understanding how all our different parts work together and looking at a symptom as a sign of dysfunction that we need to get to the root cause of, not just tame. And this method works! In fact, the Journal of American Medical Association—JAMA Network Open just published the first-ever retrospective cohort study of the Functional Medicine model from the Center for Functional Medicine at Cleveland Clinic.

In this cohort study, Functional Medicine patients exhibited significantly larger improvements in patient-reported quality of life outcomes at 6 months, remaining through to 12 months, than propensity-matched patients at a family health center. Functional Medicine patients’ results were also less likely to decrease over time. While this is the first study of this kind, it suggests that Functional Medicine may have the ability to improve global health in patients.

Exciting stuff! I’m thrilled to see Functional Medicine is finally getting the attention it deserves and I can’t wait to see what this study has opened the door for next. -- Mark Hyman, MD