At our practice, we often hear stories like this one.
People arrive tired, frustrated, and unsure where to turn next. They’ve tried everything that should work — yet something still feels off.
This is one of those stories.
When Sarah First Heard the Cost
When Sarah first heard that functional medicine might cost her around £700 a month, she laughed — the nervous kind of laugh you make when your brain is doing maths and denial at the same time.
“£700? That’s my rent,” she said.
Then she paused. “Actually, no — that’s my car payment, gym membership, two streaming services, and the weekly Deliveroo habit I pretend not to have.”
It’s funny how we think about money. We don’t always buy things for their price — we buy them for what they mean.
Reframing the Cost
Sarah was 42, working in marketing, tired in a way that sleep didn’t fix. She’d been to her GP five times in two years. “Everything looks normal,” they said, while her body whispered, “something’s off.”
When a friend mentioned functional medicine, she rolled her eyes. Too expensive. Too alternative. But eventually, curiosity (and exhaustion) won.
She booked an assessment (£1,855), took a few targeted tests (£500), and started supplements (£100–£150 a month) under guidance.
The full journey, including follow-ups (£897), came to about £4,500 over six months — yes, around £700 a month.
Still cheaper than the fatigue she’d been living with.
The Hidden Return on Investment
Three months in, Sarah noticed things shifting. Her brain fog cleared. Her energy came back. She wasn’t surviving her days anymore; she was inhabiting them.
“I didn’t realise how bad I’d felt until I stopped feeling bad,” she told us.
We love to measure cost in pounds, but we measure value in how something makes us feel.
We’ll spend hundreds on a weekend away to “feel recharged” — yet hesitate to invest the same in actually being well every day.
The value of health isn’t in the spreadsheet — it’s in the story it lets you live.
You’re not just buying supplements and tests. You’re buying energy to chase your kids, focus at work, laugh without caffeine, and sleep deeply.
That’s not a treatment plan — that’s a life you get to enjoy.
The Commitment Effect
There’s something powerful about investing in your own wellbeing.
When something costs more, we pay more attention. The £4,500 programme didn’t just help Sarah heal — it made her commit.
She took her supplements, tracked her sleep, noticed her food. Why? Because it felt important.
If it had been £50, she admits, “I’d probably have forgotten about it after two weeks.”
Functional medicine works not only because it’s personalised, but because it invites you to take yourself seriously. The investment isn’t just financial; it’s emotional. It’s saying, “My health matters enough to show up for.”
A Different Kind of Value
So yes — £700 a month sounds like a lot.
But if health is the foundation upon which everything else rests, then maybe it’s not “expensive.” Maybe everything else is just cheap in comparison.
As Sarah put it:
“I used to think I couldn’t afford functional medicine. Now I realise I couldn’t afford to keep feeling like I did.”
Because the smartest investments aren’t the ones that look good on paper — they’re the ones that make life feel good again.
🧩 Takeaway Thought
At our practice, stories like Sarah’s remind us that functional medicine isn’t about buying treatment — it’s about buying transformation.
And when you look at it that way, £700 a month starts to feel less like a cost, and more like a comeback.
