Naturopathic Medicine Is the OG Functional Medicine

If you’ve been anywhere in the wellness or integrative health space lately, you’ve probably heard the term functional medicine everywhere. And honestly? The marketing has been great. Functional medicine has done a fantastic job of presenting itself as root-cause, whole-person, and more than just pharmaceuticals.

But here’s the part that doesn’t get talked about enough:

Naturopathic medicine is the original functional medicine.

Functional medicine is a newer term. Naturopathic medicine has been practicing this philosophy for over a century.

What Is Functional Medicine?

At its core, functional medicine aims to:

• Look at the whole person, not just isolated symptoms

• Identify and treat root causes rather than suppressing symptoms

• Use lifestyle medicine, nutrition, supplements, and targeted therapies

• Reduce reliance on pharmaceuticals when possible

These are all things people are hungry for—because conventional medicine often doesn’t have the time, structure, or incentives to work this way.

However, one important thing to understand is this:

Functional medicine is not yet fully standardized or regulated.

There is currently no universal standard for who can call themselves a functional medicine practitioner or functional medicine doctor.

You may see the title used by:

• Nurse practitioners

• Chiropractors

• Naturopathic doctors

• MDs or DOs

• Health coaches or nurse coaches

Some of these providers have extensive training. Others may have taken a handful of nutrition or supplement courses. This doesn’t mean functional medicine is “bad”—it just means the term alone doesn’t tell you much about someone’s depth of training.

The Risk of “Green Allopathy”

One thing I always caution patients about is what I call green allopathy.

Green allopathy is essentially conventional medicine in disguise:

• High blood pressure? Here’s a supplement.

• High cholesterol? Here’s another pill—just natural this time.

While supplements can absolutely be helpful, this approach still misses the point.

True functional medicine asks:

• Why is the blood pressure high?

• Is it stress-related?

• Diet? Inflammation? Trauma? Genetics? Sleep?

• Is the nervous system stuck in fight-or-flight?

Yes—sometimes we need something right now to bring numbers into a safe range. That can include pharmaceuticals or supplements. But that is not the end goal.

The real work is addressing the underlying terrain. And that is where functional medicine shines—when it’s done well.

So Where Does Naturopathic Medicine Fit In?

Here’s where I’m going to be very direct:

What many people love about functional medicine is literally how naturopathic medicine is trained.

A naturopathic medical degree is a four-year, full-time medical education. In my training, we learned:

• Conventional diagnostics and lab interpretation

• Pharmaceuticals and standards of care

• Pathophysiology and clinical medicine

• Ethics and mind–body medicine

And we also learned:

• Over two years of clinical herbal medicine, including formulation and medicine-making labs

• Field botany and plant medicine (including harvesting herbs in nature)

• Homeopathy with in-depth, multi-year coursework

• Physical medicine (manual therapies, physiotherapy, cold laser, and more)

• Clinical nutrition at a depth not taught in conventional medical schools

• Lifestyle counseling and prevention-focused care

That means naturopathic doctors are trained to:

• Use pharmaceuticals when appropriate

• Use supplements strategically

• Use herbs, nutrition, lifestyle, and physical medicine as primary tools

• Always ask why something is happening

Sound familiar?

That’s functional medicine.

Why Titles Matter (and Why They Can Be Confusing)

Because functional medicine is still evolving, the title alone doesn’t tell you:

• How extensive someone’s medical training is

• Whether they understand herbal medicine, homeopathy, or physical medicine

• Whether they’re addressing root causes or just swapping prescriptions for supplements

I personally do call myself a functional medicine practitioner—but I always clarify what that means.

I practice in a state where:

• I do not have prescriptive authority

• I cannot order labs directly

• I do not bill insurance

Because of this, many people associate functional medicine solely with providers who prescribe through compounding pharmacies instead of conventional ones.

That can be part of functional medicine—but it is not the definition of it.

Functional medicine is a philosophy of care, not a pharmacy choice.

Why I Call Naturopathic Medicine the OG Functional Medicine

Before functional medicine had a name, naturopathic medicine was already:

• Treating the root cause

• Addressing diet, lifestyle, stress, and environment

• Using natural therapies alongside conventional medicine

• Seeing the body as an interconnected system

Functional medicine didn’t reinvent the wheel—it gave it better branding.

And honestly? We as naturopathic doctors need to do better at telling our story.

Collaboration Over Competition

One thing that genuinely frustrates me is the scarcity mindset I see in integrative and functional medicine spaces.

There are so many people who need help.

There are so many patients who are not being served by the current healthcare model.

There is room for:

• Naturopathic doctors

• Functional medicine providers

• Acupuncturists

• Chiropractors

• Integrative MDs and DOs

This work is not meant to be competitive—it’s meant to be collaborative.

When we work together, patients get better care. And when patients get better care, everyone wins.

The Takeaway

If you’re looking for functional medicine, ask deeper questions:

• What is your training?

• How do you approach root cause care?

• Do you look at lifestyle, nervous system health, nutrition, and environment?

And know this:

Naturopathic medicine is not an alternative trend.
It is the foundation functional medicine was built on.

If you want true root-cause, whole-person care—you’re already speaking the language of naturopathic medicine.