Things to expect when seeing a functional medicine doctor is knowing that they are going to go very in-depth with you regarding your medical history, family medical history, your current illnesses, any treatments you have tried previously, medications you have taken, and how they have worked for you, your current lifestyle including exercise and diet, sleeping patterns, your relationships, anything that worsens your symptoms (stressors) and your overall emotional wellbeing. This may sound similar to what your regular doctor would go over with you, but when you are in the appointment, they will go very in-depth with these questions, whereas normal primary care physicians will just scratch the surface with these questions. The reason for the in-depth convection regarding everything about you, and your life, is because they want to understand how your condition affects you outside of the normal expectations. Those, for example, who have depression would normally just receive a prescription and be sent on their way, while a functional medicine doctor is going to look at all the symptoms your depression is causing, how it is affecting your daily life, if it is affecting your relationships, and how previous medications have worked and any other things you have done to manage the depression. They may also do hormone or blood tests to look for certain underlying causes for your depression, to make sure that their treatment plan is ideal for your biology and situation.