The Functional Medicine MD

The Functional Medicine MD Professional IV Therapy and Functional Medicine clinic in Knoxville, Tennessee. Owned and run by a

10/17/2025

Neuroplasticity is your brain's ability to rewire itself - to form new neural connections, adapt to challenges, and recover from injury. On her latest TV appearance, Dr. Lela discussed BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) and its role in the growth of new neurons and to strengthen existing connections, which is imperative to overall brain wellness.

Watch her appearance on Living East Tennessee here ➡ https://youtu.be/UKRHjeULjBk

To schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation with Dr. Lela to discuss your health goals, click the link below:
https://calendly.com/the-functional-medicine-md/15min?month=2025-10

10/16/2025

The Link Between Brain Injuries and Alzheimer's Disease 📈

People who have a history of a brain injury have a 2 to 4 times higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. On her latest segment of Living East Tennessee, Dr. Lela highlights the importance of identifying, treating, and preventing traumatic brain injuries in high risk populations, such as our United States servicemembers and veterans, manual labor workers, and those that participate in high contact sports or motorsports.

Watch the full interview here: https://youtu.be/UKRHjeULjBk

To schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation with Dr. Lela, click the link below!
https://calendly.com/the-functional-medicine-md/15min?month=2025-10

10/15/2025

Did you know fasting improves brain inflammation?

Fasting improves insulin sensitivity, which in turn helps reduce inflammation in the body. Check out what Dr. Lela has to say about the connection between fasting and brain inflammation on her latest appearance on Living East Tennessee!

Watch the full interview here ➡ https://youtu.be/UKRHjeULjBk

To schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation with Dr. Lela, click the link below!
https://calendly.com/the-functional-medicine-md/15min?month=2025-10

10/01/2025

Is It Just Forgetfulness or a Sign of Brain Inflammation?

We all misplace our keys or forget a name now and then - that's normal; however, when memory lapses become frequent or interfere with daily life, it could be more than "just getting older". On her latest appearance on Living East Tennessee, Dr. Lela discusses symptoms of brain inflammation and conditions like Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

Dr. Lela offers free 15-minute phone consultations to discuss how she can help you reach your health goals. Click the link below to schedule!
https://calendly.com/the-functional-medicine-md/15min?month=2025-10

09/30/2025

In the past we've discussed inflammaging - the chronic, low-grade inflammation that occurs within the body over time and increases the risk of chronic health conditions.

Inflammaging also contributes to brain inflammation that can lead to conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Check out what Dr. Lela has to say about brain inflammation on her latest appearance on Living East Tennessee!

To schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation with Dr. Lela, click the link below!
https://calendly.com/the-functional-medicine-md/15min?month=2025-09

09/29/2025

September is also Alzheimer's Awareness Month 🧠

Do you know every 65 seconds someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease? On her latest segment on Living East Tennessee, Dr. Lela discusses Alzheimer's disease and dementia and ways to promote brain health!

With functional medicine, there are alternative therapies to treat a variety of conditions that affect the brain. To schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation with Dr. Lela to determine how she can help you, click the link below ⬇
https://calendly.com/the-functional-medicine-md/15min?month=2025-09

09/25/2025

Your chronological age is just a number; however, your biological age is a measure of your physiological state and the rate your body is aging.

Biological age is deeply influenced by inflammation - as we have established chronic, low-grade inflammation is one of the primary drivers of accelerated aging. On her latest appearance on Living East Tennessee, Dr. Lela discusses how simple blood tests are available to check key inflammatory markers, such as hs-CRP, IL-6, TNF-alpha, homocysteine, and fibrinogen, which gives your doctor information about the inflammation level within.

To watch the full segment on YouTube, click the link below: https://youtu.be/OpP3q6pz7O8?si=o40PLON2MFcCH43K

To schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation with Dr. Lela, click the link below:
https://calendly.com/the-functional-medicine-md/15min?month=2025-09

09/24/2025

Key Factors to Support Healthy Aging

Getting older is inevitable; however, how we age is influenced by lifestyle choices we make throughout our lives. Focusing on prevention and optimizing the body's innate ability to thrive is key to healthy aging! Check out what Dr. Lela says about key factors that promote aging well in her latest segment of Living East Tennessee!

Watch the full video here ➡ https://youtu.be/OpP3q6pz7O8?si=o40PLON2MFcCH43K

To schedule a free phone consultation with Dr. Lela to see how she can help you reach your health goals, click the link below:
https://calendly.com/the-functional-medicine-md/15min?month=2025-09

09/23/2025

Why is Weightlifting Important? 🏋️‍♀️

On her most recent episode on healthy aging, Dr. Lela highlights the importance of weightlifting across the lifespan, specifically as we get older. As we age, staying active is key to maintaining physical health along with independence and mobility. One of the most powerful tools for aging well is weightlifting, and here's why:

🔸 Boosts Muscle Mass
🔸 Supports Bone Health
🔸 Enhances Balance & Coordination
🔸 Improves Metabolism
🔸 Benefits Mental Health & Cognitive Function

Watch the full segment here ➡ https://youtu.be/OpP3q6pz7O8?si=oTMOoBegljjg7gvT

Dr. Lela offers free 15-minute phone consultations to discuss your health goals and how she can help you. Click the link below to schedule!
https://calendly.com/the-functional-medicine-md/15min?month=2025-09

09/22/2025

Clean Eating & Seed Oils 🌿

Clean eating is more than just a trend - it's a lifestyle that supports optimal health by giving your body the nutrients it needs while avoiding harmful, processed ingredients.

On her latest TV appearance, Dr. Lela discusses clean eating and seed oils. Seed oils are used in most processed foods; however, these oils undergo heavy processing, often using chemicals or high heat, which leads to the creation of oxidized compounds that damage cells and promote inflammation in the body. You can reduce the amount of processed ingredients you put into your body by reading ingredient labels and eating whole foods, as close as they are found in nature! 🫐

Watch the full segment on Healthy Aging here: https://youtu.be/OpP3q6pz7O8?si=o40PLON2MFcCH43K

Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation with Dr. Lela at the link below!
https://calendly.com/the-functional-medicine-md/15min?month=2025-09

09/19/2025

We have discussed the definition of inflammaging - the chronic, low-grade inflammation that accumulates over time and advances the aging process - but what causes inflammaging?

As we get older, our cells lose their "clean-up" abilities, leaving behind old, damaged cells that contribute to inflammation by the chemicals they secrete. On her most recent segment on Living East Tennessee, Dr. Lela explains how these damaged cells can trigger immune responses, which can result in many unwanted symptoms and disease processes. Watch the full video on YouTube by clicking the link below!
https://youtu.be/OpP3q6pz7O8?si=o40PLON2MFcCH43K

To schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation with Dr. Lela, click here ⬇
https://calendly.com/the-functional-medicine-md/15min?month=2025-09

09/18/2025

The Industrial Revolution: A Turning Point for Health ⚙️

The Industrial Revolution, which began in the late 18th century, transformed society, reshaping everything from how we work to how we live. The health impacts of the Industrial Revolution were tremendous, from air and water pollution to nutrient deficiencies to an increase in sedentary lifestyles. Dr. Lela discusses the Industrial Revolution and its health impacts on her latest appearance on Living East Tennessee!

Watch the full video here ➡ https://youtu.be/OpP3q6pz7O8?si=o40PLON2MFcCH43K

To schedule a free phone consultation with Dr. Lela to see how she can help you reach your health goals, click the link below:
https://calendly.com/the-functional-medicine-md/15min?month=2025-09

Address

3020 Tazewell Pike
Knoxville, TN
37918

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 6pm
Tuesday 9am - 6pm
Wednesday 9am - 6pm
Thursday 9am - 6pm
Friday 9am - 6pm
Saturday 9am - 1:30am

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Our Story

The Functional Medicine MD is the Premier Functional Medicine and IV Therapy Clinic in McHenry, Lake and Boone Counties. Founded in 2018 by Dr. Lela Iduna – a Yale trained Medical Doctor and IFM certified functional medicine practitioner with over 25 years of experience in medicine. Functional medicine looks at the root cause of illness – unlike Western medicine which ascribes a pill to a diagnosis. Sometimes there’s no diagnosis for diseases and those are the ones that Western medicine is not good at. For example, non-specific abdominal pain is often very frustrating to patients because all the tests never leave a definite diagnosis. Functional medicine looks at the biochemistry of each cell and does specific stool testing and food allergy testing to help treat these non-specific symptoms. The Functional Medicine MD offers a full range of wellness-optimizing services, including functional medicine treatments and tests (ANS testing, Nitric Oxide testing, early cancer detection with the IvyGene test), IV Hydration Therapy, IV Vitamin Therapy, Chelation Therapy, Growth Factor Injections, Argentyn 23 Colloidal Silver Therapy and extensive lab work options.