FUNCTIONAL & Root-Cause Medicine
A root-cause, functional medicine approach using advanced diagnostics and personalized treatment plans to restore long-term health.
When your body is sending signals—fatigue, pain, digestive issues, mood changes, inflammation—but conventional care only offers medications or the phrase “your tests look normal,” it can feel frustrating and discouraging.
The truth is this:
Most chronic symptoms arise from underlying imbalances that standard medical approaches do not evaluate. And until the root cause is identified, real healing is difficult.
At Denver Sports & Holistic Medicine, we practice Functional & Root-Cause Medicine: a systems-based, integrative approach that uncovers why your symptoms are happening and restores healthy physiology so you can feel like yourself again.
This is the difference between managing symptoms… and healing at the source.
Why Root-Cause Medicine Matters
Functional & Root-Cause Medicine goes beyond diagnoses. It identifies the biological, environmental, hormonal, nutritional, and neurological patterns that create chronic symptoms long before disease develops.
This approach is essential for uncovering:
• Fatigue, burnout, brain fog
• Digestive symptoms, bloating, IBS
• Hormonal imbalance + cycle issues
• Chronic pain, inflammation, headaches
• Metabolic dysfunction, blood sugar instability
• Sleep disturbances, anxiety, mood shifts
• Skin issues, acne, eczema, hives
• Weightloss resistance
• Chemical and toxin sensitivity
• Autoimmune activation
• Mold and environmental exposures
• Poor detoxification and mitochondrial dysfunction
If you’ve been told “everything looks normal,” but you still don’t feel well—root-cause medicine identifies what that statement missed.
What We Address
• Chronic fatigue and low energy
• Hormone imbalances (thyroid, adrenal, menstrual cycle, peri/post menopause)
• Digestive issues and microbiome dysfunction
• Metabolic issues and blood sugar instability
• Chronic inflammation and immune dysregulation
• Food sensitivities and nutrient deficiencies
• Environmental toxins and mold exposure
• Sleep disturbances, anxiety, and stress-related symptoms
• Chronic pain patterns linked to systemic imbalance
Root-cause medicine treats the entire system—not isolated symptoms or diagnoses.
What We Uncover Through Functional Evaluation
Our evaluation process examines the systems most responsible for long-term health, energy, and resilience:
Hormonal Imbalance
Thyroid dysfunction, adrenal dysregulation, cycle abnormalities, perimenopause, menopause, PMS
→ Women’s Hormone & Reproductive Health
→ Hormone & Metabolic Optimization
Digestive Dysfunction & Gut Disorders
Dysbiosis, SIBO, parasites, Candida, leaky gut, low digestive enzymes, inflammatory patterns
→ Gut Health & Digestive Restoration
Metabolic and Mitochondrial Dysfunction
Blood sugar instability, insulin resistance, low ATP, nutrient depletion, oxidative stress
→ Longevity & Mitochondrial Health
Environmental Toxins & Mold Exposure
Mycotoxins, pesticides, VOCs, heavy metals, plastics
→ Detoxification & Environmental Medicine
Inflammation & Immune Dysregulation
MCAS, asthma, allergies, autoimmune tendencies, chronic inflammatory response
→ Immune Health & Autoimmune Support
Food Sensitivities & Nutrient Deficiencies
Nutrient depletion, digestive malabsorption, IgG/IgA food reactions
Chronic Infections & Immune Stress
EBV, Lyme patterns, chronic viral reactivation, frequent colds and flu, allergies
Nervous System & Stress Response Imbalance
Elevated cortisol, dysregulated circadian rhythm, vagal dysfunction
→ Acupuncture & Nervous System Regulation
Functional evaluation helps us understand why you feel the way you do—and what your body needs to return to balance.
How We Help You Heal
Root-cause treatment requires a multi-layered, personalized approach. Your plan may include:
→ Acupuncture & nervous system regulation
→ Nutrition and metabolic correction
→ Herbal medicine and targeted nutraceuticals
→ Detoxification and drainage support
→ Mitochondrial repair therapies
→ Hormone balance support
→ Sports medicine and corrective exercise
Every step is tailored to your physiology, healing capacity, and long-term goals.
Available in-office in Denver and through secure telemedicine for patients seeking comprehensive, root-cause care.
Our Root-Cause Care Process
1. In-Depth Case Review
We evaluate your symptoms, history, stress load, environmental exposures, digestion, hormones, sleep, nutrition, and previous labs. This reveals patterns that traditional care often overlooks.
2. Precision Functional Testing (When Needed)
You are never over-tested. We recommend only what will meaningfully guide treatment.
Testing may include:
• DUTCH hormone testing
• GI microbiome analysis
• Mycotoxin and toxin panels
• Organic Acids (OAT)
• Micronutrient testing
• Cardiometabolic labs
• Thyroid and adrenal panels
3. Personal Root-Cause Treatment Strategy
Your plan may include:
• Acupuncture
• Herbal medicine
• Detoxification and drainage
• Corrective nutrition
• Mitochondrial support
• Hormone and adrenal balancing
• Gut healing protocols
• Lifestyle and metabolic rebalancing
Every recommendation supports your healing capacity in the right order, at the right pace.
4. Tracking Progress & Refining Your Plan
We evaluate:
Energy, sleep, digestion, resilience
Inflammation and immune patterns
Hormones, metabolism, detox pathways
Nervous system regulation
Symptom and biomarker changes
When needed, labs are repeated to ensure you’re progressing.
5. Integrating Everything Into a Whole-Person Framework
Your treatment plan becomes your health roadmap—prioritized, root-cause focused, and sustainable for long-term vitality.
Our goal:
Treat the cause. Support the systems. Restore the whole person.
Who Benefits Most From Functional & Root-Cause Medicine
• Chronic fatigue, burnout, low resilience
• Brain fog, cognitive changes
• Hormonal imbalance or cycle issues
• Digestive symptoms, IBS, SIBO
• Sleep problems, anxiety, irritability
• Migratory joint or muscle pain
• Mold illness or toxin sensitivity
• Autoimmune tendencies
• Skin issues (eczema, acne, rosacea)
• Weight resistance or metabolic dysfunction
• Poor detoxification
• Chronic inflammatory response
• Long COVID or post-infectious symptoms
If you’ve struggled to get answers, this approach provides clarity and direction.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is Functional & Root-Cause Medicine?
Functional & Root-Cause Medicine is a systems-based, evidence-informed approach that identifies the underlying causes of symptoms. Instead of suppressing discomfort, it restores healthy physiology across the gut, hormones, immune system, metabolism, and detox pathways.
2. How is this different from conventional medicine?
Conventional care often focuses on diagnosing disease and managing symptoms. Functional Medicine focuses on why those symptoms are occurring by using deeper testing, nutritional and metabolic analysis, detoxification mapping, and individualized treatment strategies.
3. Do you run advanced lab testing?
Yes. We offer comprehensive stool and microbiome testing, DUTCH hormone mapping, thyroid and adrenal panels, micronutrient and mitochondrial assessments, mycotoxin testing, and advanced cardiometabolic labs. Testing is selected based on your symptoms and needs.
4. What conditions can this approach help with?
Functional & Root-Cause Medicine is well-suited for digestive issues, hormone imbalance, fatigue, metabolic dysfunction, chronic inflammation, toxin exposure, sleep disturbances, stress-related symptoms, and chronic or unexplained health concerns.
5. How long does it take to see results?
Many patients notice improvement within the first few weeks. More complex or chronic conditions may take several months as deeper systems recalibrate and inflammation resolves.
6. Can this work alongside my current medications?
Yes. Functional Medicine integrates safely with ongoing medical treatments. We collaborate with your healthcare team when needed and ensure all recommendations support your current plan.
7. Do you treat mold illness or environmental toxicity?
Yes. We have extensive training in mold illness, mycotoxin detoxification, and environmental toxicity. Treatment plans are individualized and focus on detox pathways, mitochondrial repair, and immune regulation.