Tools to deepen understanding of the many functions of the human body and nutrition's role in all of them.  Functional nutrition is the foundation stone of integrative medicine. The complex, chronic health issues of the twenty-first century need a holistic nutritional approach that looks at genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors and provides a systems-based framework for treatment. Functional nutrition is particularly helpful for improving patient outcomes in diabetes, obesity, the metabolic syndrome, chronic fatigue, neurodegeneration, bone health, and cardiac health.