What Conditions Does Functional Medicine Treat?
Medically Reviewed by Dr Jessica Knape, MD MA
Overview
Functional medicine addresses the root causes of illness rather than masking symptoms.
It’s useful for complex, chronic, or overlapping conditions — especially those influenced by lifestyle, environment, or genetics.
Common areas of focus include metabolic, hormonal, autoimmune, digestive, neurological, and mental health disorders.
Functional medicine blends advanced testing, nutrition, genomics, and lifestyle science to restore balance.
Key Points
Root Cause Over Disease Labels: Functional medicine looks for “why” symptoms occur, not just “what” to name them.
Interconnected Systems: The body’s systems — hormones, gut, brain, metabolism, and immune — all influence one another.
Personalized to You: No two people with the same diagnosis share the same root causes; care is individualized using labs, genomics (like IntellxxDNA), and detailed history.
Focus on Reversibility: Many chronic issues are modifiable once underlying dysfunctions are identified.
Partnership Model: Patients and clinicians work together to build a long-term roadmap for healing and prevention.
Why Your Symptoms Are Only Half the Story
In conventional medicine, symptoms often lead directly to a diagnosis and a treatment — for instance, reflux equals acid blockers, or fatigue equals a stimulant or thyroid pill. Functional medicine takes a step back and asks:
What created the imbalance that led to these symptoms in the first place?
Your symptoms are the body’s way of asking for attention, not just something to silence.
For example:
Chronic fatigue could stem from nutrient depletion, mitochondrial dysfunction, hormone imbalance, or toxin exposure.
Digestive problems might reflect microbiome imbalance, food sensitivities, or chronic stress affecting the gut–brain axis.
Anxiety or depression may relate to inflammation, hormone shifts, or nutrient deficiencies — not just brain chemistry.
By connecting these dots, functional medicine creates a clear map from root causes to targeted solutions, so your care plan treats the problem upstream rather than chasing symptoms downstream.
Conditions Functional Medicine Commonly Addresses
1. Hormonal & Metabolic Health
Functional medicine often helps people with fatigue, weight resistance, thyroid disorders, PCOS, and insulin resistance.
Through advanced testing and nutrition-hormone balancing, it addresses the metabolic roots of hormone dysfunction and supports long-term vitality.
2. Digestive & Gut Disorders
Because gut health drives immune and brain function, functional medicine investigates digestion at the microbial level.
Conditions addressed include IBS, reflux, bloating, food sensitivities, SIBO, leaky gut, and inflammatory bowel issues.
3. Autoimmune & Inflammatory Conditions
Autoimmunity is often driven by chronic inflammation and immune system miscommunication.
By reducing inflammatory triggers (gut permeability, infections, toxins, stress), functional medicine helps calm immune activity in conditions like Hashimoto’s, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and psoriasis.
4. Brain & Cognitive Health
Functional medicine supports memory, focus, and mood by addressing hormone balance, blood sugar stability, sleep, and toxins.
As a Recode 2.0 Certified Practitioner, Dr Knape targets cognitive resilience and early Alzheimer’s prevention.
5. Cardiometabolic & Vascular Issues
Rather than focusing solely on cholesterol numbers, functional medicine examines endothelial health, oxidative stress, insulin resistance, and inflammation.
It can improve cardiovascular function through nutrition, micronutrients, and metabolic optimization.
6. Chronic Fatigue & Mitochondrial Dysfunction
When energy is low despite normal labs, functional medicine explores deeper: nutrient co-factors, infections, toxin burden, or cellular energy deficits.
Interventions often restore vitality and exercise tolerance gradually and sustainably.
7. Mood & Stress Disorders
Anxiety, depression, and burnout often involve inflammation, gut-brain imbalance, or hormone disruption.
Functional medicine integrates nutrition, sleep, mindfulness, and metabolic repair — addressing mental health from a whole-body perspective.
8. Detoxification & Environmental Health
If your body struggles to clear toxins efficiently, functional medicine supports detox pathways (liver, lymph, and cellular repair).
This is especially relevant for mold, heavy metal exposure, and chemical sensitivities.
How It Works at Healthspan Internal Medicine
At Healthspan Internal Medicine in Boulder, CO, Dr. Jessica Knape, MD, MA blends functional medicine, clinical genomics, and Bredesen/ReCODE protocols to identify and address each patient’s unique health drivers.
Our approach includes:
Comprehensive History & Intake: A deep dive into your symptoms, lifestyle, hormones, stress, sleep, and toxin exposure.
Advanced Testing: Lab analysis of metabolic, inflammatory, and hormonal patterns — plus genomics with IntellxxDNA for deeper insight.
Personalized Plan: Nutrition, hormone balancing, detoxification, movement, sleep optimization, and targeted supplementation.
Ongoing Tracking: Regular follow-ups and biomarkers to measure objective improvements in energy, mood, and cognition.
This process transforms “symptom management” into long-term, proactive health restoration.
When to Consider Functional Medicine
You might benefit if you:
Have chronic symptoms without clear answers.
Have multiple diagnoses that seem disconnected.
Want to reduce or optimize medications safely.
Have a family history of chronic illness and want prevention.
Are ready for a proactive, personalized approach that emphasizes partnership and long-term wellness.
Risks & Considerations
Functional medicine is safe when guided by a trained clinician, but:
It may involve out-of-pocket testing and supplements.
Lifestyle changes require time and consistency.
Coordination with your primary care physician is recommended for medication or condition management.
Results are progressive — lasting change builds over months, not days.
Sources
Institute for Functional Medicine — What Is Functional Medicine?
PMC — Functional Medicine: An Operating System for Integrative Health
Medically reviewed by
Dr. Jessica Knape, MD, MA
Healthspan Internal Medicine — serving patients in Boulder, CO
Book a Discovery Call | About Dr. Knape
This content is for educational purposes and does not replace personalized medical advice.
