Functional medicine · Cairns & Australia-wide
Functional medicine in Cairns.
The bloods came back normal and you still don’t feel right. Functional medicine asks why, and looks at your body as one connected system. In the clinic in Manunda, or Australia-wide by telehealth.
Free, 10–15 minutes by phone, for anyone new to Sohma. It helps you choose an appointment; it isn’t a clinical assessment.
The approach
What is functional medicine?
Functional medicine asks a different question from a short appointment: not only what to call the problem, but why it’s happening, and what would move the whole system rather than one number on one test.
Your body isn’t a set of separate departments. The gut, hormones, immune response, metabolism and nervous system work as one, and a problem that shows up in one place often starts somewhere else. At Sohma, that thinking sits inside registered clinical care: a nurse or our nurse practitioner, with a doctor alongside.
The difference
Naming a problem, and explaining it.
- Systems, not silos
- The gut, hormones, sleep and stress are read together, not one at a time.
- Upstream, not downstream
- A symptom is usually the end of a chain. We work back towards what’s driving it.
- The whole timeline
- When did it start, and what changed around then? The story across years often explains more than one result taken today.
- Personal, not a protocol
- Two people with the same symptom rarely get the same plan, because the cause underneath is rarely the same.
Tests, and when we use them
Only when it changes the plan.
Function, not just range
We’re interested in how a system is working, not only whether one marker has crossed a line.
Read in context
A result is a clue, not a verdict. It informs the plan; it doesn’t replace the conversation.
Only when it changes the plan
If a test wouldn’t change what we’d do next, there’s no reason to run it. Any test is explained and priced before it’s ordered.
What people bring to us
Patterns, more often than single diagnoses.
Functional medicine tends to fit the slow, layered picture: the results that came back normal, and the symptoms that travel together. These are six places people often start.
- Persistent and chronic pain
- Sleep
- Mood, stress and mental health
- Women’s health and hormones
- Gut and digestive health
- Nervous system and complex presentations
The human condition is wider than any list, so if yours isn’t here, it’s still welcome here. See all areas
Your first appointment
The Functional & Integrative Medicine Assessment.
Time to see how the pieces fit. Your history, your results and the life around them, brought together into a prioritised plan. In person is preferred; phone and video are available too.
- $29960 minutes
- $39990 minutes, with our nurse practitioner
In Cairns, or anywhere in Australia
A real clinic in Manunda, and the same care by telehealth.
At the house
17 Anderson St, Manunda QLD 4870. Open Mon–Fri 9am–5pm, Sat 9am–1pm. Free, secure parking on site, with accessible bays. Call 07 4015 3444.
Get directionsBy telehealth
Anywhere in Australia, by phone or video, with the same team and the same shared record. For the assessment, in person is preferred.
How Sohma worksQuestions
Before you book.
- How is it different from a regular GP visit?
- Functional medicine asks why a problem is happening, not just what to call it, and looks at your body as one connected system. The practical difference at Sohma is time and reasoning: a longer first appointment that maps the pattern across your symptoms. A standard GP appointment does important work; it just wasn’t built for a long, layered story.
- What’s the difference between functional and integrative medicine?
- Functional medicine is a way of thinking: working back towards why. Integrative medicine is the wider model it sits inside at Sohma, where conventional and complementary approaches are coordinated in one plan, on one shared record.
- Will I need tests?
- Not necessarily. Bring the results you already have. Any further test is discussed with you, explained and priced before it’s ordered, and only suggested when it could change your plan.
- My results came back normal, but I don’t feel right. Can you help?
- It’s one of the most common reasons people come, and it’s worth taking seriously. A result can sit inside the normal range while you still don’t feel like yourself. What we can offer is an unhurried assessment of the whole pattern, not a promised outcome.
- Do I need a referral?
- No. You can book yourself, or start with a free 10–15 minute call with one of our nurses, who’ll help you choose an appointment. The call isn’t a clinical assessment.
- What does it cost?
- The Functional & Integrative Medicine Assessment is $299 for 60 minutes, or $399 for 90. Medicare rebates may apply, and they’re generally better face to face; reception can confirm your expected rebate and out-of-pocket cost before you book.
- Can I see you by telehealth?
- Yes, anywhere in Australia, by phone or video, with the same team and the same shared record. The fee is the same, though Medicare rebates for telehealth usually need one face-to-face visit with us in the past 12 months. For the assessment, in person is preferred.
The next step
Book your first appointment.
Face to face in Cairns, or Australia-wide by telehealth, and no referral needed.
Book a free nurse call Free, 10–15 minutes by phone, for anyone new to Sohma. It helps you choose an appointment; it isn’t a clinical assessment.