The Hidden Costs of AI-Based Health Platforms: Why Personalized Care Still Matters
By
- Dr. Elena Villanueva
By Dr. V, Modern Holistic Health
In the most advanced society on the planet, where healthcare is expected to be among the best in the world, why are we facing the largest chronic disease epidemic in history? Why are healthcare costs—and pharmaceutical prices in particular—higher in the United States than anywhere else on Earth? Why has the modern Western medical system, once trusted to safeguard our well-being, left so many of us disillusioned and without answers? And the most pressing question of all: where do we go from here?
Trust in the conventional healthcare system has plummeted. With rising costs, overprescription of medications, and a failure to address root causes, more people than ever are seeking alternatives. Holistic and functional medicine, which prioritizes whole-person care and addresses the underlying causes of illness, has surged in demand as individuals search for approaches that truly work. Platforms like Function Health have also emerged, marketing themselves as holistic solutions to this demand—offering affordability, convenience, and cutting-edge insights.
But can algorithms and automated testing truly replace the care and expertise of a practitioner who listens, interprets, and tailors treatment to your unique needs based on their years of experience? Can a dashboard of data provide the same depth of understanding as a holistic doctor who considers not just your labs but your life? What happens when technology oversimplifies what requires nuance or when platforms promising holistic care deliver generic recommendations instead?
These are the questions we must grapple with as we navigate this new frontier in healthcare. For many, the allure of quick, automated solutions comes with hidden costs—missed diagnoses, unnecessary expenses, and prolonged suffering. The challenge now is clear: how do we ensure we’re making the best choices for our health in a world increasingly drawn to convenience and technology over connection?
Two patients recently experienced the shortcomings of using technology over connection firsthand when they chose to try Function Health to get answers and solutions to their health issues. Their stories reveal the significant limitations of what appears to be AI-based healthcare, the added costs, lack of targeted approaches, and wasted time. Their recent stories highlight why working directly with an experienced holistic practitioner is the better—and often more cost-effective—choice for addressing your unique health needs.
Sarah’s Story: Missed Diagnoses and Frustrating Results
Sarah, a long-time client and dear friend, came to me after struggling with chronic fatigue, brain fog, poor sleep, and other significant unresolved symptoms she had been struggling with. Wanting to save money, she decided to try Function Health, a new holistic health platform promising to deliver testing and practitioner-recommended health solutions for less cost. Sarah was excited about this lower-cost alternative, believing their lab testing and personalized reports would provide her with the insights and recommendations she needed to address the root cause of her symptoms—and save her money.
At first, the process seemed promising. Function Health tested a wide range of blood markers and provided what appeared to be AI-generated recommendations (rather than personalized recommendations from an experienced holistic or functional medicine practitioner). But despite Sarah’s symptoms, her reports came back telling her that her labs were ‘normal’, completely missing any information that might give her answers as to why she was having her severe symptoms. After reviewing the labs she received from Function Health with Sarah, and taking into consideration her history, symptoms, lifestyle factors, and previous base-line labs she had done with me in the past, I came to the conclusion that Function Health fell short in several key areas, completely missing obvious signs and clues as to why Sarah was experiencing dis-ease in her body:
- Inadequate Hormone Testing:
Sarah’s hormone levels were tested through Function Health’s bloodwork, which showed no imbalances. Hormone experts in functional medicine agree that blood tests often fail to capture the complexities of hormone health. Frustrated with a lack of information from her Function Health lab test, she asked me for help. We discussed the better options for hormone testing, and based on her symptoms and history which pointed to classic symptoms of hormone imbalance, I decided to order the DUTCH test, a urine-based test widely recognized in functional medicine as the gold standard for hormone testing.
The DUTCH test results revealed significant imbalances not only in her estrogen metabolism and progesterone levels, but in her cortisol levels and melatonin levels (a hormone critical for restorative sleep)—critical insights that were completely missed by the blood tests Sarah had relied on from Function Health. - Misinterpreted Blood Markers:
Function Health appears to be using traditional lab ranges designed to identify disease in its later stages. These ranges failed to flag the early warning signs of dysfunction that I uncovered using functional lab ranges. Functional ranges are narrower and more sensitive, allowing holistic practitioners to detect imbalances before they develop into serious conditions.
When I re-evaluated Sarah’s results, I found markers of inflammation, key nutrient deficiencies, metabolic imbalance, and thyroid dysfunction—key contributors to her symptoms that had been overlooked by the Function Health blood report she was provided.
I worked with Sarah to help her finally get the answers she needed. Using the insights from her history and lifestyle, and cross-referencing the symptoms with her results on her DUTCH test, along with looking at her blood work through the lens of functional lab ranges, I created a personalized plan that included dietary changes, lifestyle modifications, targeted supplements, bioidentical hormone therapy, and stress-management techniques. Within just a few days of starting her care plan of action, Sarah’s energy levels improved, her brain fog lifted, her mood stabilized, and she was finally able to sleep soundly at night.
Sarah was undoubtedly grateful for getting relief, and she realized that while Function Health seemed like a cost-saving solution, it ultimately cost her valuable time and money and didn’t provide the solutions she ultimately was looking for—and this experience allowed her to recognize the great value in working with an experienced holistic practitioner who can truly deliver personalized recommendations based on years of experience combined with the insights that only personalized care and better testing can provide.
Jennifer’s Story: Overwhelmed and Frustrated by Unnecessary Recommendations
Jennifer, another long-time client of mine, also decided to try Function Health. Like Sarah, she hoped to save money and believed their lab testing and insights would simplify her health and wellness approach. However, her experience left her feeling more overwhelmed than ever.
When Jennifer received her Function Health report, she was shocked to see a recommendation for 17 different supplements to address her symptoms. The sheer number of supplements—and the cost—felt excessive and unsustainable. Unsure of what to do, Jennifer reached out to us for help.
After reviewing her lab results, I immediately noticed several issues:
- Unnecessary Supplementation:
Many of the supplements recommended by Function Health were redundant or irrelevant to Jennifer’s specific needs. Without a practitioner to guide her, she was left guessing which ones were truly necessary. - Missed Root Causes:
Function Health’s apparent AI-based analysis failed to identify critical imbalances that were contributing to Jennifer’s symptoms. By using functional lab ranges and taking a holistic view of her health, I uncovered issues related to her adrenal function, metabolic imbalances, and nutrient deficiencies that had been completely overlooked, which were all directly related to her symptoms.
Using this deeper understanding of Jennifer’s health, combined with the lab and health history I had collected over years of guiding and educating Jennifer on recovering and maintaining her health and vitality, I was able to streamline her action plan. Instead of 17 supplements, I recommended just five targeted supplements that directly addressed the core root of her imbalances. Not only did this save her money, but it also simplified her health plan and eliminated the frustration of managing an overly complicated supplement protocol regimen.
With a personalized approach, Jennifer’s symptoms improved quickly, and she felt empowered by and appreciative of our approach, knowing that her care was tailored specifically to her needs. She realized that while Function Health seemed like an affordable solution, it ultimately cost her more time, money, and energy than if she had worked with her established health and wellness team as she had for many previous years.
The Hidden Costs of Direct-to-Consumer AI-Based Health Platforms
Sarah and Jennifer’s experiences highlight the major limitations of relying on AI-driven health platforms like Function Health. These platforms are failing in critical areas:
- Inadequate Testing Methods: Bloodwork alone may not provide the depth of information needed for complex health issues like hormone imbalances.
- Generic Recommendations: AI-generated advice lacks the nuance and human decision-making required to address individual needs and circumstances.
- Overprescription of Supplements: Without personalized guidance, patients may be overwhelmed with unnecessary or excessive supplement recommendations.
- Misinterpreted Results: Traditional lab ranges used by platforms like Function Health can miss early dysfunction that functional medicine ranges would detect.
While these platforms promise convenience and cost savings, at this time, they appear to be resulting in frustration, wasted money, and delayed progress toward healing and true optimization. The question remains: How is a one-to-many, direct-to-consumer, automated platform going to help people recover their health and optimize their vitality?
How are these so-called “personalized” AI-based platforms truly addressing the needs of individuals who are leaving a broken medical system in search of holistic and functional medicine that actually works?
Are they equipped to provide the depth, care, connection, and expertise required to uncover the real root causes of chronic health issues—or are they simply offering generic, algorithm-driven solutions under the guise of personalization to make a profit (without delivering results)?
Will these platforms end up creating frustration and mistrust for first-time users seeking authentic, root-cause solutions? Could the lack of human insight, oversimplified recommendations, and missed diagnoses discourage people from pursuing the truly personalized and results-driven holistic and functional care they need and deserve?
What happens when someone invests their time, money, and hope into a platform that promises answers but fails to deliver meaningful results? Could these platforms inadvertently perpetuate the very problems they claim to solve, leaving individuals even more disillusioned by the healthcare system?
And most importantly:
Can a computer algorithm, no matter how sophisticated, replace the nuanced care, understanding, and expertise of a practitioner who takes the time to listen, interpret, and truly personalize a plan based on the whole person?
Are these platforms really prepared to meet the complex, multifaceted challenges of chronic health issues, or are they merely adding to the noise in an already overwhelmed and confused healthcare landscape?
It’s critical to ask these questions and consider whether these platforms are helping or hurting the progress toward a truly functional, holistic approach to health and wellness. For those seeking real transformation, there’s no substitute for the human connection, intuition, and expertise that come from working directly with a skilled practitioner.
Why Work with a Practitioner First?
By choosing to work with a skilled and compassionate holistic practitioner, you can likely find real answers and solutions to your acute or chronic health concerns. Experienced holistic and functional medicine can easily discern what combination of cutting-edge diagnostic tools are needed to help you and know how to put together a personalized care plan to ensure you get the answers—and results—you deserve.
When you work with an experienced holistic or functional medicine practitioner, here is just a sampling of why your chances of healing and attaining true vitality go up significantly (overusing outdated medical models or the new AI-generated recommendations based on inadequate testing):
- Comprehensive and Advanced Functional Testing:
Understanding what advanced diagnostic tools are best to use, like the DUTCH test for hormones, for example, to uncover root causes that standard blood tests miss. - Functional Lab Ranges:
By interpreting your results through the lens of functional medicine ranges, your experienced holistic or functional medicine practitioner can detect and address imbalances before they escalate into more serious health issues. - Personalized Care:
Healing isn’t one-size-fits-all, and from the perspective of many experienced holistic practitioners, requires a deeper understanding of your unique history, symptoms, and lifestyle in order to create a plan tailored specifically to you. AI, while promising, simply isn’t there yet and cannot provide the human intuition and experience piece that is critical in excellent and solutions-oriented patient care. - Simplified Solutions:
Unlike AI-based platforms that can overwhelm you with long lists of supplements, an experienced holistic practitioner can take into account your unique needs, requests, and concerns to help provide streamlined protocols and plans that focus only on what you truly need. - Cost and Time Savings:
By choosing a compassionate and experienced practitioner, you avoid the trial-and-error process, saving both time and money while achieving faster, more sustainable results.
The rise of AI in healthcare is exciting for some, but it’s important to understand its limitations.
While platforms like Function Health may seem convenient, they appear to be failing when it comes to providing the depth of insight and personalized care that is needed to truly help people get real answers and solutions in their healing, health, and vitality. Cutting expenses for your health is appealing for the short term, of course, but unfortunately, at this moment, it is leaving people with added hidden costs, and at the end of the day, it’s lacking tried and true solutions that actually work, costing the individual more in the long run—both financially and in terms of their well-being.
Sarah and Jennifer’s stories highlight why working directly with a skilled holistic practitioner is the better choice. At Modern Holistic Health, we are committed to training the next generation of holistic care professionals. We empower individuals like you to understand your body, explore available testing, and discover effective solutions for healing. Our platforms and masterclasses are designed to educate you about health, vitality, and how to uncover the root causes of your symptoms to achieve lasting wellness.
We are committed to educating you about the future of medicine, data-driven holistic approaches, and making holistic care and supplementation more affordable. Through education, empowerment, and advanced tools and programs, we support both the public and practitioners in learning the best evidence-based systems for holistic care. Visit our website at ModernHolisticHealth.com to learn more about our masterclasses and educational resources.
