Before your consultation
Prepare for a functional medicine consultation:bring the useful information, not everything.
Preparation should make the first consultation easier to use. Bring the questionnaire, relevant records, medicines and supplements, and only the samples you have specifically been asked to collect.
Preparation starts with the information you already have.
Before a functional medicine consultation, gather the records that help the doctor understand your history without reconstructing everything from memory. Before your first visit, the practice sends preparation information. Bring your completed medical and lifestyle history questionnaire and relevant records. [1]
Bring only samples you have specifically been asked to collect. There is no universal instruction on this page to fast, stop medicines or collect a routine sample before every consultation.
The aim is to give the doctor a clear starting point. You do not need to arrive with a diagnosis or a perfectly organised medical file.
Bring the completed medical and lifestyle history questionnaire and relevant records.
Bring samples only when the practice has specifically asked you to collect them.
Which records are most useful?
Prioritise documents that help explain the current problem or prevent work being repeated. These may include recent blood results, scan or imaging reports, hospital or specialist letters, discharge summaries and a list of important diagnoses.
If you have years of records, you do not need to print everything. Put the most relevant documents first and bring older information when it explains the timeline or a previous diagnosis.
Do not worry if you cannot obtain every record before the appointment. Tell the doctor what is missing and where it came from. The first consultation can still identify which information would be useful to obtain later.
Bring an accurate medicines and supplements list.
Write down prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, herbal products and other supplements. Include the dose and how often you take each one if you know it.
Do not stop a prescribed medicine simply because you are attending a functional medicine consultation. If a medicine may affect a test or treatment decision, that should be discussed with the clinician responsible for the plan.
If you have had a recent medicine change, note when it changed and why. This can help the doctor decide whether a new symptom or laboratory result needs to be interpreted in that context.
Write a short symptom timeline.
A one-page timeline can make the consultation easier to follow. Start with the first important change, then add major symptoms, diagnoses, treatments and investigations in date order.
Use approximate dates if needed. Include what changed, what made symptoms better or worse and how the problem affects everyday life. Avoid trying to interpret every event as a cause before the appointment.
The timeline is a prompt, not a replacement for the medical history. It helps the doctor see the order of events and decide what needs more detail.
Choose two or three questions you most want answered.
Long medical histories can contain many concerns. Writing down your priorities helps the appointment focus on the decisions that matter most to you.
- What symptom or problem is having the biggest effect on daily life?
- Which previous test or diagnosis do you not understand?
- Are you worried about a medicine, supplement or treatment plan?
- Are you trying to decide whether more testing is useful?
- Is there a referral or specialist opinion you need to discuss?
You can bring more questions, but identifying the most important ones helps the doctor explain what can reasonably be covered in one visit and what may need a separate follow-up.
Do you need to fast or prepare for tests before the consultation?
Not unless you have been given a specific instruction. Follow the instructions sent for your appointment. Fasting, samples and further tests depend on what has been requested for you.
If the practice has asked you to collect a sample or follow a specific instruction, use the instructions sent for your appointment. If anything is unclear, ask before changing medicines, fasting or collecting a sample.
The first consultation can also decide that no additional test is needed.
Do not create your own test preparation plan.
Preparation depends on the test. Follow the instruction for the actual test rather than advice copied from a different laboratory or condition.
What changes for a video or telephone consultation?
Request a remote appointment through the practice's appointment page. The practice then confirms the appointment by email and includes attendance instructions. [2]
Before a remote consultation, check that you can access the email instructions and have a private place to talk. Keep your records and medicine list nearby.
Check your confirmation email for instructions on how to join. Some examinations and procedures require an in-person appointment.
On the day, bring the essentials.
| Bring or prepare | Why it helps | What not to assume |
|---|---|---|
| Completed questionnaire | Gives the doctor a structured medical and lifestyle history. | It does not replace the consultation or examination. |
| Relevant records | Shows what has already been investigated and reduces unnecessary repetition. | A normal old result does not answer every new question. |
| Medicine and supplement list | Helps identify treatment effects, interactions and monitoring needs. | Do not stop medicines before the visit unless specifically advised. |
| Requested sample only | Lets the practice use a sample that has actually been requested for your care. | Do not collect routine samples that were not requested. |
| Your priorities | Keeps the consultation focused on the questions that matter most. | You do not need to arrive with your own diagnosis. |
For the wider consultation sequence, read what happens at your first functional medicine consultation.
What patients say about the consultation experience.
Patient reviews can help you understand how a consultation feels. They do not prove that a diagnosis will be found or that a treatment will work.
Individual reviews reflect personal experiences and do not predict diagnosis, treatment response or outcome.
“patient, understanding and kind”
Google reviewer
“warm and compassionate bedside manner”
Google reviewer
“takes incredible care to get to know her patients”
Google reviewer
Common questions
What should I bring to a functional medicine consultation?
Bring your completed medical and lifestyle history questionnaire, relevant medical records, and a current list of medicines and supplements. Bring samples only if the practice has specifically asked you to collect them. A short symptom timeline and two or three priority questions can also make the consultation easier to structure.
Do I need to fast before a functional medicine consultation?
Fasting is not a universal requirement for a first consultation. Fast only if you have been given a specific instruction for a particular test or appointment. Do not stop medicines or change eating patterns just to prepare unless the responsible clinician has advised it.
Should I stop supplements before the appointment?
Do not stop prescribed medicines or supplements simply because you are attending the consultation. Bring a complete list, including doses where possible. If a supplement or medicine affects a planned test or creates a safety concern, the clinician can explain what to do in the context of the actual test or treatment.
Which medical records are useful to bring?
Prioritise recent test results, imaging reports, specialist letters, discharge summaries and records that explain the main symptom or diagnosis. You do not need to print your entire lifetime record. If important records are missing, tell the doctor where they came from so the next step can be planned.
What happens if my consultation is online?
Request your remote appointment through the practice's appointment page. Confirmation and attendance instructions are sent by email. Keep your records and medicine list available and make sure you have a private place to talk. Check the email for the details of how to join. [2]
Should I collect samples before my first appointment?
Only when the practice has specifically asked you to do so. Bring only the samples you have been asked to collect. There is no routine sample list for every patient. Follow the exact instructions sent for your own appointment. [1]
Medical sources and further reading
- Dr Stavy: Your first functional medicine consultation. Current staging process page supporting the first-visit preparation workflow.
- Dr Stavy Experience Input EI008: remote appointment request and emailed instructions. Owner-adopted public operational source for the remote appointment request and email-confirmation workflow.
- NHS: When to call 999. Explains when urgent or emergency care should take priority over a routine appointment.
Arrive with the facts you have and the questions that matter.
A clear timeline, current medicine list and relevant records give the consultation a useful starting point.