Functional Medicine FAQ's

FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE

​

What is Functional Medicine?

​

Functional medicine is a science-based health care approach to assess, prevent and treat complex chronic illnesses.

 

Instead of looking for a specific diagnosis and "controlling" it with medication and surgery, we look at each individual as a whole.

 

We do this with a combination of in-depth interpretation of detailed laboratory testing and thorough health assessments to identify the root causes of your health problems followed by individualised supplement, diet and lifestyle interventions that give you the best chance of restoring your optimal health and wellness. 

 

Functional Medicine is a relatively new model that has evolved through the efforts of scientists and clinicians from the fields of clinical nutrition, molecular biology, biochemistry, physiology, conventional medicine, and a wide array of scientific disciplines. 

 

With acute issues conventional medicine is the gold standard, chronic illnesses are complex and functional medicine offers a deep investigation into why someone is not as healthy as they could be.

​

What are the benefits of Functional Medicine?

​

Functional medicine is individualised to each person.

 

It evaluates the body as a whole and considers elements such as food sensitivities, hidden infections, environmental toxins, mould exposure, metabolic and nutrient imbalances that may adversely affect these relationships.

​

How is the Health Institute approach different from that of other practitioners?

​

We cannot speak for other practitioners, we just understand the importance of a thorough initial evaluation so that any energy applied is targeted to a specific goal and reason.

 

We don’t advise anything unless we believe it will have a real life effect. We deeply believe in the quality of human life and don't want people to waste it.

​

Our mission is to locate any underlying issues that could be affecting someone's ability to live a free and happy life.

 

We also understand that people with chronic disease need support through their journey back to health.

 

We also understand that using technology makes everything more efficient and allows us to support people remotely. 

 

Why does the Health Institute exist?

 

We exist because we have been where you are, we know how frustrating it can be to not have answers. We were born in part out of frustration and a passion to find answers about chronic health. Read more in the About section. 

​

​

FUNCTIONAL HEALTH CONSULTATIONS

 

Does Dr. Sam or Dr. Shelley offer any in-person consultations?

​

Not at this stage, all our appointments are through secure online video calls. This allows us to focus on our processes and spend time analysing cases rather than managing a traditional brick-and-mortar clinic. 

​

How do I book a functional medicine consultation? 

​

Click here to go to our online booking form. 

1. For first-time consultations, you will need to select “First Consultation”.

2. Select a day and time that suits you

3. Fill in your personal information and read and agree to the terms

4. Complete booking

5. You will receive a booking confirmation email and a link to fill out your new patient questionnaire online and a checklist of anything you need to prepare for your appointment

 

How long are the consultations?

​

Usually, 70 - 80 minutes depending on the complexity. We provide a 5-10 minute follow-up call the following week to go over any questions. This is included in the consultation cost.

 

How much does it cost for an initial consultation?

​

 $220+gst

​

What should I expect in the first consultation?

​

For the initial part of the consultation you will go over your chief complaints, health goals, frustrations and what you have tried so far. 

 

Then we will go in depth and you will answer a series of deliberate questions.

 

After a thorough initial discussion you practitioner will explain how we work, what everything is indicating so far and a plan to get you towards your health goals. 

​

At the end of the appointment you will have a clear plan, what everything indicates now, areas of your body and health we can begin to work on to achieve your goals, diet and lifestyle recommendations and testing plan.

 

We know with all the information that is out there and not feeling your best that this is hard. We will clarify where the priorities are and explain areas not to worry about.

 

Our job is to make sure everything we do is aimed in an area to get results. We aim to do the opposite of overwhelm, to clarify and have clear steps all of the way. 

​

You can read more about our full process here. 

 

Why are there so many questions on the New Patient Forms?

 

We really want this to be the most comprehensive analysis you have ever had, we want to get to know you, your goals and why now. We also have many questions that help us narrow down our consultation questions so we can implement a plan with the best chance of needle-moving results. 

 

​

FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE TESTS

 

How does the testing work? Do I need to go to a lab?

 

You will receive a box in the mail with your test kit inside. The box has a prepaid envelope for ease of return. All of the instructions will be inside the box. The tests we use are urine, stool, and blood.

 

For the blood tests you will need to go to a lab (a list of labs and locations will be supplied in the kit), all others can be done yourself from home.

 

What laboratories does the Health Institute use and why?

 

We use a variety of laboratories depending on the health problem. We have access to over ten international laboratories. Most are in the United States and we pick the lab that is the best at testing each issue. Modern freight and frozen specimens allow us to utilise some of the best functional labs in the world, from New Zealand.

​

How many test will I need?

​

Some people will need none, some people will need four, it entirely depends on how you present clinically. Labs will not be ordered unless justified and with deliberate goals in mind.

 

How much do the functional medicine tests cost?

​

Specialised tests can vary from $70 to $700 each. We are health professionals and will not order labs unless we have a specific reason and it is clinically justified.

 

The tests we do recommend are of the highest quality and provide us with uncompromised data and insight that allows us to create a targeted plan.
 

 

SUPPORT CALLS

 

What is a support call and when do I schedule one?

 

We believe it is important to continue to support you in moving forward with your health goals. We use support phone calls for this. The timing for the follow-up call will be discussed at the end of your consultation.

 

The consultations are very in depth, these calls are to make sure everything is clear and you are supported to reach the next step. 

 

Does it cost extra for a support call?

 

The calls are free and usually last 5 - 10 minutes. If your case is complex and you need to book extra consultations, there will be a charge.

 

How many support calls do I get in the process? 

 

You will get a 2 free calls per consultation. 

 

SUPPLEMENTS

 

Do I have to buy supplements from you after the consultation?

 

We do recommend supplements as part of our targeted plan but we do not sell supplements directly or have our own brand.

 

Please know every supplement we recommend will have a target goal specific to you. You will receive recommendations of what supplements to take and the reason for the recommendation. 

 

We can give you a list for you to purchase yourself or we can send you email links so you can buy directly from one of our certified dispensaries; Nutrisearch or FXmed. 

 

​

GENERAL

​

Can I email/contact Dr. Sam & DR. Shelley with any questions/concerns between visits?

 

Yes, please do! We are here to support you and make sure you are progressing towards your health goals. Emails take quite a bit of time to answer. Instead, let us know your question or concern via email or our contact form and we will call you for a quick chat. This only takes five minutes of our time and gives you much more value and reassurance than an email.

 

How much does it cost in total, is it expensive?

 

This is not a cheap process, when creating the Health Institute we decided we would only use tests that we can really trust, we are skeptical of cheap hair allergy tests and many cheaper tests that I won't talk about here.

 

Our service needs to be authentic and of a high standard. Our goal is that every action we take is targeted.

 

The better the labs the more precisely what we do is to your individual biology, therefore the chance of getting real results increases.

 

Overall costs vary. At no stage are you forced to continue and you will be given advice that you can implement at every stage. Feel free to Contact us if you would like to chat about this over the phone before you book your initial consultation. 

 

What is the difference between functional medicine and Integrative medicine or holistic medicine?

 

Functional, integrative and holistic medicine all share similarities. Functional medicine focuses on creating individualised therapies tailored to treat underlying causes of illness, integrative medicine seeks to understand the individual as a whole and applies many forms of therapy to improve wellness and holistic medicine treats the person that the illness and understands if one area of the body is affected it can affect the entire body including the emotional and spiritual well being.

 

What is the difference between the Health Institute and an Integrated Doctor or Holistic Doctor?

 

There are similarities, where an integrated doctor also looks at the whole person and not just the disease and will incorporate lifestyle advice in addition to medical care. The health institute is different where we value the initial focus on investigation of areas that are not functioning optimally first. We use functional testing to remove guesswork, this allows the plan back to health to be targeted to weakness and imbalance individual to that person. This 'test, not guess' approach is fundamental and the core of Health Institute and our mission to make real-world change to your health.
 

Why can’t I just get my lab test myself?

 

Test results can not be interpreted in a vacuum. Meaning, when you have hundreds of data points the interpretation is very relevant to the history, function, complaints and disease stage in each person.

 

For example, I have heard of a story where a person spent thousands of dollars trying to get rid of SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) that kept recurring when there was no consideration of why they had SIBO in the first place. In that case, if you don't find the reason someone had the issue in the first place it will likely come back.

 

There are multiple stories like this and this is why the laboratories only allow health professionals to order tests. It is not due to the procedure, it is relevant to the skills required to interpret the tests effectively, in a way that does not harm the person or cause unnecessary avoidance activities. 

​

​

APPROACH

​

How would you describe Dr. Sam’s practitioner style?

 

Dr. Sam is empathetic and extremely analytical. He will often keep analysing your case, long after your appointment ends. His passion is to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together and find strategies that make a real difference.
 

How would you describe Dr. Shelley’s practitioner style?

 

Dr. Shelley has vast experience in nutrition and creating simple practical solutions when changing your life. She has previously owned and operated a food preparation business for people with chronic conditions. She enjoys creating simple solutions for people that find new diets and change difficult. 

 

Are Dr. Sam and Dr. Shelley medical doctors or GP’s?

 

No, Dr. Sam and Dr. Shelly are Chiropractors that have continued their education to study functional medicine. They are not medical doctors and are not a replacement for your GP.

 

Dr. Sam and Dr. Shelley have a philosophy of best of both worlds. We are not a replacement for your GP, but we appreciate their hard work and are happy to work alongside other clinicians with the primary goal of patient outcome.

 

Do I need to still see my GP?

 

Given we are not medical doctors we do recommend that you consult your GP when needed. We are not replacing your general practitioner, especially in the case when you have an urgent need that requires immediate medical attention.