The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) was founded by Jeffrey Bland, PhD, a brilliant biochemist who, along with a number of MDs has created an approach to medicine which is based on the most recent science and which seeks to use scientific approaches to restoring normal physiology.  The IFM approach has had remarkable success with a wide range of chronic illnesses.  Functional Medicine offers an attractive and effective alternative to "throwing pills at symptoms" which is very often what "mainstream" medicine does.