How does functional medicine actually find the root cause of symptoms?
Functional medicine looks at how your body’s systems work together, not as isolated parts. By taking a detailed health history, using targeted advanced labs, and mapping nutrition, stress, sleep, and environment, we uncover hidden imbalances in gut, hormones, and metabolism that conventional testing can miss. Then we build a clear, stepwise plan.
What makes functional medicine different
Instead of asking “What pill matches this symptom?”, we ask “Why is this symptom happening?”. At Dr. Kenny’s virtual clinic we treat your story like a map and a mystery. We collect clues from your history, daily rhythms, and labs, then connect them to the way your biology actually functions in real life.
You are not a single diagnosis. Gut health affects hormones. Stress changes blood sugar. Inflammation clouds the brain. When we trace these connections, the pattern behind stubborn symptoms becomes visible and actionable.
The three-step method I use to find root causes
- Comprehensive timeline and pattern recognition
We walk through your health timeline, from early life to today, to spot triggers and “tipping points”. We note what flares symptoms, what calms them, and where your energy, sleep, mood, and digestion drift out of sync.
- Advanced functional lab testing, test do not guess
Conventional panels screen for late-stage disease. Functional labs evaluate function so we can intervene sooner. Common tools include:
- DUTCH Plus, maps cortisol rhythm and sex hormone metabolism.
- GI-MAP or similar functional stool tests, identifies microbiome imbalances, inflammation, immune strength, and digestive enzyme gaps.
- Organic Acids Test, flags mitochondrial stress, detox bottlenecks, and nutrient needs.
These data often explain “mystery” symptoms like fatigue with normal basic labs, stubborn weight changes, brain fog, or IBS-like bloating.
- Systems mapping into a plan
As a functional medicine practitioner, I translate findings into a simple plan that restores balance instead of masking symptoms. We prioritize the highest-leverage steps first, for example stabilizing sleep and blood sugar, calming gut-immune crosstalk, and supporting mitochondria, then layer nutrition, movement, and targeted supplements in the right order.
If your labs were “normal” but you still feel off
“Normal” ranges are population averages, not personal optimals. Basic panels may skip markers like ferritin, fasting insulin, free T3, or stool inflammation. At Dr. Kenny’s clinic we use advanced labs to see what standard tests miss, then we coach small, sustainable changes that add up to real wins in energy, mood, digestion, and focus.
From data to day-to-day results
Clarity is the antidote to trial and error. Your plan is phased, gentle, and personalized so you can progress without flare-ups. We track objective markers and functional wins like deeper sleep, steadier energy, and clear thinking. The goal is simple, help you feel like yourself again and stay that way.
Additional Resources:
- For a step-by-step breakdown, explore How to use 12 conventional labs for functional insights:
A 2019 JAMA Network Open cohort study at Cleveland Clinic found functional-medicine care was associated with greater improvements in quality of life compared with conventional primary care.
Ready to connect the dots in your health story?
Answered by Dr. Kenny Mittelstadt, DACM, DC, IFMCP
Certified functional medicine practitioner specializing in advanced lab testing and personalized healing protocols to uncover root causes of health roadblocks.