Business of Functional Medicine

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Standard of Care and Functional Medicine

Posted on by Meg McElroy MS, PA-C
  I once read a Facebook post in an integrative community group that asked members what natural “go-to” remedies were recommended to give her husband (who had been in an accident a few hours earlier, and was “showing signs” of a concussion).  Floods of comments came through, giving dietary and supplement device, until finally an […]... Read More
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Difference between functional medicine and mainstream medicine

Posted on by Meg McElroy MS, PA-C
I’m often asked the difference between functional and mainstream/conventional medicine.  I can repeat the typical definition of functional medicine (find the root cause, systems-based, etc), but I don’t think this really gets the point across.  Instead, I like to look at it from 3 different perspectives or mindsets. These are generalized, maybe stereotypical, but I […]... Read More
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The Art of Functional Medicine: 5 Things To Avoid as a Functional Medicine Provider

Posted on by Meg McElroy MS, PA-C
Functional medicine, a practice that involves looking for and treating the causes of symptoms (rather than just treating the symptoms), is a type of integrative medicine that was developed in the early 1990s.  The interest and use of this type of approach is exponentially increasing, largely driven by the number of patients that are experiencing […]... Read More
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Cost of Functional Medicine

Posted on by Meg McElroy MS, PA-C
So much of our lives is based on money. When it comes to health care, I wish the cost of functional medicine didn’t deter people from seeking a functional medicine practitioner.  But the truth is that compared to the perceived up-front costs of mainstream insurance-covered medicine, functional medicine is expensive.  If a patient is paying […]... Read More

10 Red Flags of a “Bad” Functional Medicine Practice

Posted on by Meg McElroy MS, PA-C
Functional and integrative medicine is increasing in popularity amongst both patients and practitioners.  Unfortunately, there are no “degrees,” no overseeing national “board,” or no rules for who can call themselves a functional medicine practitioner.  This makes it difficult for patients who are seeking good care, and for functional medicine practitioners that are practicing “real” functional […]... Read More

Insurance and Functional Medicine

Posted on by Meg McElroy MS, PA-C
Why doesn’t insurance cover functional medicine? Insurance is intended for covering emergencies.  Our car insurance doesn’t cover gas or repairs, right?  Our home insurance doesn’t cover utilities or improvements, right?  Health insurance is intended to be the same.   Functional medicine treats chronic conditions.  Insurance covers acute conditions. Insurance has support from pharmaceutical companies.  Functional medicine does not. Insurance reimburses well […]... Read More