Many people today are growing increasingly frustrated with a healthcare system that focuses primarily on managing symptoms rather than restoring health. Patients often move from one medication to another while still struggling with unresolved issues such as chronic fatigue, hormone imbalances, digestive problems, weight gain, and autoimmune conditions. Despite doing “everything right,” they may continue to feel unwell, unheard, and uncertain about their next steps.
This rise in chronic, complex conditions highlights a critical gap in conventional healthcare—one that functional medicine is designed to address. Functional medicine looks deeper, asking why symptoms exist in the first place and how multiple body systems may be contributing to ongoing health challenges.
At the Stengler Center for Integrative Medicine, functional medicine is practiced as a root-cause, systems-based approach that views the body as an interconnected whole. Rather than isolating symptoms, this model seeks to identify imbalances at their source and support the body’s natural healing processes.
Dr. Mark Stengler is a nationally recognized leader in integrative and functional medicine, with decades of clinical experience helping patients achieve lasting improvements in health. His approach combines scientific rigor, natural therapies, and personalized care to address complex chronic conditions effectively.
Functional medicine is a patient-centered, science-based model of care that focuses on identifying and addressing the underlying causes of disease. Instead of asking, “What drug matches this diagnosis?” functional medicine asks, “Why did this problem develop, and what systems are out of balance?”
This approach recognizes that symptoms are often the result of deeper dysfunctions involving nutrition, hormones, digestion, immune regulation, and lifestyle factors. By addressing these root causes, functional medicine aims to restore balance and promote long-term health—not just temporary symptom relief.
Systems Biology vs. Disease-Specific Treatment
Rather than treating isolated diagnoses, functional medicine evaluates how body systems interact. Digestive health, hormones, immunity, detoxification, and metabolism are all viewed as interconnected.
Personalized Care vs. One-Size-Fits-All Protocols
Each patient is biochemically unique. Functional medicine uses individualized assessments and customized treatment plans instead of standardized protocols.
Partnership Between Doctor and Patient
Patients are active participants in their care. Education, collaboration, and shared decision-making are central to the functional medicine model.
Functional medicine is guided by several foundational principles:
In functional medicine, symptoms are viewed as important signals, not the problem itself. Fatigue, pain, digestive distress, or brain fog are the body’s way of communicating that something deeper is out of balance.
Suppressing symptoms without identifying their origin often leads to ongoing or worsening health issues. Functional medicine emphasizes the importance of investigating underlying dysfunction so that true healing can occur.
Digestive and Gut Health
Because the gut influences immunity, nutrient absorption, and inflammation, digestive health is often a central focus.
Hormonal and Endocrine Balance
Thyroid, adrenal, and sex hormone imbalances can affect energy, weight, mood, and metabolism.
Immune System Regulation
Chronic inflammation and autoimmune activity are often linked to gut and lifestyle factors.
Detoxification and Liver Function
The body’s ability to process toxins plays a key role in hormone balance and immune health.
Metabolic and Cardiovascular Health
Blood sugar regulation, lipid balance, and cellular energy production are essential for long-term wellness.
Functional medicine is especially effective for chronic and complex conditions that have not fully resolved with conventional care alone. By addressing underlying imbalances rather than isolated symptoms, this approach helps many patients achieve meaningful, long-term improvement.
Common conditions addressed through functional medicine include:
Chronic Fatigue and Low Energy
Persistent fatigue is often linked to hormonal imbalance, nutrient deficiencies, inflammation, or gut dysfunction. Functional medicine focuses on identifying and correcting these root contributors rather than relying on stimulants or temporary fixes.
Digestive Disorders (IBS, Leaky Gut, Bloating)
Digestive symptoms frequently signal deeper issues involving the gut microbiome, inflammation, food sensitivities, or stress-related dysfunction. Functional medicine works to restore gut balance and integrity for lasting relief.
Hormonal Imbalances
Conditions involving the thyroid, adrenal glands, menopause, and andropause are commonly addressed through personalized functional medicine strategies that support hormonal regulation and whole-body balance.
Autoimmune Conditions
Functional medicine evaluates immune triggers such as gut permeability, chronic inflammation, infections, and environmental factors that may drive autoimmune activity.
Weight Gain and Metabolic Dysfunction
Stubborn weight gain and blood sugar imbalance often reflect underlying metabolic, hormonal, or inflammatory issues—not a lack of willpower. Functional medicine addresses these root causes to support healthy metabolism.
Brain Fog, Mood Disorders, and Inflammation
Cognitive symptoms, anxiety, depression, and systemic inflammation are frequently connected to gut health, nutrient status, and immune regulation—all core focuses of functional medicine care.
Functional lab testing differs from standard labs by looking beyond disease thresholds. Instead of asking whether a value is simply “normal,” functional medicine evaluates patterns, trends, and optimal ranges to identify early dysfunction and subtle imbalances that may contribute to symptoms.
Depending on the individual, functional medicine testing may include evaluation of:
Hormones
Assessment of thyroid, adrenal, and sex hormones to identify imbalances affecting energy, mood, weight, and metabolism.
Nutrient Deficiencies
Testing for key vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients essential for cellular function and healing.
Gut Microbiome and Digestion
Analysis of gut bacteria, digestion, absorption, and markers of inflammation or imbalance.
Inflammation and Immune Markers
Identifying chronic inflammation or immune dysregulation that may contribute to ongoing symptoms.
Toxic Burden and Detox Pathways
Evaluating the body’s ability to process environmental toxins that can interfere with hormone and immune health.
Each patient begins with a detailed health history and symptom assessment, allowing Dr. Stengler to understand how various systems may be contributing to current concerns.
A thorough review of lifestyle, stress levels, nutrition, and environmental exposures is also conducted, as these factors play a critical role in chronic disease development and recovery.
There are no one-size-fits-all protocols at the Stengler Center. Treatment plans are customized based on individual biochemistry, test findings, and health goals.
This personalized approach allows care to be precise, targeted, and responsive to each patient’s unique needs.
Functional medicine care may include:
Nutritional and Dietary Strategies
Personalized nutrition plans designed to reduce inflammation, support metabolism, and promote healing.
Targeted Supplementation
Evidence-based supplements used strategically to correct deficiencies and support specific body systems.
Lifestyle and Stress Support Grounded in Christian Principles
Practical guidance that supports emotional resilience, healthy habits, and faith-centered values.
Coordination with Conventional Care When Appropriate
Functional medicine complements conventional healthcare, ensuring patients receive safe, integrated support.
One of the most significant benefits of functional medicine is its focus on addressing the cause rather than chasing symptoms. By identifying and correcting imbalances involving nutrition, hormones, digestion, immunity, and lifestyle, many patients experience sustained symptom relief rather than temporary improvement.
This approach reduces the cycle of recurring symptoms and repeated medication changes, offering a clearer path toward long-term wellness.
Functional medicine supports cellular and metabolic health, which are foundational to energy production and mental clarity. As inflammation is reduced and nutrient absorption improves, patients often report:
Hormones and immune regulation are deeply interconnected. Functional medicine works to restore internal balance by addressing factors such as gut health, stress, nutrient status, and inflammation.
As these systems normalize, patients often experience:
Functional medicine offers a powerful alternative for individuals who are tired of managing symptoms without understanding their cause. By focusing on root-cause healing, this approach addresses the underlying imbalances that drive chronic health issues rather than simply masking them.
For patients who feel unheard, unresolved, or discouraged by conventional care alone, functional medicine provides renewed hope. It recognizes that the body’s systems are interconnected and that true healing requires a personalized, comprehensive strategy.
By taking a proactive and individualized approach to lifelong health, functional medicine empowers patients to restore balance, improve vitality, and support long-term wellness at every stage of life.
If you are ready to move beyond symptom management and begin a more personalized path toward whole-body healing, we invite you to schedule a functional medicine consultation at the Stengler Center for Integrative Medicine.
Stengler Center for Integrative Medicine
324 Encinitas Blvd
Encinitas, CA 92024
Phone: 760-274-2377
Toll-Free: 855-DOC-MARK
Email: clinic@markstengler.com
Website: https://www.markstengler.com
