Here’s the fun answer: Functional medicine is everything your doctor learned in medical school about biochemistry, nutrition, and physiology…and then forgot to practice once they entered the world of assembly-line medicine.
The serious answer: Functional medicine is a root-cause approach to health care. Instead of focusing solely on symptom management, it asks why those symptoms exist in the first place.
Take depression as an example. Traditional medicine often treats it as a purely psychological issue or a simple “chemical imbalance.” But there’s no such thing as an “anti-depressant deficiency.” In functional medicine, we explore whether your depression might be the result of underlying physical or biomedical imbalances, things like:
- Gut dysbiosis, which are imbalances in intestinal bacteria.
- MTHFR polymorphisms, which affect how the body processes folate and produces neurotransmitters.
- Low protein intake or poor digestion that prevent the creation of neurotransmitters.
- Toxins in the system that interfere with brain or hormone function.
- Nutrient deficiencies in lithium, magnesium, selenium, zinc, calcium, B-vitamins, or antioxidants.
- Hormonal imbalances, especially low estrogen levels in the brain.
- Overactive or underactive neurotransmitter systems, leading to poor mood regulation.
Functional medicine doesn’t replace psychotherapy or mental health care; it adds another layer by asking whether the body itself is contributing to mental or emotional distress.
Dr. Cady’s journey into functional medicine began when he realized that, despite his world-class training at the Mayo Clinic, some of his patients still weren’t getting better. That realization led to decades of research into nutrition, hormones, genetics, and advanced lab testing. His current work still reflects these fundamental principles.
What functional medicine is NOT:
Functional medicine is not about throwing a long list of supplements at you and hoping something works. Every recommendation—whether a nutraceutical, hormone, or prescription medication—should have a clear, evidence-based rationale behind it.
Dr. Cady often quotes investor Peter Lynch:
“You should be able to explain why you own a stock in one sentence.”
Likewise, your provider should be able to explain why you’re taking a particular supplement or medication in one sentence.
It’s also not a system of opinions or alternative theories. Functional medicine is grounded in peer-reviewed scientific literature and is constantly updated with the latest research in biochemistry, genetics, and clinical nutrition.










