Chapter 00

“This page exists so that a woman who has spent three years being told she is fine can read the first section and recognise her own life in it.”

— Dr. Ryan Loveland

Functional Medicine · Mason, Ohio

Functional medicine for people who were told they are fine.

When the standard panel stops at normal, the work is to ask what was measured, what was not, and how the results fit the life you are living. Functional medicine at Optimal Wellness Clinic in Mason, Ohio, serving greater Cincinnati.

Start simple: the free blood panel starts the conversation. Go deeper: the Root Cause Panel explores the wider picture.

Typical annual physicalWhat gets measured
CBC and metabolic panelMeasured
Basic thyroid markerMeasured
Standard lipid panelMeasured
Full thyroid pictureNot measured
Fasting insulinNot measured
Inflammation patternsNot measured
Nutrient statusNot measured
Sex hormone contextNot measured
Symptoms read togetherNot measured

Normal is a reference range. It is not the whole story.

Recognition

How many of these are you living with?

You wake tired after a full night of sleep.

Your weight changed without a clear explanation.

Your cycle, mood, focus, or temperature no longer feels predictable.

You have been reassured by normal results but do not feel well.

The practice

The difference is in how information is read.

Standard visitFunctional medicine
A symptom at a timePatterns across systems
Basic rangesUseful context and trends
Short-term answerA sequenced plan
The result aloneThe result beside your history

Care in context

The visit connects more than a lab result.

Your history shapes the clinical question. Testing is selected for that question, then read beside symptoms, medications, routines, and what has already been tried.

  • 01

    History before assumptions

  • 02

    Testing with a clear purpose

  • 03

    Priorities ordered into a workable sequence

A patient and clinician reviewing lab information together

Scope of care

What we can look at together.

Thyroid

Read a fuller thyroid picture beside energy, temperature, and symptom patterns.

Insulin resistance

Connect glucose and insulin patterns to appetite, energy, and metabolic health.

Inflammation

Look for clinically useful patterns without treating one marker as a verdict.

Hormone health

Place hormone results beside life stage, symptoms, sleep, and personal risk.

Digestive health

Trace digestive concerns through history, nutrition, medication, and useful testing.

Fatigue and energy

Separate the overlapping clues behind persistent fatigue and changing energy.

Sleep

Consider sleep as both a symptom and a driver of the wider health picture.

Nutrient status

Check selected nutrients when the result can change a practical decision.

Medical weight loss

Build medication, metabolism, protein, and strength into one supported plan.

DNA-guided care

Use genetic tendencies as context for action, never as a diagnosis.

Coaching and training

Turn the clinical plan into realistic protein, movement, and strength habits.

Red light therapy

Add a calm in-clinic wellness session where it fits the broader routine.

Why people come

The concern is often more than one thing.

FatigueBrain fogWeight changesPoor sleepCycle changesLow moodDigestive symptomsLow libidoThyroid questionsInsulin resistance

Functional medicine testing

Lab work that adds useful context.

A clinician reviewing hormone patterns beside a symptom notebook

Hormones

Patterns across cycle, symptoms, and life stage.

Blood samples and an abstract metabolic laboratory report

Metabolic

Glucose, insulin, lipids, and related context.

A clinician comparing a thyroid reference with broader laboratory results

Thyroid

A broader thyroid picture when clinically useful.

A nutrient laboratory report beside a sample and unbranded supplements

Nutrients

Selected markers tied to the question at hand.

What changes

Information becomes a sequence.

01

The question gets clearer

We name what the testing is meant to help answer.

02

The results get context

A number is read beside symptoms, history, and medications.

03

The priorities get ordered

The plan starts with what matters most.

04

The plan can change

Follow-up makes room for response and new information.

A plan is only as good as what happens after you leave. Where nutrition or training is part of your protocol, a coach stays with you between visits — the same support built into every service here, not an extra step.

Epilogue

And then, every day.

A functional medicine plan is only as good as what happens after you leave. Where nutrition, movement, or a protocol is part of yours, the daily guide carries it — one question a day, one next step, a person to escalate to — so the plan you built in the room is the plan you live on Tuesday.

Ways to begin

Start with the support you need.

Existing Lab Review

Bring recent results for a focused, contextual review. Current pricing is discussed before you book.

Book a review

The process

Five steps, in the right order.

01

Your history

What changed, what has been tried, and what remains unresolved.

02

The clinical question

We decide what we are trying to understand.

03

Selected testing

Only testing that can add useful information.

04

The review

Results read in context, with room for questions.

05

Your plan

Clear next steps with follow-up where useful.

Before your visit

Bring the pieces that help tell the story.

You do not need to organize your health perfectly before you arrive. Recent results, a current medication and supplement list, and a rough timeline can make the first conversation more useful.

  • 01

    Recent lab work or relevant records

  • 02

    Current medications and supplements

  • 03

    A simple timeline of changes, questions, and prior care

Lab records and a symptom timeline prepared for a functional medicine visit

Questions

A few things worth knowing first.

What is functional medicine?

It evaluates patterns across history, symptoms, medications, lifestyle, and lab work. It does not replace appropriate conventional care.

Is the Root Cause Panel a diagnosis?

No. Testing supplies information for clinical review. A result by itself is not a diagnosis.

What is included in the Root Cause Panel?

The panel combines expanded lab work with a dedicated review so results can be read together and next steps discussed.

Can I book only a lab review?

Yes. Bring existing recent lab work for a focused review in context. Current pricing is discussed before you book.

Will you work with my current provider?

Yes. Functional medicine can sit alongside appropriate primary and specialty care.

How much does it cost?

Our programs are membership style: one monthly price that covers your medical care, your medication where it applies, and the support around it, with HSA and FSA accepted and financing available. We are finalizing pricing as we bring new services online, so the numbers are laid out in one place, your free visit, where every cost is explained before you commit to anything. Clear costs before care begins is a promise we keep in person.

What happens when I stop the medication? Will I regain the weight?

This is the number one question in weight loss, and it is the one our whole clinic is built around. Research is clear that when medication stops and nothing else has changed, weight tends to come back. That is why we focus on protein, strength, and habits from day one, and why our support does not end when a prescription does. Our goal is for the medication to be a chapter of your story, not the whole book.

Do I have to come into the office?

No. Everything we do—visits, labs, coaching, and community—works from wherever you are. Labs are drawn at a location near you and visits happen by telehealth. If you are near Mason you get a bonus, a real front door and faces you will recognize, but distance never limits your care.

What happens at the free blood panel?

Simple. We order a blood panel, you stop by a LabCorp location near you for a quick draw, and about a week later we meet for a free 15-minute telehealth visit where we walk through what your labs are saying in plain language. If you decide to do nothing more, you owe nothing, and you will still understand your body better than you did.

Is hormone therapy safe?

For the right woman, at the right dose, with the right monitoring, hormone therapy is one of the best-studied tools we have for how women feel in midlife, and the science has come a long way since the frightening headlines of twenty years ago. It is not right for everyone, which is exactly why we start with labs, your history, and an honest conversation about your personal risks and benefits before anything is prescribed. Safety is not a yes or no, it is a process, and we take it seriously.

How fast can I start?

Usually faster than people expect. Consultations are typically available the next day, and depending on the medication and your labs, treatment can often begin the same day or within the week. The slowest part of getting started is usually deciding to.

Will you judge me if I have failed at this before?

No, and we mean that literally. Most of the people we care for have tried many times—with willpower, with programs, with apps—and the failure was never a character flaw. It was a plan that ignored biology. You bring the history, we bring the science, and we start from where you are, not from where a chart says you should be.

Do I need a separate app to track my doses, food, and workouts?

The app is included with the clinic’s support-tier programs and available as a standalone membership for everyone else. Tracking and support come with your clinic program, so you do not have to assemble them yourself.

Related reading: your labs are “normal” and you still feel awful.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Ryan Loveland. Last reviewed September 7, 2026.

Next step

You are allowed to ask for a fuller picture.

You do not need to arrive with the answer. Bring the history, the questions, and what has not felt right.

Google rating4.8 · 59 reviewsLocal careCaring for Mason since 2023Patient experienceAbout 2,000 patients cared forClinical leadershipNurse practitioner since 2013Clinical backgroundEmergency, urgent care & Cincinnati Children’s experience

Start simple: the free blood panel starts the conversation. Go deeper: the Root Cause Panel explores the wider picture.