Functional medicine testing
Start with your story. Understand which tests may help, why they matter and what they cost before you decide.
You can bring the questions, even if you do not yet know which test to ask for.
Dr Stavy reviews the history, existing results and current treatment before considering more tests.
Functional medicine remains integrated with conventional and specialist care.
Meet Dr Stavy →Before a new test, ask:
General principles for choosing tests. Research source [1]
Start with a functional medicine consultation. You do not need to choose a test package before getting in touch.
Laboratory tests are charged separately. Ask about the cost of any proposed test and any appointment to discuss the result.
View the published consultation fees →Functional medicine consultation
From£200
Contact the practice to confirm availability and the fee for your appointment.
Request an appointmentPrefer to call? 020 8040 4744
Functional medicine testing means choosing tests as part of a medical assessment. It is not one test or a set panel for everyone. Dr Stavy starts by reviewing your history and past results. Each new test needs a clear purpose, clear limits and a plan for how to use the result. [1]
Explore functional medicine consultations →No fixed test list applies to everyone. Dr Stavy reviews your history, past results and current treatment first. A new test should help answer a question or change the next step. Talk through what you already know and what remains unclear before deciding which tests, if any, you need. [1]
The best test is one that suits the question being asked. A high price, a specialist name or a long report does not prove that it is better. Ask how well the test works, what the result would mean for you and how it could help choose the next step. [1]
Not always. A result outside a reference range may reflect a health problem, a normal change or something that affected the sample. Your doctor needs to weigh it up with the reason for the test and the other findings. A highlighted number is not, on its own, a diagnosis. [1]
Yes. Dr Stavy reviews past results as part of the assessment. Bring the report you have, with the lab details and reference ranges if you can. Add relevant clinic letters and a list of your medicines. The review will look at what is already known and what still needs to be asked.
Lab tests cost extra. Functional medicine consultations start from £200. That is the starting fee for a consultation, not a testing package. Ask about the price of the test and any fee to discuss the results before you agree. You can find the published consultation prices on the fees page.
Ask when to expect the result for the test and lab being used. Before giving a sample, check who will receive and review the report and how you will hear about it. You should also know whom to contact if the result has not arrived by the time you were given.
More tests can turn up findings that are unclear or unrelated to the problem. The purpose and limits of each test matter. [1]
Bring the results and clinic letters you already have. Include a list of your medicines and supplements. A test from another doctor or lab is part of that history. Having an old report does not, on its own, mean that the test needs to be done again. [1]
Good test choices draw on the history, examination and past findings together. More tests may be useful. But a long list of measurements cannot take the place of a medical assessment. [1]
A useful test helps answer a medical question. It may help find a cause, assess a risk or check how care is working. But a test can measure something well and still be of little use. The key question is whether the result could help choose the next step. [1]
There are three points to check. Can the lab measure this well? Does that measure tell us something about the problem in question? Would knowing it help us decide what to do? A test needs more than a precise number to be useful in care. [1]
Scott and colleagues explain why the chance of a disease matters when choosing a test. So does the way the test works. What would a positive or negative result change? Their paper looks at both too much testing and too little. Missing a test that is needed can cause harm too. [1]
The practice offers selected blood, functional and genetic tests through external labs. The choice depends on the assessment. The table explains groups of tests you may hear about. It is not a list of tests you need or a promise that the practice offers every example.
A biomarker is a measurable sign used to help assess health. The practice’s published services include selected hormone, metabolic and nutritional measurements.
A reading needs to be linked to a clinical question and interpreted with the relevant history. A flagged number alone does not establish a diagnosis. [1]
A more focused investigation may be discussed when a specific question remains.
“Specialist” describes the investigation, not proof that it is more useful than a standard test. The likely benefit and possible harms still need assessment. [1]
These describe features of the microbes in a sample. They are included here because patients may encounter them when exploring testing.
Evidence of broad clinical usefulness is limited. An international consensus statement cautions about commercial testing without established clinical value. [3]
Genetic tests examine variation in DNA. The clinical question and the kind of report matter.
Consumer raw-data interpretations can need clinical confirmation. Findings from a selected confirmation study cannot be used as an error rate for all genetic testing. [4]
Hormone tests, food allergy tests, breath tests and genetic reports each raise their own questions. Ask how a test fits your symptoms and history. Its name or sales description cannot prove that you have a disease.
A test adds a piece of evidence. It may make a disease seem more or less likely. The reason for the test and the other findings still matter. No test answers every question. A normal result does not rule out every cause of symptoms that persist. [1]
These limits help explain why a result needs to be read in context. [1]
A result close to the edge of a range can have more than one cause. It may reflect normal changes or something that affected the sample. Ask what it means for you. Does it need a check, a further test or a review? The colour of a number on a report cannot decide this. [1]
More tests can turn up more findings that are unclear or unrelated to the problem. These may lead to more tests, more visits, cost and worry. They may not help with the reason you first sought care. Tests are still important when there is a sound reason to use them. [1]
Müskens and colleagues reviewed studies of test overuse across healthcare. They found large differences between tests and settings. The review shows why needless testing matters. It does not tell us how often a given functional medicine test is needed. It did not study care at this practice. [2]
A detailed report on gut microbes does not, by itself, show how to improve care. Porcari and colleagues describe limited evidence that these profiles help in clinical practice. Their statement also calls for clearer standards. It does not show that a profile can find the cause of every gut symptom or choose a treatment that works. [3]
Before you agree to a test, ask why it is being offered and what its limits are. Check the full cost and what giving a sample involves. Find out who will act on the result. The answers need to fit the test being discussed. [1]
Where a test is appropriate, the practice uses external labs. Ask which lab will do the work, how to prepare and when to expect the result. These details need to be confirmed for the test you are considering.
Functional medicine consultations start from £200. Lab tests cost extra. The starting fee covers a consultation, not a test package. See functional medicine fees and costs. Before you agree, ask about the price of the test and any fee to discuss the result.
Sources accessed on 6 September 2026. These papers discuss testing in healthcare. They do not report outcomes from this practice.
Ask about a consultation in London or online. You do not need to choose a test before getting in touch.