AURA FAQ

Yes, absolutely. But let’s clear up the confusion.

Functional medicine is a approach to medicine, not a separate degree. Our functional medicine practitioners are licensed medical doctors (MDs), osteopathic physicians (DOs), or other licensed healthcare professionals who’ve completed additional specialized training in functional medicine through accredited programs like the Institute for Functional Medicine.

They have the same medical education as conventional doctors, plus hundreds of additional hours studying nutrition, systems biology, environmental medicine, and root-cause diagnostics. They can diagnose, order tests, prescribe medications when needed, and practice medicine the same as any other physician.

The difference? They choose to spend 45-60 minutes understanding your complete health story instead of rushing through a 7-minute appointment to write a prescription. They’re trained to see patterns conventional medicine misses.

At AURA, our medical team includes board-certified physicians with extensive functional medicine training. Real doctors. Real credentials. Just a smarter approach to healing.

Conventional Medicine: “You have knee arthritis. Here’s an anti-inflammatory and a cortisone shot. Come back in 6 months for another injection. Eventually, you’ll need surgery.”

Functional Medicine: “You have knee arthritis. Let’s find out why. Your advanced lab work shows severe gut inflammation and leaky gut, which is driving systemic inflammation throughout your body. Your vitamin D is critically low, affecting bone health and immune function. Your cortisol is dysregulated from chronic stress, preventing tissue repair. Let’s address these root causes while using regenerative medicine to repair the joint damage.”

See the difference?

Conventional medicine excels at acute care, emergencies, and managing symptoms. It’s reactive and often fragmented—you see different specialists for different body parts, and nobody’s connecting the dots.

Functional medicine is proactive, investigative, and holistic. We treat your body as an interconnected system, not isolated parts. We ask “why” instead of just “what.” And we use cutting-edge diagnostics that conventional medicine doesn’t even know exist.

The result? You’re not managing a condition for life. You’re actually resolving it.

The process is straightforward but thorough:

Step 1: Deep Dive Assessment We spend real time understanding your complete health history. Every symptom, every past diagnosis, your diet, stress levels, sleep quality, environmental exposures, past traumas—everything matters. We’re looking for patterns.

Step 2: Advanced Functional Testing We run comprehensive labs that go way beyond standard bloodwork. Depending on your case: comprehensive metabolic panels, hormone testing, gut microbiome analysis, nutrient deficiency testing, food sensitivity panels, heavy metal screening, inflammatory markers, genetic testing, and more. We’re gathering data conventional doctors never look at.

Step 3: Root Cause Analysis Our team analyzes all this information to identify the underlying dysfunctions driving your symptoms. Usually, there are multiple interconnected issues. We map them all out.

Step 4: Personalized Protocol We design a targeted treatment plan addressing each root cause. This might include nutrition interventions, targeted supplementation, lifestyle modifications, stress management protocols, detoxification support, hormone balancing, and gut healing—combined with regenerative therapies where appropriate.

Step 5: Monitor and Adjust We track your progress with follow-up testing and adjust the protocol as your body heals. Functional medicine is dynamic, not static.

The timeline? Most people see significant improvements within 3-6 months, though complex chronic conditions may take longer.

Yes, if they’re licensed physicians (MD or DO), they can prescribe anything a conventional doctor can prescribe.

But here’s what makes functional medicine different: medication is viewed as a tool, not the solution.

If you need thyroid medication, antibiotics for an acute infection, or hormone replacement, we’ll prescribe it. We’re not anti-medication. But we’re not going to just hand you a prescription and send you on your way.

The goal is to address the root cause so you eventually don’t need the medication. If you’re on blood pressure medication, we’re investigating why your blood pressure is high and fixing that—with the hope of reducing or eliminating the medication over time (under medical supervision, obviously).

We also use medications differently than conventional doctors. Instead of high-dose pharmaceuticals with side effects, we often use bioidentical hormones, peptides, low-dose naltrexone, and other functional medicine tools that work with your body’s healing mechanisms, not against them.

The prescription pad is available. We just don’t lead with it.

Usually no, and here’s why that’s actually not terrible news.

Most insurance companies don’t cover functional medicine because it doesn’t fit their billing model. They pay for 7-minute symptom management appointments, not 60-minute root-cause investigations. They reimburse for prescriptions, not for fixing why you need the prescription.

The reality:

• Initial functional medicine consultations and follow-ups are typically out-of-pocket
• Some advanced lab testing might be covered depending on your plan
• HSA/FSA funds can often be used for functional medicine services
• If you have a PPO plan, you might be able to submit for partial reimbursement (no guarantees)

Why this might actually be better: When insurance isn’t involved, we’re not constrained by their protocols. We can spend the time you need, order the tests that actually matter, and design treatment based on what works, not what some administrator approves. You’re getting real personalized medicine, not cookie-cutter guidelines.

At AURA, we provide transparent pricing upfront. You know exactly what you’re paying for and why. No insurance runaround, no surprise bills, no fighting for coverage. Just medicine that works.

Mainly because it threatens the status quo.

The conventional medicine establishment doesn’t like functional medicine because:

• It exposes how much conventional care misses by not investigating root causes
• It questions the “pill for every problem” pharmaceutical model
• It requires doctors to spend time with patients (which doesn’t fit the insurance-driven 7-minute appointment model)
• It uses cutting-edge testing and treatments that aren’t yet mainstream

The skeptics say: “There’s no evidence!” (Actually, there’s tons of peer-reviewed research, they just haven’t read it) “It’s not FDA-approved!” (Neither is aspirin for everything it treats, yet here we are) “It’s expensive!” (Compared to what? A lifetime of managing symptoms with medications?)

The truth: Functional medicine is evidence-based, scientifically grounded, and rooted in understanding human physiology at a deep level. The controversy comes from challenging a broken system that profits from chronic disease management rather than actual healing.

Is every functional medicine practitioner great? No, just like every conventional doctor isn’t great. But the approach of investigating root causes and treating the whole person? That’s just common sense dressed up in advanced diagnostics.

We’re controversial because we get results where conventional medicine fails. And that’s threatening to a multi-trillion-dollar sick-care industry.

This is where functional medicine absolutely shines.

Conventional medicine’s approach to autoimmune disease: “Your immune system is attacking your body. Here are immunosuppressants to shut it down. You’ll probably need them for life.”

Functional medicine’s approach: “Your immune system is reacting to something. Let’s find out what. Is it gut dysfunction? Chronic infections? Environmental toxins? Food sensitivities? Then let’s address those triggers so your immune system can calm down naturally.”

Conditions that respond remarkably well to functional medicine:

• Autoimmune conditions (Hashimoto’s, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, MS)
• Chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia
• Digestive disorders (IBS, SIBO, colitis)
• Hormonal imbalances (PCOS, thyroid dysfunction, menopause issues)
• Metabolic syndrome and diabetes
• Chronic inflammation
• Neurological issues (brain fog, migraines, mood disorders)
• Skin conditions (eczema, psoriasis, acne)

We’re not promising cures, but we consistently see people who’ve been told “there’s nothing we can do” or “you’ll just have to manage this forever” achieve remission or dramatic improvement when we address the root causes.

At AURA, we combine functional medicine diagnostics with regenerative therapies. So if autoimmune inflammation has damaged your joints, we heal the gut driving the inflammation and regenerate the joint tissue. Both sides of the equation.

Functional medicine testing goes way beyond standard bloodwork. We’re looking at markers conventional medicine ignores because they’re not diagnosing disease yet—they’re showing dysfunction before it becomes disease.

Types of testing we commonly use:

Comprehensive Blood Panels: Not just “is your cholesterol high,” but detailed metabolic function, inflammatory markers, nutrient levels, hormone balance, thyroid optimization (not just TSH), liver function, immune markers, and more.

Advanced Gut Testing: Microbiome analysis, SIBO breath tests, intestinal permeability (leaky gut), digestive enzyme function, parasite screening. Your gut health affects literally everything.

Hormone Panels: Complete male/female hormone profiles, cortisol rhythm testing, thyroid antibodies, sex hormone binding globulin. We’re looking at how everything is balanced and talking to each other.

Nutrient Testing: Vitamin deficiencies, mineral imbalances, omega-3/omega-6 ratios, amino acid profiles. You can’t heal without the raw materials.

Food Sensitivity Testing: Not allergies (IgE), but sensitivities (IgG) that cause chronic inflammation. Game-changer for many people.

Toxin and Heavy Metal Screening: Environmental toxins, mold exposure, heavy metals that interfere with cellular function.

Genetic Testing: Not for disease prediction, but for understanding your genetic strengths and weaknesses. How you detoxify, metabolize nutrients, respond to stress, etc.

Specialty Testing: Mitochondrial function, oxidative stress markers, methylation status, and other advanced diagnostics depending on your case.

The cost? Varies widely depending on what testing is needed. We only order tests that will change your treatment approach. No unnecessary expenses.

Because you’re tired of being told “your labs are normal” when you feel terrible.

Because managing symptoms for the rest of your life isn’t acceptable to you.

Because you want actual answers about why your body stopped working properly.

Here’s what makes AURA’s functional medicine approach different:

We combine it with regenerative medicine. Most functional medicine clinics can identify root causes but have limited tools to repair damage. We can both stop what’s breaking you and regenerate what’s already broken.

We’re not dogmatic. Some functional medicine practitioners are anti-everything (anti-medication, anti-conventional medicine, anti-technology). We use the best of all worlds: functional diagnostics + regenerative therapies + conventional medicine when appropriate + cutting-edge biohacking. Whatever works.

We have a complete treatment toolset. Once we identify your root causes, we can address them immediately: IV therapy for nutrient repletion, peptides for specific signaling, EBOO for detoxification, gut-healing protocols, hormone optimization, and yes, medications when needed.

Everything is under one roof. You’re not running between different providers for different pieces of your care. One team, one location, one cohesive approach.

We’re transparent about what we don’t know. Functional medicine isn’t magic, and we won’t pretend we can fix everything. But for the conditions we excel with, the results speak for themselves.

If you’ve been bouncing between specialists with no answers, or managing a chronic condition that’s slowly getting worse, functional medicine might be exactly what you’ve been looking for.

It’s not alternative medicine. It’s just better medicine.