Functional Medicine
Functional Medicine in Manhattan Beach: Finding the Root Cause of Health Concerns
Functional medicine is a personalized, patient-centered approach that seeks to identify and address the underlying factors that may contribute to symptoms and chronic health concerns. Rather than focusing solely on symptom management, functional medicine evaluates nutrition, lifestyle, environmental influences, genetics, hormones, digestion, immune function, and other key aspects of health to create individualized wellness plans. At The Dragon and Phoenix Healer, Dr. Lea Kelley combines functional medicine with acupuncture, Chinese medicine and chiropractic care to support whole-body wellness and long-term health.
Conditions Commonly Addressed Through Functional Medicine
Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis & Thyroid Disorders – Evaluation of thyroid function, immune health, nutrient status, gut health.
Hormone Imbalances – Support for PMS, perimenopause, menopause, irregular cycles, and hormone-related symptoms.
Fertility & Preconception Health – Assessment of factors that may impact reproductive wellness.
Digestive Health Concerns – Investigation of gut health, microbiome balance and food sensitivities.
Autoimmune Conditions – A root-cause approach to understanding factors that may contribute to immune system dysfunction and inflammation.
Chronic Fatigue & Low Energy – Evaluation of thyroid function, nutrient deficiencies, mitochondrial health, stress, hormones, and metabolic factors.
Brain Fog & Cognitive Health – Identification of nutritional, inflammatory, hormonal, and lifestyle contributors to mental clarity and focus.
Weight Management Challenges – Assessment of metabolic health, blood sugar regulation, hormones, stress, and lifestyle factors.
Prediabetes & Blood Sugar Imbalances – Personalized strategies to support healthy glucose metabolism and long-term wellness.
Nutrient Deficiencies – Evaluation of vitamins, minerals, digestive function, and absorption to optimize nutritional status.
Inflammation & Wellness Optimization – Comprehensive assessment to identify potential contributors to chronic inflammation and support overall health.
Why Patients Choose Dr. Lea Kelley
✓ Integrated Acupuncture, Chiropractic & Functional Medicine Care
Dr. Lea Kelley combines acupuncture, chiropractic, and functional medicine to create personalized treatment plans that support pain relief, wellness, fertility, hormone balance, digestive health, and whole-body healing.
✓ 29+ Years of Clinical Experience
Serving Manhattan Beach and the South Bay with advanced holistic healthcare focused on identifying root causes and supporting long-term wellness.
✓ Root-Cause Functional Medicine Approach
Advanced laboratory testing, health history analysis, and personalized recommendations help uncover factors that may contribute to inflammation, hormone imbalances, digestive concerns, fatigue, thyroid dysfunction, and chronic symptoms.
✓Fertility & Women’s Health Expertise
Specialized support for fertility, IVF preparation, hormone balance, menstrual health, pregnancy wellness, and postpartum recovery through an integrative approach.
✓ Personalized One-On-One Care
Every treatment plan is customized based on your health history, symptoms, goals, laboratory findings, and lifestyle factors.
✓ Advanced Functional Medicine Testing
Evaluation may include functional blood chemistry analysis, hormone testing, digestive health testing, nutritional assessments, and other advanced laboratory investigations when appropriate.
✓ Comprehensive Wellness Approach
Recommendations may include nutrition, lifestyle modifications, professional-grade supplements, acupuncture, chiropractic care, and other supportive therapies tailored to your needs.
✓ Advanced Functional Hormone Testing
When appropriate, Dr. Lea Kelley utilizes advanced hormone testing to evaluate hormone production, metabolism, and detoxification pathways.
Advanced Functional Hormone Testing
Functional medicine often goes beyond standard laboratory testing to gain a more comprehensive understanding of hormone health. While blood tests can measure circulating hormone levels at a single point in time, advanced urine hormone testing, such as the DUTCH Test, can provide additional information about hormone metabolism, detoxification pathways, and adrenal function.
This deeper level of assessment may help identify patterns that contribute to:
PMS and menstrual irregularities
Perimenopause and menopause symptoms.
Fertility concerns
Fatigue and low energy
Mood changes and anxiety
Sleep disturbances
Hormone-related weight changes
Hormone acne
When appropriate, Dr. Lea Kelley may recommend advanced hormone testing as part of a personalized functional medicine evaluation.
What to Expect During Your Functional Medicine Consultation
✓ Review of your health history, symptoms, and wellness goals.
✓ Evaluation of recent laboratory testing, medications, and supplements.
✓ Discussion of nutrition, lifestyle, stress, environmental exposures, and other factors that may influence health.
✓ Identification of potential underlying contributors to hormone imbalances, digestive concerns, fatigue, inflammation, and chronic symptoms.
✓ Personalized recommendations that may include advanced testing, nutrition, supplements, acupuncture, chiropractic care, and other supportive therapies.
✓ A customized wellness plan designed to support your long-term health goals.
✓ Dr. Lea Kelley may also recommend new lab tests.
Patients throughout Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, El Segundo, Palos Verdes, Torrance, and the South Bay often have questions about functional medicine, advanced laboratory testing, hormone health, fertility support, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, digestive health, and personalized wellness care. The following answers addresses some of the most common questions asked during functional medicine consultations with Dr. Lea Kelley
Frequently Asked Questions
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Functional medicine focuses on identifying underlying factors that may contribute to chronic symptoms and health concerns. Dr. Lea Kelley commonly works with patients experiencing thyroid disorders, hormone imbalances, fertility challenges digestive concerns, autoimmune conditions, chronic fatigue, brain fog, inflammation, and metabolic health issues through personalized testing, nutritional evaluation, and root-cause investigation.
Dr. Lea Kelley takes time to understand your unique medical history, looking at how interactions between environmental, lifestyle, and genetic factors influence your current health.
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Functional medicine focuses on treating the root cause of illness, it focuses on prevention, offering personalized care and addressing lifestyle, genetics, and environmental factors. Conventional medicine typically treats symptoms and acute care and relies on standardized practices, often using pharmaceuticals and surgeries to manage acute conditions.
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Functional medicine and fertility acupuncture can support fertility by evaluating hormone balance, nutrient status, metabolic health, thyroid function, inflammation, epigenetic and lifestyle factors that can influence reproductive wellness.
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Functional medicine often evaluates factors that my influence thyroid health, including gut health, nutrient status, inflammation, immune regulation, stress, and lifestyle factors. Treatment plans are tailored to each individual and complements conventional medical care.
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Dr. Lea Kelley’s page emphasizes that functional medicine uses tighter, optimal ranges rather than broad laboratory “normal” ranges. These functional ranges correlate with real health outcomes and help practitioners track progress toward optimal health.
Identifying dysfunction early through blood chemistry can prevent disease and guide targeted interventions.
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Advances from the human genome project allow practitioners to understand a patient’s genetic structure and tailor interventions accordingly. Functional medicine considers how lifestyle factors—like diet, toxins, stress and environment—modify gene expression (epigenetics). By addressing these factors, practitioners can help stabilize DNA, reduce disease risk and create personalized treatment plans.
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Functional medicine uses comprehensive hormone testing (such as the DUTCH test) to measure sex and adrenal hormones and their metabolites. Understanding hormone metabolism helps identify why levels are elevated or deficient, allowing for individualized therapy. Hormone assessments consider how the body produces, uses and clears hormones, providing a more detailed picture than standard hormone tests.
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Yes. Dr. Lea Kelley uses laboratory tests to determine nutrient status. Tests may assess amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and oxidative stress . Addressing deficiencies is key to optimizing health and preventing disease.
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Traditional laboratory reference ranges often represent the average of the population and may be too broad to detect early dysfunction. Functional medicine uses narrower, optimal ranges correlated with good health outcomes, allowing practitioners to identify subtle imbalances and intervene before disease manifests.
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Prepare a detailed timeline of your health history, a list of medications and supplements, any previous lab results, and information about your diet, sleep and stress levels.
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Functional medicine interventions typically involve lifestyle and dietary changes, which are generally safe. When supplements or vitamins are recommended Dr. Lea Kelley monitors you for side effects.
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Many patients turn to functional medicine because they are navigating chronic, complex issues and want to understand why they are sick, rather than simply masking symptoms with prescriptions.
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Dr. Lea Kelley does not take insurance but lab tests are fully HSA-eligible as long as they are for diagnosing, treating, or preventing a medical condition. This includes blood work, diagnostic screenings, and genetic testing. HSA cards also cover acupuncture and chiropractic care.