Functional medicine

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Functional medicine (FM) is a form of alternative medicine that encompasses a number of unproven and disproven methods and treatments.[1][2][3] It has been described as pseudoscience,[4] quackery,[5] and at its essence a rebranding of complementary and alternative medicine.[5] In the United States, FM practices have been ruled ineligible for course credits by the American Academy of Family Physicians because of concerns they may be harmful.[6][7]

Functional medicine was created by Jeffrey Bland,[8] who founded The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) in the early 1990s as part of one of his companies, HealthComm.[9] IFM, which promotes functional medicine, became a registered non-profit in 2001.[10] Mark Hyman became an IFM board member and prominent promoter.[8][10]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference sampson1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Sampson, Wallace (July 9, 2009). "Functional Medicine (FM) What Is It?". Science Based Medicine. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  3. ^ Pal, SK (March 2002). "Complementary and alternative medicine: An overview". Current Science. 82 (5): 518–24. JSTOR 24105958.
  4. ^ Hall, Harriet (2017). "Functional Medicine: Pseudoscientific Silliness". Skeptic. Vol. 22, no. 1. pp. 4–5.
  5. ^ a b Gorski, David (September 29, 2014). "Quackademia update: The Cleveland Clinic, George Washington University, and the continued infiltration of quackery into medical academia". Science-Based Medicine. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference bel1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference bel2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b "Functional medicine: Is it the future of healthcare or just another wellness trend?". independent. October 23, 2018. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  9. ^ Barrett, Stephen (September 11, 2013). "Some Notes on Jeffrey Bland and Metagenics". Quackwatch. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Institute for Functional Medicine 2001 tax forms". ProPublica. May 9, 2013.