Functional Medicine: A Rational, Evidence-Based Approach (FAQs)
Functional medicine is often described as “root cause medicine.” The goal is to look upstream: what is driving symptoms, risk, and chronic disease, rather than simply treating symptoms in isolation.
Done well, it can be an excellent complement to acute care. Done poorly, it can lead to excessive testing, expensive programs, and “wellness noise.”
Below are answers to common questions about functional medicine and how we approach it at Atrium Medical Primary Care.
What is functional medicine?
Functional medicine is an approach to care that emphasizes:
identifying underlying drivers of symptoms and chronic disease
prevention and metabolic health
lifestyle interventions (sleep, nutrition, exercise, stress)
personalized risk assessment
It is often framed as “root cause” care.
Is functional medicine new?
Not really. Root-cause thinking is classic medicine.
What has changed is the healthcare environment: many settings today are dominated by urgent cares, fragmented records, and weak continuity. Functional medicine has gained popularity partly because it tries to restore a more comprehensive, prevention-oriented style of care.
Why do people seek functional medicine?
Common reasons include:
fatigue, weight gain, or “not feeling right” despite normal basic labs
desire for prevention and longevity strategy
metabolic concerns (prediabetes, insulin resistance, visceral fat)
desire for more time, context, and deeper discussion
What are the pitfalls of functional medicine?
There are two major pitfalls:
1) Overtesting
Some practitioners order extremely broad panels upfront (hundreds of labs), including markers that are poorly validated or not clearly actionable. This increases the risk of false alarms, anxiety, and downstream testing (“rabbit holes”).
2) High cost / low insurance coverage
Many functional medicine practices are cash-pay. Patients may end up paying large amounts for visits, testing, and protocols that are not covered by insurance and may not meaningfully change outcomes.
How is Atrium’s approach different?
Atrium’s approach is stepwise and evidence-based.
We aim to combine the best parts of functional medicine (prevention, systems thinking, lifestyle medicine) with the best parts of conventional medicine (validated testing, clinical guidelines, high-quality longitudinal care).
In short:
we start with the basics
we escalate only when warranted
we focus on interventions that are actionable and scientifically grounded
we avoid expensive “shotgun” testing
Can you give an example of the stepwise approach?
Yes: cardiovascular prevention is a great case study.
Some functional practices start by ordering every advanced cardiac test under the sun upfront.
At Atrium we typically approach the process logically and step-wise:
Step 1: high-yield baseline testing
blood pressure
lipid panel
glucose/A1c
lifestyle risk evaluation
Step 2: advanced testing when there are risk factors or when further data would clearly impact disease management
Examples:
ApoB
Lp(a)
These can improve risk stratification, but they are best introduced with clinical context. This also improves the likelihood of insurance coverage compared with the “order everything for everyone” approach.
What about imaging and “full-body scans”?
Full-body scans often sound proactive, but they can be misleading.
A major risk is incidental findings (“incidentalomas”): abnormalities that are usually benign but lead to:
repeat imaging
invasive procedures
unnecessary worry
medical costs and wasted time
Atrium follows guideline-based imaging:
symptom-driven evaluation
evidence-based screening versus a low-resolution “$199 full body scan”
targeted testing rather than scanning everything
Do you recommend supplements as part of functional medicine?
Sometimes, but again, context matters.
One common pitfall of functional medicine is supplement overuse, including proprietary expensive brands and long “stacks”. There are simply far too many influencers and podcasters peddling pills, powders, and potions for profit!
At Atrium:
supplements are not a substitute for diagnosis
we avoid supplement overload especially when your organs aren’t being able to process and clear the active compound
we use targeted supplements when warranted (and monitor appropriately)
we prefer proven lifestyle interventions over expensive supplement protocols
How can I spot low-quality functional medicine?
Common red flags:
hundreds of tests on day one
vague diagnoses from borderline labs
protocols built around expensive supplements
fear-based messaging (“vague toxins explain everything”)
endless “abnormalities” without clear clinical outcomes
Good care looks like:
stepwise, medically grounded decisions
clear rationale for testing
focus on what is actionable
willingness to say “this is uncertain”
Is functional medicine covered by insurance?
The term “functional medicine” is typically not recognized by insurance as a billing category.
However, much of what functional medicine aims to do (prevention, metabolic optimization, cardiovascular risk workups) can be performed as part of evidence-based primary care, and may be eligible for insurance coverage depending on your plan and clinical needs, provided the clinician documents medical necessity and follows a rational approach consistent with medical guidelines.
What is Atrium’s philosophy in one sentence?
We believe in root-cause prevention and metabolic optimization, but we do it stepwise, evidence-based, and without unnecessary testing or wellness hype that are designed to empty your pocket rather than improve your health.
