If you sit on a tack, taking a pain killer is one way to feel better. Or you could remove the tack.

Functional medicine practitioners are traditionally trained medical doctors, dentists, pharmacists, optometrists, RN’s and other clinicians. They have conventional medical training, but then they go on to years of additional training in disciplines not taught in medical school. They get certification in nutrition, the endocrine (hormone) system and nervous system. They learn to treat the body as a system, rather than as isolated parts. Their primary tool is nutrition and they often achieve results thought impossible by conventional medicine.

What if we start to evaluate care based on how well it makes disease go away permanently? What if we try to pull out the tack?

I want to point out that I’m not in any way against conventional doctors.  Rather, I think the medical system designed around acute urgent care has proven largely ineffective at preventing and curing chronic illness like IBS, thyroid conditions, acid reflux, allergies, diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease.  We have stopped expecting the advice of doctors to help us reverse chronic illness.

Here’s how the Institute for Functional Medicine describes their primary purpose:

“Functional Medicine is a personalized, systems-oriented model that empowers patients and practitioners to achieve the highest expression of health by working in collaboration to address the underlying causes of disease. The primary drivers of the chronic disease epidemic are the daily interactions among an individual’s genetics, environment, and lifestyle choices. Functional Medicine addresses these underlying causes of disease and equips healthcare practitioners to help their patients manage this complex, interconnected web.“

Various kinds of healthcare providers can be certified.  The point is to make them more effective in their work through sharing of knowledge with other healthcare providers that share advances in clinical medicine.

Family physician and  eight-time #1 New York Times bestselling author Dr. Mark Hyman does a great job explaining the fundamentals of functional medicine.

“FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE is the future of conventional medicine–available now. It seeks to identify and address the root causes of disease, and views the body as one integrated system, not a collection of independent organs divided up by medical specialties. It treats the whole system, not just the symptoms.” – Dr. Mark Hyman

If you are interested in locating a functional medicine practitioner, there’s a database [HERE] on functionalmedicine.org.

Functional medicine doctors that teach online

There’s actually a long list of great doctors gaining fame because they publish a lot online and their advice is helping people restore health. Below are some of my favorites.

As you check out the various web sites, please take note of their physical appearance… body fat, muscle tone, etc. They practice what they advise and you can see it.

Also, take the time to search for each name on YouTube. There is a wealth of information that will give you tremendous results quickly.

Dr. Daniel G. Amen M.D. – specializes in nuclear brain imaging as well as psychiatry.  Daniel Amen believes that brain health is central to all health and success. When your brain works right, he says, you work right; and when your brain is troubled you are much more likely to have trouble in your life.

Dr. Josh Axe. DNM, DC, CNS – His motto is “Food is Medicine” and he is great at producing brief videos that answer common wellness and fitness questions.  He was a physician for professional athletes.

Jeffrey Bland, Ph.D. – is called the founder of functional medicine. A biochemist by training, Dr. Bland earned dual degrees in biology and chemistry.  He is also a Certified Nutrition Specialist.

Dr. Kenneth Brown, M.D. – Board-Certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Dr. Brown helped develop Atrantil to encourage bacteria in the small intestines to go back to the large intestines where it belongs.

Dr. Robynne Chutkan, M.D., FASGE – is a gastroenterologist with a giant list of credentials, She also appears on lots of television programs.

Dr. William Davis, M.D. – is a cardiologist that is famous for saying “Lose the wheat.  Lose the weight.”  He says, “The food you eat is making you sick and the agencies that are providing you with guidelines on what to eat are giving dangerous advice with devastating health consequences. You can change that today.”

Dr. Sara Gottfried, M.D. – A Harvard trained MD with 20+ years of experience, Dr. Gottfried specializes in correcting hormone imbalances.  Like most of the other doctors, she came to be interested in functional medicine because she was sick and figured out how to heal herself through diet changes.

Dr. Mark Hyman, M.D. – A lot of celebrities turn to him for health advice.  Bill & Hillary Clinton and Dr. Oz would be examples. He is helping to take functional medicine mainstream as the first director of the prestigious Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Functional Medicine.

Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride – A Russian-trained medical doctor, neurologist, neurosurgeon and now a nutritionist in the UK.  She invented the famous GAPS diet after successfully reversing her own son’s autism with food.

Dr. Thomas Cowan. M.D. – Has some groundbreaking insights on heart health.

Dr. Amy Myers M.D. – She says, “Get to the root.  Learn the tools.  Live the solution.” Dr. Myers is one of my favorites to hear in podcast interviews.

Dr. Tom O’Bryan – An internationally recognized speaker and workshop leader specializing in the complications of Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity and Celiac Disease as they occur inside and outside of the intestines.  I recommend searching for Dr. Tom on YouTube and as a guest on podcasts.

Dr. David Perlmutter MD – Perhaps you have seen him on PBS.  He is a neurologist with a wealth of books and web content.

Dr. Vikki Petersen DC, CCN – Dr. Peterson is a Doctor of Chiropractic and Certified Clinical Nutritionist.  She is noted as a pioneer in the field of gluten sensitivity.  I appreciate her YouTube channel especially.

Dr. Aviva Romm M.D. – She’s a Yale-trained M.D. that says, “Own your health.  Change the world.”  Dr. Romm is also an expert herbalist and specializes in natural medicine for women and children. She is also the author of The Adrenal Thyroid Revolution: A Proven 4-Week Program to Rescue Your Metabolism, Hormones, Mind & Mood.

Dr. Michael Ruscio, D.C. – Dr. Ruscio is a a doctor, functional medicine practitioner, researcher, author, and health enthusiast. His motto is “Get healthy – and get back to your life”.

Dr. Cate Shanahan, M.D. – A physician, biochemist and nutritional consultant for the Los Angeles Lakers, Dr. Cate is the author of Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food.

Dr. Bryan Walsh, N.D. – Best known for his expertise in biochemistry and human physiology, Dr. Walsh is a licensed, board-certified Naturopathic Doctor. I find him to be an excellent educator and highly recommend his videos.

Is there a doctor you follow online that I didn’t list?  Please leave a reply below and let me know!