Have you heard any of these myths about functional medicine?

The good news is, more and more people are learning how a root-cause approach can help them reclaim their health. Thanks to success stories and testimonials passed along by word of mouth, thousands of people are learning that there IS a better way.

However, there are also some misconceptions out there. I hear them frequently in my discovery calls with people interested in joining our Adaptation Program. That’s ok, my goal with these calls is to educate and empower you about what your choices are!

But what really gets me is when I hear that these misunderstandings have held people back from taking action and getting the help they need.

If you’re wondering if functional medicine is right for you, it’s important for you to have the facts!

So let’s get to the truth and debunk 5 myths about functional medicine!

Myth # 1 – I’ve tried “everything”

This is a phrase that I hear over and over on in my discovery calls. Many patients feel like they’ve done everything that they can to get better.

Within a few short minutes, it’s clear that there were many stones still left unturned. When a person submits to the limiting belief that they’ve “tried everything” they subconsciously submit to the idea that nothing more can be done.

Most people we speak to have never had the right functional lab testing, a comprehensive timeline history, or the right guidance to ensure success. This is where we feel most illnesses and failed attempts to heal stem from. Chances are there are many aspects of your health that have not been fully explored.

Myth # 2 – If this worked, my doctor would know about it

Allopathic medicine operates out of a completely different paradigm than functional medicine. Conventional medicine focuses on the name of the disease and takes a symptom based, one-size-fits-all approach that relies mostly on pharmaceutical drugs.

Functional medicine is focused on uncovering the root causes of your health issues and providing a personalized plan to treat them at their source. We believe that a combination of both approaches is best for our patients.

Due to this difference in paradigms, your allopathic doctor will be more educated in acute interventions to help you feel better, whereas, a functional medicine approach will be more focused on helping you actually reverse and prevent disease.

Myth # 3 – I don’t have time

There is a time investment for the consultations, lifestyle changes, and accountability check ins needed to restore your health.  However…being truly healthy will free up MORE time for you to do the things you enjoy most.

Our goal is to make time work for you instead of against you. When you have clear direction, every passing day moves you closer to a better life. This is why we offer the option and convenience of telephone and video consultations.

And because our programs teach you strategies for life-long health (not just band-aid fixes), you will save hundreds hours of online research, time wasted in doctor’s waiting rooms or picking up prescriptions, and add healthy years to your life.

Myth # 4 – Functional medicine is too expensive

This is the BIGGEST misconcption about functional medicine. It’s true that there are costs for functional medicine care (like with anything). And sometimes health insurance doesn’t cover 100% of them since they cannot yet commoditize our approach.

But when you look at the long-term outcomes, functional medicine patients SAVE money. This is because functional medicine aims to reverse disease for good instead of managing lifelong symptoms with more and more drugs. Our average autoimmune patient saves thousands of dollars each year by no longer paying for costly medications, risky treatments, and hospital visits.

It’s also important to note that functional medicine teaches you a liberating life skill which makes your care cheaper over time. Compare this to the conventional model which gets more and more expensive as you age (more testing, more medications, more scans) without ever addressing the root cause.

We have also found that many insurance companies do cover at least part of the costs of testing and appointments with functional medicine practitioners. Additionally, we offer finance options through the Advance Care Card to ensure that costs don’t stand between you and your health goals.

Myth # 5 – I can figure this out on my own

We live in an information era. This means that you have access to all the world’s information at your fingertips. What you don’t have is information about yourself. This is the missing link in your healing.

By having a trained team ask you the right questions and do the right testing, you will have much deeper insights into your personal health challenges and how to overcome them. Functional lab testing clues you into information that you or your doctor would never know otherwise.

Our goal when partnering with you is to help identify your personal root causes, teach you the appropriate life skills you need to remedy them, and support you every step of the way so you get real results that last. Self-navigating through the sea of conflicting information ends up costing you both your health and your sanity.

If you’re ready for a functional medicine approach to your own health, check out our Adaptation Program and book your free discovery call to get started!

About the Author: Dr. Seth Osgood is a Doctor of Nursing Practice, Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner and Institute of Functional Medicine (IFM) Certified Practitioner. Dr. Osgood received his post-graduate training in Functional Medicine through the IFM and from working with Dr. Amy Myers. He has helped people from around the world improve their health utilizing a Functional Medicine approach.

Want to work with Dr. Osgood and the GrassRoots team? Become a patient in our West Lebanon, New Hampshire Functional Medicine clinic, our Burlington, Vermont Functional Medicine clinic, or our Austin, Texas Functional Medicine clinic!