Functional medicine is a form of alternative medicine that focuses on identifying and addressing the root cause of disease. It is a patient-centered approach to chronic disease management that seeks to answer the question, "Why are you ill?". Functional medicine doctors are medical professionals who specialize in finding the root causes of disease. They work holistically, considering the full picture of a patients physical, mental, emotional, and sometimes even spiritual health. They collect detailed information about the disease and the patients overall lifestyle, including factors like diet, genetics, hormonal changes, prescription and over-the-counter medications, and other lifestyle components.

Functional medicine doctors use a systems biology-based approach to identify and address the root cause of disease. They oppose established medical knowledge and reject its models, instead adopting a model of disease based on the notion of "antecedents", "triggers", and "mediators". These are meant to correspond to the underlying causes of health issues, the immediate causes, and the particular characteristics of a persons illness. A functional medicine practitioner devises a "matrix" from these factors to serve as the basis for treatment.

Functional medicine is well-suited to treating chronic illnesses, and doctors in this field seek to find the causes of chronic disease, as opposed to just treating the symptoms. They usually spend more time with patients than conventional doctors, and they solve complex and multifaceted health issues. Examples of conditions that functional medicine doctors may treat include depression, chronic pain conditions like arthritis, and inflammatory diseases like Celiac disease or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

In summary, a functional medicine doctor is a medical professional who specializes in finding the root causes of disease and uses a systems biology-based approach to identify and address them. They work holistically, considering the full picture of a patients physical, mental, emotional, and sometimes even spiritual health. They collect detailed information about the disease and the patients overall lifestyle, and they solve complex and multifaceted health issues.