Having an established primary care or family doctor does not necessarily mean you will never want another perspective on a persistent health concern. Some patients are comfortable with their regular physician but still want a more detailed discussion of areas such as digestion, hormones, metabolism, inflammation, stress, nutrition, lifestyle, or symptoms that have been difficult to explain.
At Functional Medicine by Dr. Marina Fest, DNP, our approach combines extensive primary care experience with advanced functional medicine training. We focus on understanding why symptoms may be occurring by looking at the broader clinical picture rather than treating every concern as an isolated issue.
One patient described being particularly selective about healthcare because they already had a family doctor elsewhere. Even with that existing relationship, the patient valued Dr. Fest’s thoroughness, caring approach, and attention to individual concerns.
How Can Functional Medicine Fit Alongside Existing Primary Care?
Functional medicine and primary care do not always have to be viewed as competing choices.
Primary care plays an important role in routine healthcare, prevention, ongoing medical needs, and management of many common conditions. Functional medicine may provide an additional framework for patients who want to explore how several health factors may be interacting.
The right approach depends on your individual needs and the type of care you are seeking.
Do You Have to Leave Your Family Doctor to Explore Functional Medicine?
Not necessarily. Functional medicine can instead be considered when a patient wants a more detailed evaluation of persistent or interconnected concerns.
Our approach may evaluate medical history, lifestyle, stress, environment, digestion, hormones, and prior laboratory results as part of a comprehensive functional evaluation.
The patient whose experience inspired this article specifically mentioned already having a family doctor in Queens. What made the additional relationship meaningful to that patient was the level of thoroughness and care they felt they received.
That is an individual experience rather than a recommendation that every patient should use multiple healthcare providers.
Why Might Someone Seek Another Perspective?
Sometimes patients want more time to explore questions that involve several systems at once.
The practice includes concerns such as persistent fatigue, hormonal changes, digestive symptoms, thyroid or metabolic concerns, brain fog, chronic inflammation, weight resistance, and perimenopause or menopause symptoms.
Functional medicine may consider how areas such as digestion, hormones, metabolism, inflammation, nutrition, and lifestyle relate to those concerns.
That does not mean every symptom requires advanced testing. It means the evaluation can consider a broader set of factors when clinically appropriate.
What Does a More Thorough Functional Evaluation Include?
Our documented process begins with a comprehensive functional evaluation.
This may include your medical history, lifestyle, stress, environment, digestion, hormones, and previous laboratory findings. Depending on the clinical situation, advanced diagnostic testing may also be considered.
Available testing includes GI MAP microbiome testing, hormone panels, micronutrient testing, and inflammatory or immune markers.
The purpose is not to order every available test. The goal is to decide which information may actually be relevant to your health concerns.
Does Functional Medicine Replace Primary Care?
Not automatically. Dr. Marina Fest has both primary care experience and advanced functional medicine training. Functional medicine provides a different framework for investigating possible underlying contributors to health concerns, but the appropriate care structure varies from one person to another.
Some patients may use functional medicine as part of broader ongoing healthcare. Others may need conventional primary care, specialist care, urgent care, or other services depending on the situation.
Who May Be a Good Fit for This Approach?
If you already have a primary care provider but want to explore persistent concerns through a functional medicine perspective, Lifestyle Doctor Wellness can help you determine whether this type of evaluation fits your needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Dr. Fest evaluate in functional medicine?
The documented approach may consider medical history, lifestyle, stress, environment, digestion, hormones, metabolism, inflammation, and prior laboratory results.
Does functional medicine always require advanced testing?
No. Testing is considered according to the individual clinical situation.
What testing may be available?
Available testing includes GI MAP testing, hormone panels, micronutrient testing, and inflammatory or immune markers.
Where is the practice located?
Functional Medicine by Dr. Marina Fest, DNP serves Staten Island, New York, with telehealth available for Florida patients.
