Functional Medicine Doctors in India: What They Do and How to Check One

In short: A functional medicine doctor is a physician who looks at how the body's systems work together, and searches for the causes behind symptoms. It is a way of practising, not a separate legal title. In India, what makes a doctor a doctor is a recognised medical degree and registration with a State Medical Council. You can check that registration yourself, online, before your first visit.

Who is a functional medicine doctor?

A functional medicine doctor is a physician who practises with a systems-based approach to long-term health. The aim is to understand why a symptom is there, and how body systems such as hormones, digestion, immunity and metabolism affect each other.

The doctor usually takes a long history, covering sleep, food, stress, work, past illness and medicines. Testing is then used to look for patterns across systems. Plans often include food, sleep, movement and stress, along with medical care where needed.

What does a functional medicine doctor do?

A functional medicine doctor gathers your full history, chooses tests based on it, reads the results together, and builds a plan with follow-up. The steps usually look like this:

• History. A long conversation about your symptoms, your earlier reports and your daily life.

• Testing. Blood tests and other tests chosen for your situation.

• Reading the results. Results are compared across systems, not only one at a time.

• A plan. Often a mix of lifestyle changes and medical care.

• Follow-up. Tests are repeated over time to see what has changed.

How is it different from a usual GP visit?

GPs (general practitioners, your family doctors) provide preventive care, investigate symptoms and manage long-term conditions. Functional medicine consultations emphasise a detailed history and connections between body systems. Appointment length and services vary between practices.

Each has its place. A GP or a hospital is the right first stop for a sudden illness, an infection or an injury. A GP also knows your family and your history. Agree who coordinates your care, and continue any specialist follow-up you need. Keep taking prescribed medicines unless the doctor who prescribed them, or another doctor treating you, tells you to change them.

How do I check a doctor's registration in India?

You can check a doctor's registration through the Indian Medical Register on the National Medical Commission (NMC) website, or through the State Medical Council where the doctor is registered. The NMC is the national body for medical education and practice. Each state has its own council, which keeps its own list of doctors.

Here is how to check:

1. Find the registration number. India's medical ethics regulations say every physician must display it in the clinic, and on prescriptions, certificates and money receipts.

2. Open the Indian Medical Register. On the NMC website, you can search by name, year of registration, registration number or State Medical Council. The page also has a section for blacklisted doctors.

3. Match the details. Check that the name, registration number, council, year and qualification all agree. Many doctors share similar names, so a name alone is not enough.

4. Check with the council if something is unclear. If an entry is missing or unclear, contact the relevant State Medical Council. The NMC database is being updated; a missing entry alone does not establish that someone is unregistered.

In Mumbai, the Maharashtra Medical Council keeps the state list. It has also announced a Know Your Doctor scheme, under which registered doctors show a QR code at the clinic. Patients can scan it to check the doctor's name, qualifications, registration number and whether the registration is valid. In Delhi, the Delhi Medical Council keeps the state list.

Doctors in other systems of medicine, such as Ayurveda or homoeopathy, have their own registers. India's ethics regulations say only a doctor with a recognised qualification, registered with a medical council, may practise modern medicine.

How do I check a doctor's qualifications?

You can check qualifications by reading the degrees after the doctor's name, then matching them to the register entry. The regulations allow doctors to show after their name only recognised medical degrees, or certificates and memberships that give professional knowledge or recognise real achievement.

Look for three things:

• The basic medical degree, such as MBBS, and where it was earned.

• Any postgraduate degree, such as MD or DNB, and in which subject.

• Extra training in functional medicine. Certificates and courses add training. They do not replace a medical degree or registration.

Are functional medicine doctors legitimate?

A functional medicine doctor is a legitimate medical practitioner when they hold a recognised medical degree and a valid registration. The label on the door tells you little. Those two checks tell you more.

The approach itself has been studied. In a retrospective observational study at Cleveland Clinic in the USA, patients in a functional medicine centre were compared with matched patients in family health centres, with 398 matched pairs at six months. At six months, the functional medicine group reported larger gains on the PROMIS Global Physical Health T-score, a physical quality-of-life measure: an average of 1.59 points against 0.33. At 12 months the main comparison was no longer significant, although a smaller group followed at both time points still showed a larger gain. An association of this kind does not establish cause and effect, and the authors asked for forward-looking studies to confirm the findings.

Doctors also discuss this openly. In a 2026 article in the American Journal of Medicine, academic physicians said that nutrition, exercise, sleep and stress management are evidence-based. They also warned that some specialised tests may lead to low-value testing and high out-of-pocket costs, and said any new clinical framework should meet the standards expected across medicine. This is a fair reason to ask what each test is for.

Should I see a functional medicine doctor?

You may want to see one if you have long-running symptoms that remain unexplained, or if you want a detailed look at your health over the long term. People often come with ongoing tiredness, poor sleep or digestive complaints, or with a stack of reports and no clear picture.

See your regular doctor first, or go to a hospital, in these situations:

• chest pain, severe breathlessness, fainting or sudden weakness on one side: these need a hospital emergency department straight away

• a sudden new illness, a high fever or an injury

• unexplained weight loss, bleeding or a new lump, which a doctor needs to examine promptly

• pregnancy, where your obstetrician should be told of any new tests, supplements or treatment

What should I ask a functional medicine doctor?

Ask these questions before you start:

1. What is your medical degree, and what is your registration number and State Medical Council?

2. What training have you had in functional medicine, and from where?

3. Why do I need each test, and how will the result change my plan?

4. How reliable is this test, and is it a standard test or a specialised one?

5. Will you coordinate with my regular doctor or specialist?

6. Which of my current medicines and supplements do you need to know about?

7. How and when will we measure whether the plan is helping?

A good doctor will welcome these questions. Be careful of anyone who promises a result, or who asks you to stop prescribed medicines without a clear medical reason.

How does a SOMA doctor decide what is right for you?

SOMA's doctors practise functional and longevity medicine, under a physician's supervision, using a four-stage process: test, understand, treat and stay well. The first consultation is a long conversation about your history, symptoms and earlier reports, so bring old test results and a list of your medicines and supplements.

Your doctor suggests only the tests that make sense for you, and will say so if you do not need SOMA's care. Results are reviewed with you in plain language, and read across systems. Depending on what they show, your plan may combine food, sleep, movement and targeted supplements with medical therapies. It is reviewed and adjusted through retesting. These assessments are not a substitute for conventional diagnosis, and they do not replace your regular medical care. Outcomes vary from person to person. What to expect at a first consultation explains the first 90 days.

SOMA centres in Mumbai and New Delhi

SOMA doctors see patients at two centres:

• Mumbai: A-507, Kohinoor Square, N.C. Kelkar Marg, Shivaji Park, Dadar West, Mumbai 400028. Phone +91 98671 94033.

• New Delhi: E-354, Greater Kailash II, New Delhi 110048, serving Delhi NCR and Gurugram. Phone +91 87969 92001. More about the New Delhi centre.

The New Delhi centre is independently operated under licence from SOMA Longevity Sciences, and its own doctors lead care there. Both centres follow the same SOMA assessment and diagnostic standards. Online consultations are also available. Contact either centre.

Questions people ask

What is a functional medicine doctor?

A functional medicine doctor is a physician who looks at how the body's systems work together, and searches for the causes behind symptoms. It is a way of practising, not a separate legal title. In India, the doctor still needs a recognised medical degree and State Medical Council registration.

Is functional medicine real medicine?

It is practised by registered physicians, and it uses medical history, testing and follow-up. Its plans often include nutrition, exercise, sleep and stress care, along with medical treatment. Check the doctor's registration, and ask what each test is for and how it will change your plan.

How do I know if a doctor is registered in India?

Ask for the registration number, which doctors must display in the clinic and on prescriptions. Then search the Indian Medical Register on the National Medical Commission website, or contact the State Medical Council. Match the name, number, council and year.

Can a functional medicine doctor replace my GP?

That depends on the doctor's qualifications and services. Functional medicine training alone does not establish suitability to provide all your primary care. Agree who coordinates your care, and continue necessary specialist follow-up. Sudden illness and emergencies need your usual doctor or a hospital.

Where can I find a functional medicine doctor in Mumbai or Delhi?

Check any doctor's registration first, using the State Medical Council or the Indian Medical Register. SOMA's doctors practise functional medicine at its centres in Dadar West, Mumbai and Greater Kailash II, New Delhi. The first consultation covers your history and which tests make sense for you.

Related guides

• Are you ageing faster than you should be?

• Brain fog explained

• Bioidentical hormone therapy in India: a patient's guide

Sources

1. National Medical Commission. Indian Medical Registry Search. https://nmc.org.in/information-desk/indian-medical-register

2. Medical Council of India. Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, clauses 1.1.3, 1.4.1 and 1.4.2. National Medical Commission: https://nmc.org.in/page/rules-regulations-rules-regulations-of-erstwhile-mci-code-of-medical-ethics-regulations-2002

3. Beidelschies M et al. Association of the functional medicine model of care with patient-reported health-related quality-of-life outcomes. JAMA Network Open 2019;2(10):e1914017. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31651966/

4. Soffer GK, Loy M, Bierman S, Weil A. Drawing a line between integrative and functional medicine. American Journal of Medicine 2026, online ahead of print. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42749244/

5. Free Press Journal. Maharashtra: MMC to introduce QR codes for registered doctors to curb quackery. https://www.freepressjournal.in/amp/mumbai/maharashtra-mmc-to-introduce-qr-codes-for-registered-doctors-to-curb-quackery