Since 2006, I've had the privilege of practicing primary care, and early on, I recognized a significant gap in the implementation of personalized medicine. While the philosophy was widely discussed in internal medicine and pediatric circles, it often seemed confined to a "pill for every ill" mentality, which left me frustrated. I started my own practice with the hope of making a difference, but I quickly realized that there was something missing.

Discovering Functional Medicine

It was when I discovered functional medicine that everything began to change. The excitement I felt when I first learned about epigenetics and the root cause approach was one of the highlights of my life. It just felt right. With a little bit of being in the right place at right time, I was blessed to be part of the first graduating class of the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) and went on to become a speaker with IFM, a role that has allowed me to share my passion and knowledge with other practitioners.

The Growing Need for Functional Medicine

Over the years, I’ve seen how the world increasingly needs functional medicine. Chronic diseases and mental health disorders are on the rise, and conventional approaches often fall short. Functional medicine has made some incredible headway—there’s even a center of functional medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, founded by Dr. Mark Hyman and Dr. Patrick Hanaway. These milestones are significant, but they’re just the beginning.

Our Mission at FMP Essentials

Our mission at FMP Essentials is to show practitioners an evidence-based approach to personalized, lifestyle-focused medicine. We must ensure that our name and this approach are not hijacked by those who don’t practice evidence-based medicine. We also believe that success in medicine doesn’t have to be an either-or choice between conventional and functional practices. I will never forget what one of my mentors, Dr. Michael Stone said to me years ago, “Functional medicine is just the lens we use to look at the patient.”

Understanding the Functional Medicine Lens

For those new to the concept, this lens involves understanding the seven underlying systems that may be off balance and working upstream to address these issues through lifestyle changes that can influence gene expression. All these principles are grounded in current scientific literature. I still remember when I heard Dr. David Perlmutter (another mentor of mine) say that he learned more about medicine from his veterinarian than from medical school because the first question his vet asked was, “What is your dog eating?” My mind flashed back to thousands of patient encounters and realized I couldn’t recall a single instance where a practitioner asked a patient what they were eating when they weren't feeling well.

The Challenge of Application

There are many institutions and resources available for functional medicine education, and we need and encourage them. However, there seems to be a persistent challenge—the application of that knowledge in practice. What do we do Monday morning with that information? How do we keep applying that information when it seems like everything is stacked against our mission? That’s why FMP Essentials was founded. We need a community of like-minded individuals, a collective that helps practitioners not just learn functional medicine but flourish by using its lens.

The Key to Success: Mastery

What I’ve found is that beyond marketing, beyond aesthetics, and beyond any showmanship, the key to success lies in mastery. We need not only a solid foundation but also a commitment to continuous learning and growth. We must stay updated with the latest science and apply it in our practices. Our mission here at FMP Essentials is to help our functional medicine practitioner colleagues achieve success in all aspects of their lives through mastery of functional medicine. This mastery is a journey, and I am honored that so many choose FMP Essentials as an essential element of their path. I am not alone in this journey. I’ve been guided and supported by countless practitioners—too many to name—and I am deeply honored to now be a part of the journey of others. 

Welcome to Our Community

For those of you who are new to our community, I would like to welcome you with open arms. If you're a practitioner just discovering functional medicine, I invite you to open your eyes, mind, and heart. For those who are not practitioners, I hope you will become a functional medicine champion or advocate and help us make the world a better place. Who knows, one day you or your loved one may become a practitioner yourself—and I encourage you to be a functional one!

Join Our Mission

If you’re ready to take your practice to the next level, I invite you to join our mailing list to stay updated with the latest in functional medicine. You'll also get exclusive access to resources and early information about our upcoming courses and mastermind program, designed to help you master functional medicine and achieve success in all aspects of your life and practice.

-Yousef Elyaman, MD, IFMCP

Founder of FMP Essentials