By Svetlana Kogan, MD, FMCP-M
There was a time when choosing a doctor was relatively simple. You asked your neighbor. You called the office. You made an appointment.
Today, you open Google and encounter an impressive collection of functional doctors, holistic doctors, wellness experts, longevity specialists, health coaches, hormone gurus and someone somewhere who can diagnose your thyroid by looking at your aura. Confusing!
So, what exactly is Functional Medicine—and how do you know you’re getting the real thing? Functional Medicine emerged more than 30 years ago from a beautifully simple idea: instead of asking only, “What medication treats this disease?” perhaps we should also ask, “Why did this person develop the problem in the first place?”
The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM), founded in 1991 became a mothership which helped develop a system-oriented, patient-centered approach to chronic illness.
In plain English? We look at the whole person.
Your blood pressure matters. But so do your sleep, nutrition, stress, hormones, medications, exercise, gut health, family history, environment and that mysterious third glass of wine you forgot to mention on your intake form.
Functional Medicine doesn’t reject conventional medicine. Quite the opposite. At its best, it adds another layer to it. And this is precisely why I believe a physician trained in both worlds can make an excellent primary care doctor.
Your PCP is supposed to see the big picture. She needs to recognize when fatigue might simply require better sleep—and when it could represent anemia, thyroid disease, sleep apnea, medication side effects, depression or something considerably less charming.
She should be comfortable discussing nutrition and exercise while also knowing when you need a statin, an antibiotic, an MRI or a cardiologist.
Functional Medicine asks ‘why?’. Conventional medicine is very good at asking ‘what is dangerous right now?’
I want my doctor to ask both.
But There’s a Catch:
The word “functional” is not a medical degree.
It has become enormously popular, and popularity has an unfortunate side effect: everyone wants to join the party.
A practitioner may have studied Functional Medicine without being certified in it. And a person practicing Functional Medicine may be a nurse practitioner, physician assistant, chiropractor, or a nutritionist.
These professions can all have legitimate and valuable roles in healthcare. But they are not interchangeable.
If you are like me and specifically want a Functional Medicine physician as your primary care doctor, make sure the doc is actually an MD or DO.
Yes, I realize this sounds absurdly obvious, and yet here I am writing about it, because truly people have no idea.
Fortunately, checking credentials is much easier than investigating your latest romantic prospect.
Start with the Institute for Functional Medicine website IFM.org and select ‘Find a Practitioner’.
Read the practitioner’s profile carefully, to make sure they are an MD or a DO. In addition, look for the FMCP-M certification credential on the right hand side, rather than assuming that appearing in the directory means the practitioner is certified.
Obtaining an FMCP-M Certification requires rigorous education and passing a comprehensive examination. It represents substantially more than attending a weekend seminar and returning Monday morning with a new set of letters after your name. I would also recommend verifying a physician’s license independently through your state’s medical licensing board. You can usually do this online in less time than it takes to decide what to watch on Netflix.
Another very important thing to consider: is the Functional doctor only consulting on a visit-by-visit basis, or can they be your Primary Care doctor?
For me the Functional MD who can be your PCP is the best and most powerful combination. Why? Because you get someone trained to diagnose disease, prescribe medications, interpret imaging, recognize emergencies and coordinate specialty care—but who is also willing to spend time thinking about nutrition, metabolic health, sleep, stress, exercise, hormones, environmental exposures and prevention. In other words, the goal isn’t alternative medicine. It is better-integrated medicine.
I practiced holistic medicine for decades before discovering IFM, and what attracted me wasn’t the promise of replacing conventional medicine. It was the opportunity to expand it—to combine everything I had learned as an internist with a deeper exploration of why my patient became ill and what we might do to improve health before another diagnosis appears on the problem list.
Perhaps the best doctor isn’t the one carrying the largest prescription pad—or the largest suitcase of supplements.
Perhaps it’s the one who knows when you need either one.
And, more importantly, when you need neither.
Svetlana Kogan, MD, FMCP-M
The author of ‘Diet Slave No More!’, Svetlana Kogan, MD, FMCP-M is a Board-Certified Internal Medicine, Holistic & Functional Medical Doctor with 25 years of experience. She has appeared as a health expert on prime-time TV and radio stations and has authored hundreds of holistic health articles for internet and print. She moved her Concierge Practice from Manhattan NYC to Naples in 2019. Her Functional Medicine Primary Care Practice is focused on prevention and holistic approach to illness, and longevity.
720 Fifth Ave S, Unit 209, Naples , FL 34102
Phone: (239) 676-6883
www.customlongevity.com