Diabetes: Functional Medicine Approach Vs. Usual Care

A Functional Medicine (FM) approach to diabetes care focuses on identifying and treating the etiologies for "imbalances in the core physiological systems."(1) If underlying triggers and imbalances can be identified, the FM approach to addressing "root causes"(1) can be utilized through the use of specialized testing to treat and potentially reverse diabetes. If the FM approach is successful, the impact on diabetes disease burden as well as diabetes-associated health care costs could be significant. This project will assess the clinical as well as cost effectiveness of a FM approach to diabetes care compared to a usual care approach for patients with diabetes on insulin for 5 years or less.