Choosing the right approach to your health can feel overwhelming, especially with terms like functional medicine and integrative medicine becoming increasingly popular. While both emphasize treating the whole person rather than just symptoms, they each take a distinct approach to uncovering what’s really going on in the body.
Understanding these differences can help you make confident, informed decisions about your care. In this guide, we’ll break down what sets functional and integrative medicine apart, what they share in common, and how each one supports a more holistic path to long-term wellness.
What is Functional Medicine?
Functional medicine is a biological approach that focuses on identifying and addressing the root causes of health issues. In functional medicine, a diagnosis or symptom often points to one or many underlying causes that patients can treat for holistic healing.
For example, depression doesn’t have to be treated only with antidepressants. It’s common for depression to be caused by several factors, including low thyroid, omega-3 deficiency, vitamin D deficiency, pre-diabetes, and more.
Functional medicine focuses on the interactions of genes, physical fitness, diet/nutrition, good and bad microbes, physical and emotional stressors, toxins and toxicants, gut health, brain health, hormones, food reactions, and more to identify the underlying root causes of illness or disease. Consequently, treatments that address the underlying root causes can have long-lasting benefits, rather than simply addressing the symptoms. Functional medicine can require several rounds of conversations or tests with a trusted healthcare provider to determine the root causes of your illness and create a personalized treatment plan.
What is Integrative Medicine?
Integrative medicine combines conventional medicine with science-backed holistic practices to focus on the patient as a whole person, not simply on their illness or disease. Similar to functional medicine, it aims to address the underlying root causes of disease. However, integrative medicine takes it a step further, examining the entire being, encompassing body, mind, and spirit.
The underlying belief in integrative medicine is that your whole being impacts your health, encompassing physical, mental, and emotional aspects for treatment. Integrative medicine often involves making evidence-backed lifestyle changes and natural therapies for holistic care. Treatment in integrative medicine can include dietary changes, supplements, detoxification, exercise, and mind-body techniques such as sleep management, breathwork, and mindfulness practices.
In integrative medicine, your relationship with your healthcare provider is crucial. You work together as a team during your healing process, which empowers you to make decisions and take control of your health. Integrative medicine “integrates” all aspects of your being to create a treatment plan that optimizes your health and wellness.
The Key Differences: Functional Medicine vs. Integrative Medicine
While functional and integrative medicine both focus on the whole person, their approaches differ in a few ways. Here’s a comparative chart of functional medicine vs. integrative medicine:
| Functional Medicine | Integrative Medicine | |
| Primary Focus | Identifying and addressing root causes of disease | Combining conventional and holistic therapies for whole-person care |
| Approach | Systems-based, looking at how body systems interact | Collaborative, pulling from multiple healing traditions |
| Treatment Style | Highly personalized; uses physical and mental health tests to uncover imbalances (gut, hormones, inflammation, toxins) | Blends conventional treatments with complementary modalities (acupuncture, nutrition, stress reduction, etc.) |
| Philosophy | Looks at the why behind symptoms, tracing health issues back to biochemical, genetic, and lifestyle factors | Determines how to support the whole person, mind, body, and spirit |
| Common Tools | Advanced testing, supplements, nutrition protocols, lifestyle changes | Conventional medicine, nutrition, herbal medicine, mindfulness, and manual therapies |
| Goal | Restore optimal function by correcting root dysfunctions | Restore balance and wellness using the best of both medical and holistic practices |
The Commonality: You Are More Than Your Illnesses & Symptoms
Both integrative and functional medicine share a core philosophy: treating the whole person rather than offering a quick fix for isolated health issues.
While each takes a slightly different approach, both focus on understanding how the body’s systems work together, rather than treating symptoms in isolation. In modern conventional medicine, it’s common to receive medication that quickly alleviates discomfort but may not address the deeper cause. Functional and integrative medicine seek to identify the root causes and support the body as a whole, thereby creating a more comprehensive and holistic path to well-being.
Some clinics use both functional and integrative medicine to treat patients. In these healthcare settings, specialists may conduct tests or ask detailed questions to identify underlying issues, such as hormonal imbalances, gut dysfunction, and inflammation. They then utilize evidence-based treatments, often combined with complementary therapies commonly used in integrative medicine (e.g., dietary changes, acupuncture, counseling), to support a whole-body approach to healing. This approach is collaborative and empowering for the patient, inviting them to be an active participant in their own healing process instead of a simple bystander.
3 FAQs About Functional Medicine vs. Integrative Medicine
1. Does insurance cover functional and integrative medicine?
Insurance coverage for functional and integrative medicine is typically limited, as the individualized, holistic approach often does not align with standard insurance billing practices. Some services, such as office visits, standard lab tests, chiropractic care, or acupuncture, may be covered, especially if they’re medically necessary. However, extensive treatment or testing often requires out-of-pocket payments.
It’s best to consult with your healthcare specialist to determine if your insurance covers their approach. Several functional and integrative medical professionals offer flexible payment plans to ensure you can receive treatment. Some clinics may even provide a detailed superbill to submit to your insurance company for possible out-of-network reimbursement.
2. How do I know if integrative or functional medicine is right for me?
If you want a holistic, whole-body approach to healthcare, both functional and integrative medicine are excellent options. Additionally, if you’re struggling with illnesses or symptoms that haven’t been effectively treated through conventional approaches, it may be beneficial to try a strategy that focuses on root causes. If you don’t want to take medication or simply cover symptoms, integrative and functional medicine are solid alternatives.
3. How do I choose between functional medicine vs. integrative medicine?
If you haven’t found relief from illnesses with the conventional healthcare approach, integrative medicine can be worth trying. If you want to take a more investigative approach to determine underlying causes and create a customized treatment plan, functional medicine is a great option. Fortunately, some clinics offer expertise in both functional and integrative medicine, allowing you to leverage both approaches and maximize the benefits of whole-body treatment.
Try a Mix of Functional & Integrative Medicine For Optimal Results
Functional medicine vs. integrative medicine utilize different approaches but share a similar focus: whole-body healthcare. At The Woodlands Institute for Health & Wellness, you can experience the benefits of integrative and functional medicine. We integrate evidence-backed medicine with the intuitive wisdom of integrative medicine to treat the entire body, bringing clarity to root causes and delivering lasting health.
At our clinic, you’ll be empowered in your health journey, collaborating with our specialists to understand why you experience certain illnesses and create a personalized treatment plan. We utilize advanced physical and mental health testing, including hormone testing, sleep testing, Lyme disease testing, toxin testing, and more, to uncover the root causes of your illness. Then, we offer customized physical and mental health treatment programs for men, women, teens, and children to help you feel your best. Experience the benefits of integrative and functional medicine at The Woodlands Institute for Health & Wellness. Contact us to schedule an appointment today.
