Dr. Tom Biernacki, DPM, FACFAS 
Quick answer: Over 20 million Americans have thyroid disease — 60% undiagnosed — and the majority of those diagnosed receive only TSH testing, missing the 4 additional markers needed to identify root causes, conversion problems, and autoimmune triggers. Functional medicine identifies and reverses Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (the #1 autoimmune disease in developed countries), optimizes T3 conversion, … Read more
Quick answer: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects 25% of the global population — 80 million Americans — and progresses to NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis) in 20–30% of cases, creating cirrhosis risk without a single FDA-approved medication until 2024. Functional medicine reverses NAFLD in the majority of patients within 6–12 months by targeting insulin resistance, gut … Read more
Quick answer: Pre-diabetes affects 96 million American adults — 38% of the population — and is fully reversible in 80–90% of cases through functional medicine protocols targeting insulin resistance root causes. The NIH-funded Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) demonstrated that lifestyle intervention reduced progression to type 2 diabetes by 58%, outperforming metformin (31%), with sustained benefit … Read more
Quick answer: Functional medicine reverses obesity by targeting leptin resistance, insulin signaling dysfunction, and gut microbiome dysbiosis — not calorie restriction alone. The Virta Health 2-year trial achieved 12% weight loss and 60% type 2 diabetes reversal through ketogenic metabolic therapy, while GLP-1 receptor agonist mechanisms finally explain why willpower is not the limiting factor … Read more
Quick answer: Women’s hormonal health — PCOS, endometriosis, PMS, perimenopause, and postmenopause — is driven by estrogen metabolism, insulin resistance, gut microbiome composition (the “estrobolome”), inflammatory load, and stress-HPA-HPG axis interactions that functional medicine can systematically assess and correct. Women’s hormonal complexity is extraordinary — the interplay of estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, cortisol, insulin, thyroid, … Read more
Quick answer: Immune optimization is not about “boosting” immune function — it is about restoring immune regulation: correcting vitamin D deficiency (which controls 2,000+ immune genes), rebuilding microbiome diversity (where 70% of the immune system resides), optimizing sleep (NK cell activity drops 70% with one night of poor sleep), and removing inflammatory triggers that cause … Read more
Quick answer: Tinnitus, vertigo, Meniere’s disease, and chronic sinusitis have identifiable functional root causes — cochlear inflammation, endolymphatic pressure from metabolic dysfunction, food sensitivities, Eustachian tube dysfunction, and microbiome imbalance — that standard ENT care rarely addresses but functional medicine can systematically treat. Ear, nose, and throat conditions create profound quality of life impairment — … Read more
Quick answer: Men’s health declines in testosterone, sexual function, prostate health, and cardiovascular risk are not inevitable — they are driven by insulin resistance, adipose aromatase excess, toxin-mediated endocrine disruption, sleep deficiency, and micronutrient depletion that functional medicine can systematically address. Men’s health receives disproportionately little preventive attention despite men dying 5 years younger than … Read more
Quick answer: Elite athletic performance and injury resilience are determined by mitochondrial density, VO2max, muscle protein synthesis efficiency, inflammation resolution capacity, and microbiome diversity — all modifiable through precision nutrition, periodized training, and targeted supplementation supported by over 1,000 clinical trials. Functional sports medicine moves beyond treating injuries after they occur to optimizing the physiological … Read more
Quick answer: GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) is not caused by too much stomach acid in most patients — it is caused by low stomach acid, H. pylori infection, hiatal hernia, SIBO, dietary triggers, and impaired lower esophageal sphincter function. Proton pump inhibitors provide symptomatic relief while worsening the underlying root causes. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) … Read more