If you’ve been troubled by any of the symptoms listed below and your doctor(s), including your neurologist, has told you, “We can’t find anything wrong,” you probably should get tested for ‘leaky brain’ syndrome’ (LBS). It’s the same mechanism behind the familiar ‘leaky gut’ (a/k/a intestinal hyperpermeability) which took conventional physicians decades to accept as […]
Functional Medicine
Services / Functional Medicine

Safe natural therapy to heal illness and improve well-being
Our Functional Medicine providers offer patient-centered care that seeks to address root-cause issues in our health presentation. We focus on the whole person and include concepts such as nutrition, stress, toxins, allergens, genetics, and the microbiome in our assessments. Our treatment plans are innovative, extensive and well-rounded, and often driven by your body's personal chemistry and data.
We co-treat with our Integrative Primary Care and Alternative providers when indicated, but our primary "tools" for patients include Food Therapy ("Food is Medicine"), oral nutraceuticals and nutrient infusion therapy, and guidance on lifestyle, physical activity, and optimizing your environment.
Functional Medicine providers typically focus on complex or chronic cases. Common diagnosis treated or identified include:
- Tickborne Infections
- Chronic Reactivated Epstein Barr Virus
- Mold toxicity
- Adrenal disorders
- Autoimmunity
- Digestive Disorders (IBS, SIBO, Candida, Food Sensitivites)
- Fibromyalgia
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Environmental Toxicities
- Women's disorders (PMS, Perimenopause, PCOS, thyroid issues)
- Metabolic Sydromes
- ... and attempts to answer the question of why?
Providers
Kristen Halland, DC, CCN, DABCA
Functional Medicine Physician
Dr. Halland is a seasoned clinician specializing in Functional Medicine. Since beginning practice in 2010, she has placed emphasis on a whole-person lens to care and has a strong belief that an integrative collaborative...
Parisa Samsami, DC, DABCI
Functional Medicine Physician
Dr. Parisa Samsami is a Chiropractic Physician specializing in Functional Medicine. She has great success in treating patients unable to find answers in the traditional medical paradigm. She places a strong emphasis on patient education and believes that diet and lifestyle play an important role in achieving optimal health and chronic disease prevention.
Health Tips
Most people figure they must be getting older based on how they feel and look. We wince at our first grey hair, deepening wrinkles, and shifting body fat. We huff and puff climbing the stairs, forget names, and occasionally leak fluids. We relate to the line from a Leonard Cohen song, “I ache in the […]
Last week, I talked about how naturopathic and functional medicine experts often start the healing journey (and aim to prevent future health issues) by focusing on the 30-foot digestive tract running from your mouth to your anus. The essence of good gut health is essentially how well you’re digesting, absorbing, and using the food you […]
More and more new patients to the WholeHealth Chicago Network are asking for a “functional approach” to their longstanding undiagnosed symptoms. Many times these are digestive in origin (bloating, GERD, food intolerances), but other symptoms are vague: “fatigue”, “brain fog”, or just “feeling old”. They’ve been reading about “Functional Medicine”, but when asked their primary […]
Although many new patients arrive at WholeHealth Chicago with chronic symptoms and a history of no help elsewhere (“You’re my 12th doctor.”). Others pour out a bagful of medications with a mournful, “I’ve got to get off of some of these!”. Going off a bevy of psych meds is a popular request, especially when the […]