If you’ve tried functional medicine before, this may sound familiar. You spent hundreds of dollars on lab panels. You waited weeks for results. Then you went home with a protocol of ten, fifteen, maybe twenty supplements, and a monthly bill to match.
Functional medicine asks great questions. It looks for root causes instead of just managing symptoms. But for many people, the way it’s usually delivered is expensive, overwhelming, and hard to stick with.
So I stepped back and rebuilt how I practice it. In my practice, Chinese medicine is the lens we work through. Labs are tools that point us toward targeted therapies and track your progress, not a fishing expedition that ends in a cabinet full of bottles. The goal is simple: make root-cause care more affordable, easier to follow, and available to more people.
Chinese medicine is the lens
In Chinese medicine, we don’t treat a lab number or a diagnosis in isolation. We look for your pattern: how your symptoms, sleep, digestion, energy, temperature, pulse, and tongue fit together into one picture.
This matters because two people with the same lab result can need very different care. Two patients might both test positive for SIBO. One feels cold, tired, and bloated with loose stools. The other runs hot, irritable, and constipated. A one-size protocol treats them the same. Pattern-based care doesn’t.
Working in Chinese medicine for more than a decade has given me the framework for putting those pieces together for you.
Labs that track progress, not fish for answers
Because your Chinese medicine pattern already tells me a lot, I don’t need to order every test available to find out what’s going on. Instead, I order targeted labs for your most likely problem areas.
Those labs do two jobs. They confirm where to focus targeted therapies, and they give us objective markers to retest as you improve.
I also don’t make money from labs. I have no financial incentive to over-test you. If I recommend a test, it’s because the result will change what we do.
One formula instead of a supplement stack
A Chinese herbal formula is built from several herbs that work together. Because of that, one formula can address several parts of your pattern at once, replacing a stack of single-target supplements.
These formulas come from a long clinical tradition, refined over centuries. Today, many of the key herbs are also being studied for how they work in the body. I tailor each formula to you rather than handing out a stock product.
Here’s how that plays out in practice:
- Feel better sooner. Your herbs are ready shortly after your first visit. You don’t have to wait a month or more for lab results before starting treatment.
- Monthly herbal consults. Your body changes as you heal, so your formula should too. We meet monthly to adjust it based on how you’re responding.
- Fewer supplements, chosen carefully. When a supplement makes sense, I recommend it for the highest impact with as few products as possible.
Safety and quality come first
Herbs are powerful, which is exactly why they need to be used with care. Here’s what I do to keep your treatment safe:
- Quality sourcing. I use herbs from suppliers that test for heavy metals, pesticides, and contaminants: Evergreen Herbs, Mayway Herbs, and The Crane Herb Company to name a few.
- Medication review. I screen every formula against your current medications and supplements for possible interactions.
- Working with your doctors. Herbal medicine works alongside conventional care, not in place of it. I’m happy to coordinate with your physician when it helps.
Food that fits your pattern
Many functional medicine programs start everyone on the same restrictive diet. In Chinese medicine, food is matched to your pattern instead. Someone who runs cold and has weak digestion may do best with warm, cooked meals. Someone who runs hot may need cooling foods and less spice and alcohol.
When an elimination diet is truly needed, I keep it targeted and time-limited, with a clear plan for reintroducing foods. The aim is a way of eating you can actually live with.
What your first few months look like
- First visit. We review your health history in depth, and I assess your pattern through Chinese medicine diagnosis. You leave with a plan, and your custom herbal formula is ready shortly after.
- Targeted labs. If testing will change our approach, I order only the labs that matter for your case.
- Monthly consults. We check in on how you’re feeling and adjust your formula. When lab results come in, we use them to fine-tune treatment.
- Retesting. At the right point, we recheck key markers to confirm your progress objectively.
With this approach, I’ve been able to cut the cost of herbs and supplements roughly in half. Data from my own clinic shows an average cost of $370.
Is this approach right for you?
This way of working may be a good fit if you:
- Want root-cause care without a huge lab bill or a pile of supplements
- Have tried functional medicine before and felt overwhelmed
- Prefer a personalized plan that changes as you do
Many patients find this approach simpler to follow and easier to afford. If you’d like to explore whether it fits your health goals, I’d love to hear from you.