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Using the Term "Functional Medicine" in Advertising is Inappropriate

Disclaimer: Law, rules and regulations, not Alerts, specify the requirements for practice and violating them constitutes professional misconduct. Not adhering to this Alert may be interpreted as professional misconduct only if the conduct also violates pertinent law, rules and regulations, some citations of which are listed at the end of this Alert.

There are various educational sources, both internet-based and non-internet-based, offering certificate and non-certificate programs in functional medicine for chiropractors. However, although segments of the functional medicine body of knowledge may be consistent with both a chiropractor’s training and portions of the chiropractic scope of practice, its overall patient treatment approach, as well as the term “medicine’ is not within the chiropractic scope of practice. Thus, chiropractors should refrain from using the term functional medicine in their advertising.

Use of the term functional medicine in chiropractic advertising could be misleading to the public and, therefore, considered advertising not in the public interest. Penalties for advertising not in the public interest may range from being issued an Administrative Warning (AW) to revocation of your license. Failure to comply or repeated advertising violations may result in progressively severe disciplinary actions against your license.

The following statutes, rules and regulations are applicable:

Regents Rules, part 29.1(b)(9) - "practicing beyond the lawful scope"