Tired all the time. Not feeling like yourself. A drive that’s faded, or a body that doesn’t respond the way it used to. Maybe you’ve described it in exactly these words, and you’ve already been told everything looks fine.
A symptom is a starting point, not an answer. At our Staten Island practice, Dr. Marina Fest, DNP, uses functional medicine to look at hormonal health in the context of the whole person. This is how that evaluation works, and what it can mean for the decisions you make about your care.
How We Evaluate Hormonal Health Through Functional Medicine in Staten Island
When you bring hormonal concerns to our practice, we consider them within the broader context of your health. That means looking at the connections around a symptom, alongside testing options that may be relevant to your concerns.
Why a symptom alone isn’t the full story
Functional medicine focuses on root cause analysis rather than symptom management. With hormones, that difference matters. Fatigue or low energy can have more than one explanation, and treating the feeling without asking why can leave the real question unanswered.
Hormones as part of a connected picture
Functional medicine takes a comprehensive view of your health that includes hormones, gut health, nutrition, and lifestyle, and Dr. Fest also considers environment and biology as part of patient centered care.
For you, this means your hormone concerns aren’t looked at in isolation. How you eat, how you live day to day, and what’s happening in your environment can all be part of the conversation alongside your biology. If you’ve felt that previous visits zeroed in on one lab value and stopped there, this broader view is what sets the approach apart.
The testing behind the evaluation
Testing adds detail that a conversation alone can’t provide. Our functional medicine care includes hormone, thyroid, adrenal, and gut testing, along with lab testing more broadly.
Because these areas are offered together, Dr. Fest can consider more than one system when it’s relevant to your concerns. Which tests make sense for you is decided after talking through what you’re experiencing.
When the concern is low testosterone
Some patients come to us with testosterone questions specifically. Fatigue, low sex drive, depression, and muscle loss are among the symptoms associated with low testosterone. Our testosterone replacement therapy service uses personalized testing and treatment plans.
Noticing one or more of these symptoms doesn’t confirm low testosterone. It’s a reason to get evaluated, which is exactly where personalized testing comes in.
Women’s hormone therapy and telehealth
For women, our functional medicine care includes Women’s Hormone Therapy through telehealth. That gives you a way to work with Dr. Fest on hormone care without always coming into the office.
If you’re unsure whether your hormone concerns can be addressed through telehealth or require an office visit, contact our practice to ask about the available options.
Turning results into an individualized plan
An evaluation is only useful if it leads somewhere. Your plan is individualized, may combine conventional and natural protocols, and can include supplements when Dr. Fest recommends them. Our post on functional medicine and long term wellness covers how those plans come together.
Where primary care fits in
Hormone concerns often overlap with other parts of your health, and many patients are already managing other health issues. Dr. Fest is also a primary care clinician, with services that include chronic disease management, medicine management, and referrals. That means you can discuss hormonal concerns alongside your broader primary care needs within the same practice.
Who leads your evaluation
Dr. Marina Fest holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), graduated from NYU and Pace University, and has clinical experience in cardiology, nephrology, dialysis, and rehab. We see patients aged 14 and older.
Getting answers instead of guesses
If you’re experiencing ongoing symptoms and have questions about your hormonal health, it’s reasonable to want a broader discussion about what may be contributing to them. We’d be glad to sit down with you on Hylan Boulevard, or meet by telehealth for Women’s Hormone Therapy, and talk through what you’ve been experiencing.
Book your visit through our Book Now page, call us at (718) 285-4440, or email drmarinafest@gmail.com.
FAQs
What hormone related testing does functional medicine care include?
Our functional medicine care includes hormone, thyroid, adrenal, and gut testing, along with lab testing.
Do you offer hormone care through telehealth?
Women’s Hormone Therapy is offered through telehealth. For other hormone concerns, call (718) 285-4440 to ask which type of visit fits your situation.
What symptoms are associated with low testosterone?
Fatigue, low sex drive, depression, and muscle loss are among the symptoms associated with low testosterone. An evaluation with personalized testing is how Dr. Fest looks into these concerns.
Does every patient get the same hormone tests?
No. Which tests make sense is decided with Dr. Fest after talking through your symptoms and concerns.
