Functional medicine at Kroner Chiropractic in Yakima, Washington looks for what is driving your symptoms rather than treating each complaint on its own. Consultations examine how your health history, genetics, environment, and daily habits interact, with the goal of addressing root causes rather than managing symptoms indefinitely.
When every symptom gets its own explanation
You are tired in a way that sleep does not fix. Your digestion is unpredictable. You ache without an injury to point to.
Each one has been addressed separately, and each time you were told it was within normal range. What nobody has done is look at the list together and ask whether one thing might be producing several of them.
That question is the starting point for functional medicine.
Treating the person, not the diagnosis
Conventional care is often organized around the disease: identify the condition, then apply the treatment for that condition. Functional medicine reorganizes that around the person who has it.
The practical difference is what gets examined. Rather than matching your symptoms to a category, we look at how your genetics, your environment, and the way you live interact to produce what you are experiencing. Two people with the same complaint frequently have different reasons for it, and those reasons determine what actually helps.
Suppressing a symptom has its place. It buys relief while you work on the cause. The problem is when suppression becomes the whole plan, because the cause continues doing what it was doing.
What a consultation involves
Time is the main difference. A functional medicine consultation is longer than a standard visit, because the history is the diagnostic work.
- A detailed intake covering your symptoms and how they developed over time
- Discussion of nutrition, sleep, stress, and physical activity
- Review of your health history and any prior testing or records you bring
- Attention to how these factors interact rather than treating them as separate topics
- A plan focused on the contributors most likely to be driving your symptoms
- Ongoing adjustment of that plan based on how you respond
Being clear about scope
Functional medicine here works alongside your regular medical care, not instead of it. We do not replace your physician, and we will not advise you to stop a prescribed medication.
If what you describe needs medical diagnosis or treatment outside our scope, we will say so and point you toward the right provider. Being honest about the edges of what we do is part of being useful.
Common Questions
What is functional medicine?
Functional medicine is an approach that looks for the underlying causes of ongoing symptoms rather than treating each symptom separately. It considers how your genetics, environment, health history, and daily habits interact, and focuses on addressing root causes rather than managing symptoms indefinitely.
How is functional medicine different from seeing my regular doctor?
It is not a replacement. Functional medicine consultations are longer and focus on history and lifestyle factors that a brief appointment may not have time to cover. It is designed to work alongside your existing medical care.
What does patient-centered mean?
It means the starting point is you rather than a diagnosis. Instead of matching your symptoms to a category and applying the standard treatment, we look at what is producing them in your particular case, since two people with the same complaint often have different underlying reasons.
What kinds of concerns do people come in with?
Commonly ongoing fatigue, digestive complaints, difficulty maintaining weight, and symptoms that have persisted without a clear explanation.
How long does a functional medicine consultation take?
Longer than a standard visit, because the intake is detailed and the history is where most of the useful information is. Call (509) 972-4000 for the current appointment length.
Is functional medicine covered by insurance?
Coverage varies significantly and many plans do not cover it. Call us and we will tell you what to expect before you schedule.
Will you tell me to stop my medications?
No. We do not advise stopping prescribed medication. Any change to your prescriptions is a conversation between you and the physician who prescribed them.
Explore all Kroner Chiropractic services, read about neuropathy treatment in Yakima, or see our new patient information.
Schedule a consultation, or call (509) 972-4000.