As more and more health information becomes available to us through advanced testing, new technology, and wearable tracking, people are becoming interested in their health in a whole new way. Patients seem to want a more comprehensive look at their health, more personalized insights, and to know what is going on with their body as a whole.
Instead of solely relying on visits to their primary care physician, patients are turning to health tracking wearables, booking additional testing, joining health membership programs, and walking into cash-pay clinics that promise to look “deeper.” Functional medicine, which focuses on treating the root cause of all disease instead of focusing on managing symptoms, has surged in popularity. And this trend is only accelerating.
Functional medicine is growing fast
In recent years, functional medicine has become part of mainstream conversation. And as the demand continues to grow, so do the practitioners who provide this type of care. A 2021 report showed that the average monthly job openings for functional medicine increased by 163% over the past year and the number of functional medicine trained physicians has grown by 96% in the past 5 years.
People are also looking beyond doctors’ offices and turning to social media groups to become informed through peers on root-cause–focused content. Influencers are dedicating their pages to speaking out on how they put chronic conditions into remission through diet and lifestyle modifications. Patients who are tired of their health concerns being brushed off as ”you’re just stressed” are heading into cash-pay integrative clinics for deeper testing of blood biomarkers and gut health. And people are taking their health into their own hands by tracking health through wearable devices and checking their tissues and organs with whole body MRIs.
Millennials and Gen Zers are spending more money than any generation on wellness endeavors, shelling out a collective $500 billion in annual spend on products and services. And as more personalized and targeted healthcare becomes available, people are focused not only on their current health but on longevity, with up to 60% of consumers reporting that healthy aging is a “top” or “very important” priority.
Related: The difference between health maintenance and health optimization
The unmet needs behind functional medicine
Consumers are drawn to functional and integrative care for a variety of reasons. Some of the more common ones include:
- They want more time with providers: Some reports have found the average visit with a primary care physician is only 17.4 minutes. And many patients admit that the visits with their doctors are even shorter, with one saying:
“I think every time I have had to see a doctor, whether a GP or a specialist, I always find every appointment ends in less than a couple of minutes with the doctor rushing as lightning fast as humanly possible, sometimes months after waiting for an appointment.”
In one survey, patients revealed the desire to prioritize more integrative practitioners since the providers “took time” and engaged with their full picture—physical, emotional, and spiritual. Functional doctors may spend an hour with their patients.
- They’re seeking answers to unexplained symptoms: Instead of being told to take some antacids for digestive relief, patients are looking for doctors to do a deep dive into their personalized gut microbiome and tell them what strains of probiotics they are in need of. They want to know how to put their bodies back in balance to help them feel their best and to reduce their risk of chronic conditions. Getting to the root cause of symptoms is a big reason why functional practitioners have become so appealing.
- They want tests that go deeper than the basics: With everything from at-home lab testing to membership-based bloodwork, people are learning there are far more blood biomarkers they can be testing for than the standard panel. They are embracing new health tech like whole body MRIs and personalized gut microbiome tests and discovering they can learn even more about their bodies as new exams emerge.
Related: What your bloodwork says about your health
- They dislike feeling dismissed: One survey showed that 94% of patients have felt that their doctor dismissed their symptoms or health concerns. Patients are in search of answers to reasons why they feel tired or bloated or sore; they’re over being told “you’re just stressed.” They want to know how to tweak their diets to reduce brain fog, the best type of exercise that supports their joint pain, and how to feel less bloated after their meals.
- They want context, not just “in range” numbers. Many people want to understand what their lab results or imaging truly mean for their long-term health—not just whether they’re within a certain “normal” range. They’re in search of more personalized explanations of how their lab results tie into their lifestyle habits and guidance on changes they can make to help their health improve.
Patients are craving agency and data
The growing demand of functional medicine shows how deeply people want to understand their health. We’ve all known someone whose cancer or type 2 diabetes diagnosis seemed to come out of nowhere. These types of experiences have made people more aware of how easily serious conditions can stay silent, and more interested in staying ahead of them.
Patients turning to more integrative medicine are looking for approaches that may give them more insight into their daily health. They want to understand their bodies on a personalized level and have the ability to adjust lifestyle habits in ways that make a meaningful difference.
Their goal is to get ahead of chronic conditions—or ward them off entirely— by tracking health markers over time and hopefully taking action earlier. Today’s patients are craving personalization over population-based norms and looking for tools that help them see what’s typical for their unique bodies. They want to keep tabs on how their health is changing so they can catch anything unusual before it becomes serious.
Functional insights via health tech
From wearables to whole body scans, patients are also embracing the latest health technology that enables them to get the deeper health insights they are craving. They don’t just want a basic lipid profile, they want a fuller picture of their heart health. They’re curious whether their daily habits align with their biological age, or if their brain volume looks typical for their decade of life. And instead of waiting for back pain to set in years down the line, they want to know now whether there may be early signs of disc changes that certain stretches or strength training could help.
This shift is creating a new kind of care that’s data-driven and proactive. Patients want a clearer picture of their health, a baseline they can track, and guidance on what their body may need to function better over time. It’s not about replacing traditional care. Patients are looking to enhance their traditional care with more personalized insights they can benefit from.
How Prenuvo can help
Prenuvo supports your goals for a deeper understanding of health with a whole body scan that can help detect hundreds of conditions before symptoms appear. And, advanced bloodwork can help look deeper than a typical panel, offering insights into areas like metabolic health, inflammation levels, and more.
With year-over-year tracking, Prenuvo can help you see how your body is changing over time.
To learn more about the benefits of whole body MRI and other Prenuvo services, book a call with a member of our care team.
