A physician’s perspective
Your health is more than a generated answer.
Functional medicine, AI health tools, and the value of being heard. A guide from Dr. Michele Burklund for choosing your next step with intention.
A few useful answers
More information. A more personal conversation.
Useful questions when you are considering functional health testing, an AI-generated protocol, or working with a physician.
What is an alternative to an AI functional health plan?
One option is physician-guided care that begins with a detailed history and your priorities. Another useful starting point is a conversation with your existing clinician before buying a panel or adopting a protocol. Explore private care with Dr. Michele Burklund to learn about availability and fit.
How is a naturopathic physician different from an AI health tool?
A physician can assess your individual situation, examine you when needed, interpret findings in context, discuss options, and arrange follow-up or additional specialist care. AI can help explain terms or prepare questions. The quality of an explanation alone does not establish a diagnosis.
Can I bring AI suggestions or self-ordered labs to an appointment?
Bring the original reports, a symptom timeline, a list of everything you take, and the questions you want answered. Include the AI suggestions you are considering. This gives the conversation a concrete starting point and makes assumptions easier to examine.
What should I ask before paying for a large functional lab panel?
Ask what question each test answers, whether it has a validated use for your situation, how results could change care, the total cost, and who will help with interpretation and follow-up. More measurements do not necessarily produce a clearer plan.
Can traditional medicine and spirituality belong in evidence-informed care?
Yes. My work leaves room for botanical knowledge, lived experience, ritual, and the meaning we find in nature. I also want to be precise about what a clinical study establishes and what comes from tradition or personal experience. Respect for one does not require pretending they are the same kind of evidence.
Where should I begin if grief and hormonal change are both affecting me?
Begin with the story of what has changed. Visit Grief Medicine for the experience of loss and The Feminine for perimenopause and women’s health. If you need personal assessment, enquire about private care.