Why Your Doctor Can't Find the Root Cause of Illness (But This Functional Medicine Approach Can)

Watch the full interview with Dr. Sarah Doyle here:

Ever feel like something's wrong with your body but your doctor keeps telling you everything's "normal"?

You're not alone.

I recently sat down with Dr. Sarah Doyle, a certified functional medicine practitioner and author of "The 7X Method," who explained why so many people are suffering despite being told they're perfectly healthy.

"My typical patient has been kicked around the allopathic medical model without any results," Dr. Doyle explained. "By the time I get them, they've tried a bunch of different things, been mostly unsuccessful, and probably have like 20-plus supplements."

What's happening is a fundamental disconnect in how traditional medicine views health problems versus how functional medicine approaches them.

The Missing Link in Traditional Healthcare

The problem isn't necessarily with your doctors—it's with their training.

"You go to your regular doctor, they figure out what's going on and they give you a pill to manage it because that's what they were trained in school," Dr. Doyle pointed out.

In contrast, functional medicine asks a different question: "Why?"

"I get that same test result or maybe a different test result because I'm using different testing," she explained. "And I think about, okay, why? Let's figure out why this is wrong and then figure out the root cause. Is it a toxin? Is it genetics? Is it some other environmental cause?"

This investigative approach explains why so many people fall through the cracks of traditional healthcare.

The Tests Your Doctor Won't Order to Find the Root Cause of Illness

One of the most eye-opening revelations from our conversation was why doctors often avoid certain tests—especially for hormones and brain chemistry.

"Doctors, if they order a test, they are responsible for mitigation of the results. And if they don't know how to fix something, they're not going to test it," Dr. Doyle revealed.

She explained that most primary care doctors receive minimal training on menopause—just "one to two hours" in their entire medical education.

"Even an OBGYN has like five to eight hours, and they mostly are educated in fertility, pregnancy, delivery babies," she added.

This training gap leaves millions of people—especially women—without proper care for hormonal issues, and often missing the root cause of illness.

Your Body Is a Symphony, Not Solo Instruments

Traditional medicine divides the body into specialties: cardiologists for the heart, nephrologists for the kidneys, and so on.

Dr. Doyle offers a better analogy: "We're a symphony."

But our medical system treats each instrument separately, missing how they all interact.

"Your body doesn't work like that," she emphasized.

This fragmented approach is particularly problematic when it comes to understanding the connection between hormones and brain chemistry.

The Brain Chemistry Revolution

Perhaps the most fascinating part of our conversation was Dr. Doyle's work with brain chemistry testing—an approach that's yielding remarkable results for patients who haven't responded to traditional treatments.

"Hormones and brain chemicals have a direct interplay with each other," she explained. "Many symptoms that we think are hormone symptoms could either be from brain chemicals or from sex hormones. How do we know what it is? We test."

Since 2021, Dr. Doyle has been testing sex hormones, stress hormones, thyroid hormones, and brain chemistry to get a complete picture of what's happening in her patients' bodies.

The testing involves a urine panel that captures metabolites—providing a snapshot of the body's recent activity.

"It's a great way to see how much testosterone does your body use yesterday, how much serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine," she said.

Beyond Genetics: Why Your Brain Chemistry Is Off

Each brain chemical depends on specific genes, enzymes, vitamins, and minerals to function properly.

Dr. Doyle explained that two factors typically affect brain chemistry:

Genetic predispositions: "Nobody has perfect genes," she noted, explaining how SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) can affect how our bodies produce and process neurotransmitters.
Nutritional deficiencies: "The standard American diet is just horrific. It's devoid of nutrition," she emphasized.

When these factors combine, the results can manifest as depression, anxiety, ADHD, OCD, addiction issues, and more.

The Supplement Solution

Instead of medications with problematic side effects, Dr. Doyle prescribes targeted supplement protocols based on test results.

"There's a supplement protocol for every chemical in the brain," she explained. "We'll start with vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids on an empty stomach."

The results can be life-changing.

"Once I took this brain chemistry test and I started with the supplements, it really helped me manage as an adult," she shared about her own ADHD experience. "I still have the creativity, but it helps curb my impulsivity."

Unlike pharmaceuticals that often take weeks or months to work (if they work at all), these supplements typically show results within 1-2 weeks.

Dr. Doyle even published a case report about a patient with a 20-plus year history of eating disorders who showed significant improvement after five months of treatment.

"I think it's criminal that psychologists, psychiatrists, mental health providers don't do this testing," she stated bluntly.

The Circadian Revolution: The 7X Method

While brain chemistry testing and supplements can be powerful tools, Dr. Doyle emphasized that everyone can make one immediate change that dramatically improves health: eating according to your body's circadian rhythms.

Her book, "The 7X Method," outlines this approach.

"There's no such thing as calories, no such thing as macros, there's no counting," she explained. "There are seven different food groups, and they are divided by the type of energy that the food has. And it goes by color."

The foundation of this approach is based on how our organs function throughout the day.

"Our organs and systems have circadian rhythms that follow our main circadian rhythm," she explained. "They take turns peaking and resting in activity throughout the day."

Dr. Doyle discovered this method during her own health journey. After suffering digestive problems for 20 years following a strong antibiotic, she tried this timed eating approach.

"Within two weeks, all my digestive symptoms were gone," she recalled. "I was able to eat a lot more foods than I'd eaten in 20 years."

Her clients report similar results: "I'm eating more than ever, and I lost a pant size because the inflammation goes down."

Where to Start on Your Healing Journey

For those feeling overwhelmed or unsure where to begin, Dr. Doyle recommends starting with the 7X Method of eating.

"When your metabolic systems are communicating properly...you have so much energy," she explained.

The benefits extend beyond digestion:

Sustained energy (no afternoon coffee needed)
Improved sleep
Reduced inflammation
Mental clarity
Weight management without restriction

Beyond Diet: The Path Forward

For those wanting to go deeper, Dr. Doyle offers several options:

Read her book: "The 7X Method" (available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Audible)
Join her membership: Monthly biohacker membership with masterminds and text access
Work with her directly: Biohacking bootcamp program with comprehensive testing

Key Takeaways

Find the Root Cause: Traditional medicine treats symptoms while functional medicine investigates why symptoms occur in the first place.
Test Don't Guess: Brain chemistry and hormone testing can reveal the true source of your symptoms when standard medical tests miss the mark.
Eat With Your Rhythm: Our bodies follow circadian patterns, and eating according to these rhythms can dramatically improve health without restrictive dieting.

Whether you're struggling with digestive issues, fatigue, mood disorders, or unexplained symptoms that doctors can't figure out, functional medicine offers a path forward when traditional approaches have failed.

As Dr. Doyle put it: "It's not a normal part of aging" to feel unwell—and you don't have to accept it as your fate.