Functional medicine, conventional care and homeopathy
Dr Stavy offers more than one consultation model.The evidence and safety boundaries stay separate.
Dr Stavy’s practice offers functional medicine, holistic GP and homeopathy consultations. Functional medicine is intended to work alongside ordinary medical and specialist care. Each test, product or therapy still needs its own evidence.
Dr Stavy offers different consultation models, but they do not carry the same evidence.
The practice offers three separate types of consultation: functional medicine, private or holistic GP care, and homeopathy. They do not all have the same evidence for treating disease.
The practice states that functional medicine stays linked with conventional and specialist care. This describes how the service is organised. It does not prove that functional medicine or homeopathy works better than standard treatment.
This page keeps three questions separate. What is each consultation for? What evidence supports the proposed option? When should ordinary medical or specialist care come first?
What does “integrated with conventional care” mean?
Conventional care includes diagnosis, specialist treatment, prescribed medicines, screening and urgent care. These parts of care still matter when someone also chooses functional or complementary support.
A functional medicine consultation can review history, lifestyle, medicines and past results. It should not replace care for a diagnosed condition by default. It should not ask a patient to stop essential treatment without proper medical review.
NICE says people should be told the aims, benefits, risks and likely consequences of each option. This includes the option of making no change. [1] That approach works well when different types of care are being considered together.
Where does functional medicine fit?
Functional medicine can be used to review history, lifestyle, medicines, old tests and priorities. The value of that review depends on good medical reasoning. Each test or treatment still needs a clear reason.
The live functional medicine service page explains Dr Stavy’s main consultation pathway. This page does not repeat the whole service description. It focuses on how that model should remain connected to conventional care and how evidence boundaries are handled.
A test should not be chosen because it is labelled “functional”. Ask whether it is reliable, whether the result can be understood and whether it can change a real medical decision.
Where does a holistic GP consultation fit?
A GP consultation is still medical care. Symptoms, diagnoses, medicines, examination and referrals should follow normal clinical standards. Lifestyle, prevention and personal goals can be discussed as part of that care.
Calling a consultation “holistic” should not lower the evidence threshold for diagnosis or treatment. It should mean that the clinician considers the whole context without losing the discipline of medical assessment.
If a problem needs urgent care or a specialist, use that route first. A general integrative discussion should not delay it.
Where does homeopathy fit, and what are the evidence limits?
The practice offers homeopathy consultations. Current NHS medicines guidance says there is no good-quality evidence that homeopathy treats any health condition. [2] Offering the consultation does not prove that a homeopathic remedy treats disease.
NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service says there is no evidence of interactions between highly diluted homeopathic products and conventional medicines. Some mixed products also contain herbs or supplements. Check the full ingredient list, not only the word “homeopathic”. [2]
Advertising rules also restrict treatment claims. ASA/CAP guidance says robust evidence is required for efficacy claims and that essential medical treatment must not be discouraged. [3]
How should supplements and complementary products be reviewed?
A complementary product should be assessed by what it actually contains, why it is being used and which medicines or conditions it needs to be considered alongside. A label such as “natural”, “holistic” or “homeopathic” is not enough to establish safety or benefit.
SPS says complementary products should be included in medicine reviews. [4] This matters because one product can contain herbs, nutrients and homeopathic ingredients together.
Using a product instead of effective treatment carries a different risk from using it alongside treatment. Keep the prescriber or specialist involved if you are thinking about stopping or replacing established care.
How should decisions be made when evidence is uncertain?
Shared decision making does not require pretending that every option has the same evidence. It means explaining what is known, what is uncertain, the likely benefits and harms, and what other options exist.
NICE says clinicians should ask what the person hopes to gain. They should correct false ideas and include the option of no treatment or no change. [1] This is useful when complementary care is being considered alongside standard treatment.
Patient preference matters. It does not turn an unsupported treatment claim into a medical fact.
When should conventional or specialist care take priority?
Emergency symptoms and serious disease need the right medical route. Functional or complementary care should not delay urgent assessment. It should not delay cancer treatment, treatment of severe infection or emergency heart and stroke care.
Prescribed medicines should not be stopped as a routine part of integrative care. If a medicine may no longer be needed or is causing a problem, the responsible clinician should review the risks and benefits and agree the change.
A good integrated plan is selective. It can include useful lifestyle support. It also protects diagnosis, monitoring and treatment when those are needed.
Questions to ask before combining different approaches
- What is the diagnosis or clinical problem we are trying to manage?
- Which part of the plan has good evidence, and which part is uncertain or preference-based?
- Could a supplement or complementary product interact with my medicines?
- Am I being asked to stop or delay a treatment that is already helping or protecting me?
- Who is responsible for monitoring the condition and reviewing results?
- What would make us change the plan or seek specialist care?
These questions keep the consultation centred on safe decisions rather than on labels such as conventional, functional or holistic.
A simple rule for combining different types of care
Keep the medical diagnosis and the main treatment plan clear. Then decide whether another approach adds something useful without replacing needed care.
For each option, ask what it is meant to do. A lifestyle change, a prescribed drug, a supplement and a homeopathic product make different claims. They should not be judged as if they are the same thing.
Ask what evidence supports the exact claim. A person may value the time and attention in a consultation even when a remedy has not been shown to treat disease.
Check safety next. Tell every clinician about medicines, supplements and complementary products. This matters most when treatment has a narrow safety margin or needs regular monitoring.
Agree who is responsible for follow-up. A GP, specialist or another clinician may need to stay involved even when complementary care is used as well.
What should stay separate in the conversation?
Keep patient preference separate from proof. A person can choose a complementary approach, but preference does not prove that it treats a medical condition.
Keep doctor status separate from product evidence. A doctor offering a homeopathy consultation does not make a homeopathic product effective by default.
Keep consultation experience separate from treatment outcome. Feeling heard and supported matters, but a good review does not prove that the remedy itself changed the disease.
Keep general wellbeing advice separate from disease treatment. Sleep, food, movement and stress support may be useful for health, but they should not be used to claim that a serious condition no longer needs ordinary medical care.
These boundaries make integrative care easier to understand. They also make it safer to change the plan when new evidence or new symptoms appear.
How can you prepare for an integrative consultation?
Bring one complete medicine list. Include vitamins, herbs, homeopathic products and over-the-counter medicines.
Write down the main goal for the visit. Do you want help with symptoms, a medicine review, lifestyle support or a discussion about complementary care?
Bring recent letters and test results if they affect the decision. Do not assume the new clinician has access to every NHS or private record.
Ask what part of the plan is evidence-based, what part is uncertain and what part reflects personal preference. A clear answer should make the care plan easier to follow.
Before changing a prescribed treatment, speak to the clinician responsible for it. This is especially important when the medicine controls a serious or unstable condition.
What patients say about the consultation experience.
Patient reviews can describe communication and consultation experience. They do not prove that homeopathy or another complementary therapy is clinically effective.
Individual reviews reflect personal experiences and do not establish diagnosis, treatment effectiveness 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
Does Dr Stavy combine functional medicine with conventional care?
The practice’s approved operational position is that functional medicine remains integrated with conventional and specialist care. This describes the intended relationship between services, not an efficacy claim. Established diagnoses, medicines and specialist plans remain relevant, and another medical route may take priority when it is safer or more appropriate.
Does integrative care mean stopping prescribed medicines?
No. Prescribed medicines should not be stopped as a routine part of functional or complementary care. If a medicine may be causing a problem or is no longer needed, the responsible prescriber should review the benefits and risks and agree any change with the patient.
Is homeopathy proven to treat medical conditions?
Current NHS medicines guidance says there is no good-quality evidence that homeopathy is effective as a treatment for any health condition. The practice may offer a homeopathy consultation, but that does not justify claims that homeopathic remedies treat disease or replace evidence-based medical treatment. [2]
Can homeopathic products interact with conventional medicines?
SPS states there is no evidence of interactions between highly diluted homeopathic products and conventional medicines. However, some complementary products combine homeopathic dilutions with herbs or supplements, so the full ingredient list matters. Medicines reconciliation should include all complementary products, not just prescription drugs. [2]
How should an uncertain treatment option be discussed?
NICE shared-decision guidance recommends explaining the aims, risks, benefits and consequences of options, including choosing no treatment or no change. The clinician should also ask what the patient hopes to gain and correct misconceptions. Uncertainty should be stated rather than disguised as certainty. [1]
When should conventional or specialist care take priority?
Urgent symptoms, suspected serious disease and conditions needing specialist diagnosis or treatment should use the appropriate conventional pathway. Complementary care should not delay emergency assessment or essential treatment. If a new symptom changes the clinical picture, the care plan should be reassessed rather than continuing unchanged.
Medical sources and further reading
- NICE NG197: Shared decision making. Guidance on discussing tests, treatments, benefits, risks, uncertainty and the option of no treatment or no change. Accessed 29 September 2026.
- NHS SPS: Managing complementary products and conventional medicines. Current NHS medicines advice on complementary products, ingredient review and homeopathy evidence. Accessed 29 September 2026.
- ASA/CAP: Health – Homeopathy. UK advertising guidance on evidence requirements, treatment claims and essential medical care. Accessed 29 September 2026.
- NHS SPS: Advising on complementary products and conventional medicines. Guidance that complementary products should be reviewed alongside conventional medicines and should not replace necessary treatment. Accessed 29 September 2026.
Integration should make the care plan clearer, not blur evidence standards.
Use the type of care that fits the problem. Protect essential medical treatment. Be clear about what is proven, what is uncertain and what is mainly a personal choice.