As an internist with a background in physics, I was trained to think in systems—to search for root causes, refrain from making assumptions, and apply data accurately. In the early stages of my career, I practiced medicine precisely as I was taught: Identify the diagnosis, adhere to the algorithm, utilize evidence-based treatment. In numerous instances, this approach proved effective.

However, I increasingly encountered patients who did not neatly fit into diagnostic categories. Issues like fatigue, brain fog, digestive problems, anxiety, chronic pain, and metabolic instability characterized patients who had “normal” lab results, consulted multiple specialists, and remained unwell.

With my expertise in eating disorders, I was already aware of the significant ways in which the body, mind, and environment intersect. These patients reiterated a crucial lesson: that illness seldom resides in a single system, and recovery rarely stems from just one intervention.

This realization led me to functional medicine—not as an alternative, but as a revival of foundational clinical reasoning.

Functional medicine is frequently misunderstood as marginal or unscientific. In truth, it is a systems-focused, evidence-informed clinical model that aims to identify and address the root causes of dysfunction. It takes into account how nutrition, sleep, stress, environmental factors, life experiences, and genetics all interact to influence health.

These concepts are not alien to conventional medicine. They are simply infrequently integrated.

Rather than solely asking, “What is the diagnosis?” functional medicine additionally inquires, “Why did this occur?” and “What’s hindering this individual from healing?”

This perspective is particularly significant in eating disorders, where patients face disruptions across all major systems—neuroendocrine, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and psychiatric. Even when behavioral symptoms improve, physiological recovery is often incomplete unless we address the deeper issues: nutrient depletion, microbial imbalance, HPA-axis dysregulation, and trauma physiology.

Functional medicine serves as a reminder that we possess the tools to evaluate and intervene at that level. Doctors learn these in medical school, but they often get overlooked in the time constraints of clinical practice.

Conventional care is optimized for acute, single-system diseases. However, for patients with intricate, overlapping symptoms—many of whom have been labeled “somatic,” “functional,” or “treatment-resistant”—the standard method frequently falls short.

Functional medicine fills that gap by posing broader, integrative questions:

– Is chronic inflammation contributing to this person’s mood symptoms or fatigue?
– How does gut health affect cognition, immune function, or anxiety?
– Are nutrient deficiencies or metabolic instability compromising endocrine function?
– What environmental or psychosocial stressors are disrupting the body’s adaptive systems?

These are not speculative inquiries—they are rooted in physiology, and increasingly backed by literature across immunology, neurology, endocrinology, and nutrition science.

**More tools, not fewer**

I still practice conventional medicine. I prescribe medications, make referrals to specialists, and uphold evidence-based guidelines. Yet, functional medicine has equipped me with more tools—and additional ways to assist patients where the standard playbook proves inadequate.

Sometimes, the intervention is straightforward: magnesium to aid sleep, an anti-inflammatory nutrition plan, recognition of food intolerances, or circadian realignment. Other occasions may call for testing underlying infections, evaluating toxic exposures, or supporting mitochondrial function.

What connects these approaches is a return to clinical fundamentals: listen intently, think systemically, and treat the whole person, not just the protocol.

Patients with eating disorders taught me early in my career how easily the most vulnerable can be overlooked. When symptoms do not respond as anticipated, there is a temptation to assume the issue is psychological—or fictitious.

Functional medicine challenges that notion. It respects the intricacy of chronic illness and revitalizes the idea that healing is not about pinpointing the perfect label—it is about comprehending the complete context of the individual before us.

This model is not flawless, nor is it always simple to implement. But it aligns deeply with good medical practice. For many of our most severely ill patients, it may mark the first occasion someone has genuinely connected the dots.

And often, that is where healing starts.

*Dr. Sally Daganzo is an internal medicine physician.*