Our clinic Functional Medicine’s “S.E.A.R.C.H” Acronym

Scope Limitations 

Please make sure your functional medicine doctor can practice to the full extent. For example: In Canada Holistic Nutritionists or Health Coaches are not members of the RHPA (Regulated Health Professions Act) and therefore are not registered providers. Chiropractors are members of RHPA but can not order labs under their current scope of practice and therefore can not practice functional medicine.  Furthermore, most insurance companies will ONLY cover sessions if your functional medicine doctor is RHPA licensed Provider. 

Experience

Experience is the best teacher. so….SEARCH  for a seasoned functional Medicine doctor that has been practicing for a while and had experience treating similar cases as yours. 

Accreditation and Board Certifications

Make sure your functional medicine doctor is IFM Certified.  There are literally dozens of “Functional Medicine Programs” from dubious agencies and online diploma mills. The Institute of Functional Medicine (IFM) is the only ACCME accredited body that trains and certify doctors.

Reviews and Referrals

Doctors used to build their practices (before the internet) solely based on word of mouth. Ask your friends or colleagues for referrals and read reviews from legitimate websites.

Cost

Cheap is expensive and there is no such thing as a free lunch.  An experienced certified functional medicine doctor values their time and does not offer “Free consultations”. Fee schedule is often based upon their extensive education and clinical experience. Furthermore, Be weary of “one size fits all” or “Packages” I’ve seen cases of $5,000 functional medicine packages, this is quite unethical considering some cases may require as little as 3 visits while others may need more extensive follow ups. Hence personalized and Individualized Medicine. 

Health Insurance 

Watch out from physicians that claim to bill OHIP for functional medicine services. Physician who bill OHIP for Functional Medicine services may jeopardize their license.  However, if your certified functional medicine doctor is a licensed RHPA professional then your extended insurance might cover your treatments.