Functional Medicine Boston

Yes!
You can take control of your
Hormonal Imbalances Digestive Issues Low Energy skin problems  with Functional Medicine

Unlock Vibrant Health
with Our Comprehensive Functional Medicine Solutions

Life shouldn’t be a struggle. If mild or chronic health issues are holding you back, it’s time for a change. Our Functional Medicine Boston practice’s comprehensive approach doesn’t just scratch the surface—it dives deep to uncover the root causes and pave the way for your transformation. 

Functional Medicine is a patient-centered approach to managing chronic diseases. Unlike conventional medicine, which often focuses on treating symptoms with drugs, functional medicine seeks to understand the root causes of illness. 

I understand your silent struggles

Over 50% of women in the United States suffer from mild health conditions on an ongoing basis.These mild health issues may not be urgent, but they are still a drag. Are these familiar?

Have you seen a doctor and still feel helpless, left with the same problems? 

It is possible to get well and stay well! Our Comprehensive Health Assessment will identify the root causes of these problems so that we can solve them permanently.

Comprehensive Health Assessment

Investment: $300

From Frustration to Freedom:
Functional Medicine Solutions Tailored Just for You

Your Path to Wellness Starts Here

As a certified functional medicine practitioner, I understand that true health goes beyond mere symptom management. My mission is to empower you to thrive, not just survive. Say goodbye to band-aid solutions and embrace a holistic approach that addresses the root causes of your health concerns.

Our Personalized Wellness Approach

1

Comprehensive Assessment

We will start with a personalized consultation, where I will listen, understand your concerns. If necessary, I will order labwork so we can have solid data of your health to uncover hidden imbalances and identify the underlying triggers affecting your well-being.
2

Tailored Treatment Plan

You’re not a statistic; you’re an individual. With data from our assessment, I will create a personalized roadmap to wellness. Your customized plan will include dietary adjustments, lifestyle recommendations, and targeted supplements.
3

Ongoing Support

I am with you every step of the way. Regular follow-ups, educational resources, and compassionate guidance ensure your progress toward optimal health.

Ready to Transform Your Health?

You can heal your body and have glowing skin again. You can feel healthy and vibrant again!

Take charge of your well-being today. Start by ordering a Comprehensive Health Assessment today.

Comprehensive Health Assessment

Investment: $300

Still have questions? Review the FAQs

Functional Medicine Boston
Personalized Services to Solve Your Health Issues

After your Comprehensive Health Assessment, your personalized treatment plan will include one of the following or a custom treatment program designed uniquely for you.

Meet Natalie, Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner

As a Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner, I’ve completed a rigorous training at The School of Applied Functional Medicine which is an Accredited Continuing Medical Education (CME) Provider. 

WHAT IS AFMC CERTIFICATION (Advanced Training in Functional Medicine)?

Dedicated practitioners commit to 620+ hours of rigorous training in advanced functional medicine sciences and validated application through clinical case studies.

READ MORE ABOUT MY FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE JOURNEY

What Sets Unique Verve Apart?

Personalized Health and Diet Review: Natalie delves deep into your medical history, lifestyle, and dietary habits. No two individuals are alike, and neither are their health journeys. Natalie tailors every assessment to your unique needs.

Detoxification for Optimal Vitality: Environmental toxins, stress, and poor dietary choices can burden your body. Our detoxification protocols gently support your liver, kidneys, and gut to eliminate harmful substances. Feel lighter, clearer, and rejuvenated.

Strategic Diet and Lifestyle Changes: At Unique Verve, we don’t believe in restrictive diets or quick fixes. Instead, we guide you toward sustainable changes that fit seamlessly into your life. Whether it’s optimizing nutrient intake, managing stress, or improving sleep quality, we’ve got you covered.

Evidence-Based Supplements: When necessary, Natalie recommends high-quality supplements to bridge nutritional gaps. Our approach is science-backed, ensuring you receive the right nutrients in the right form.

Natalie Maibenko

mini-shield_1
AFMC Certified Practitioner
Location: Boston, MA
Access: Virtually
Specialties: Adrenal/Thyroid Health, Asthma and Allergy, Autoimmune Health, Diabetes/Metabolic Dysfunction, Digestion/GI Health
Best Functional Medicine Practitioner in Boston
Unique Verve
is featured on BestProsInTown - your go-to resource for finding trusted professionals in your area.

Functional Medicine Boston
Success Stories

Unique Verve
5.0

Natalie had given me wonderful facials for years, but I am writing this review because she enabled me to experience a dramatic improvement in my overall health and sense of well-being through application of her functional medicine expertise. I had had a stressful year and attributed my palpitations, chronic waking up between 2-4 am, ongoing hot flashes (10 years after menopause), higher than desirable blood sugar, and periodic bouts of itchy skin — as well as the fact that I never seemed able to lose the 5-10 pounds I wanted to lose – to “getting older,” having stressful work, my mother passing away after a long period of decline, and other external factors. I had spoken about each issue to my doctors – and had had a complete cardiac evaluation – with the result being that I was told I really had nothing to worry about. So I was going along assuming that I should just accept the fact that – at 61 – I was going to have physical discomforts and not great sleep. I kept working out to stay relatively fit, but I felt as though I was never 100% healthy and energetic.After Natalie’s thorough, customized assessment I learned that my internal biochemistry was in disarray – I had a clinically high level of mercury (after a misguided sense that sushi was always healthy), genetic impairments that were preventing me from absorbing multiple key vitamins and minerals, elevated blood sugar due more to internal imbalances and overloads than to what I was eating, a very high sensitivity to gluten (despite not being allergic to it), and a liver that needed me not to rely on 1-2 glasses of wine each night to alleviate stress. Natalie developed a nutrition and supplement plan for me, explaining the science behind each recommendation and providing me with relevant research articles, and gave me many tips about how to make my life more healthy. After ten weeks, carefully following Natalie’s recommendations, I feel so much better it is hard to explain. I have very few palpitations and hot flashes, and my skin is no longer itchy. I wake up at night but always go back to sleep easily and never have arrhythmias or an accelerated heart rate at night. My transient dizziness is gone, I feel more inherently stable and grounded, and the weight fell off me without effort. I have not yet been retested but feel confident that my mercury level is no longer high.Natalie both inspires and teaches – without being judgmental or insensitive. She is phenomenal at this work, in part because she is clearly passionate about it. I feel certain that i will live a longer, healthier, happier life because of the guidance and support she has provided. I cannot thank Natalie enough, or recommend her more highly.

Jennifer Davis

I was diagnosed with a thyroid issue at the beginning of the year and have always had PCOS. I was told to go to an endocrinologist but had to wait 4 months for an appt. I went to Natalie immediately for help to try to address my thyroid issue. She really listens and digs into the full picture of everything ever in your health history to connect symptoms that I had never realized were connected or could be changed about me (ie dry skin). She educated me so much and truly has steered me into living a completely different lifestyle when it comes to what/how/when I eat, drink, sleep etc! When it finally came time for my endocrinologist appointment, I was educating my endocrinologist and asking good questions and not just taking what she said as the answer. The endocrinologist wanted to treat the pcos and thyroid issue as 2 separate issues, she didn’t believe they were related… despite both being hormonal issues!? They also didn’t do a full thyroid panel or compare my results to the results from 4 months earlier. Natalie did and pointed out that despite some being too low/high, some of the numbers were improving. It’s been 6 months now and I just got my period for the first time in several YEARS. So it feels amazing to know that my efforts, through Natalie’s guidance, are slowly healing my body. I know it won’t happen overnight but am so grateful to have Natalie as a resource in my life to help me overcome health issues, especially when traditional doctors don’t have answers.

Jillian Attardo

I’ve never felt moved to write a Google review before. I’m doing this just because Natalie is that good. (“Good” isn’t a good enough word. She’s amazing.) I have seen her for facials for a number of years and always appreciated her scientific approach, her dedicated research skills, and her ability to sift through all the latest technologies and products in a critical way, selecting only the best for her clients. She’s also technically gifted–great at massage and application of products (I often fall asleep during treatments, because she’s so relaxing and gentle). Just from those visits, my skin noticeably improved (texture, elasticity, and redness).I’m a pretty skeptical person, so when she said she was starting to offer functional medicine consultations, I unsure if it was for me. She didn’t push it at all though (this is something I appreciate about Natalie as well–she never over-sells). Eventually, because I trusted her skills and her scientific mind, I decided to take a leap.I went for a consultation with generalized symptoms–nothing conventional medicine could help with, mostly relating to inflammation.I went through the whole functional medicine program. Natalie was very patient with my over-burdened scheduled and inability to completely conform to each of her recommendations. She kept adapting to my needs while also making clear which of her recommendations was most important. She provided lots of information, including primary source articles from science journals, which I appreciated (I imagine the amount of information could be too much for some people, but I think she adapts to each client). I took her recommendations to heart and was eventually able to make major lifestyle changes.About three months later I learned that I had cleared a chronic infection; my systolic blood pressure was down ten points; my joint inflammation was completely gone; I no longer had recurring headaches; and my skin was less sensitive. I also lost over twenty pounds, which wasn’t something I was trying to do, but it happened as a positive side-effect. (I actually continue to lose weight.) The changes were almost unbelievable.I’m not saying functional medicine is a cure-all. I still manage sensitivity issues, and I’m sure my routine will have to adapt as I age, but I am *so* glad I found Natalie to help me through all this. I have never had such positive results from a health and wellness routine, and I have tried many (whole 30, cleanses, elimination diets, fasts). I trust Natalie completely and recommend her fully, without reservation.

Emily du Houx

I started working with Natalie for functional medicine since January/February. For 2+ years I was dealing with severe gastrointestinal issues. I had many other symptoms I wanted to address, but my GI issues were the most impactful and detrimental to my daily life. I went to multiple doctors who simply were unhelpful. At one point I was told I have IBS and basically there was not much to do about it and I need to just manage my symptoms. I felt incredibly frustrated and refused to accept this as my new life going forward. When Natalie reached out about starting to work with clients for functional medicine, I was hesitant to venture outside of traditional medicine despite its disappointments. However, having known Natalie for years (I’ve been seeing her at least once a month for 4+ years for my facials), I know she puts an insane amount of effort and diligence into anything she pursues. I am so incredibly happy I decided to work with her to heal my body.

From day one of the functional medicine journey, Natalie truly listened and carefully assessed my entire medical history (which is pretty extensive). Doctors are faced with a combination of being overloaded with patients, trained to treat acute symptoms, and bombarded by paperwork from insurance companies. It felt strange to feel fully heard and I wish all healthcare experiences were what Natalie gives. It’s only been 4-5 months and I’m not “cured”, but my symptoms have vastly improved way beyond what I expected when I first started. I am no longer constantly uncomfortable and in pain. She not only helped my GI symptoms, but also my energy, brain fog, etc. I finally feel that my body and mind are returning to normal and it is a freeing experience of relief.

Healing your body with functional medicine is a team effort. It requires personal effort to change your own habits and lifestyle, but I couldn’t ask for a better teammate in guidance, knowledge, and support than Natalie.

Stephanie

I had sufferend from recurrent UTIs for 20 years. They worsened after I had children. I started working with Natalie as my functional DR and for over 8 months I have been cured. I also understand what I need to do for better health and digestion. Natalie is totally focused, personal, and she will follow through. She will treat like family. I have finally learned how to holistically take care of myself.

Melissa Baldino

Thanks to Natalie’s Functional Medicine program, I have finally resolved life long digestive issues, returned to a much healthier weight, and substantially improved my vitality. Any skepticism I had about what can be achieved through Functional Medicine was completely dispelled by the results I’ve realized with Natalie’s help. She is a supportive, encouraging, but firm health coach who expertly applies her comprehensive knowledge and understanding of Functional Medicine to an individual’s unique situation. I highly recommend Natalie and her Functional Medicine program to anyone trying to improve their digestive or overall health.

John Donovan

I began working with Natalie in early 2021 I was not feeling well and had recently been through a very stressful time- divorce, surgery and the death of the mother..She patiently and thoroughly explained what was going on in my body. She systematically educated me on making changes both with supplements, diet and stress management. She is so supportive and I began to see and feel the difference.As I continued my health journey- fast forward to the summer and the years of neglect culminated with a trip to the emergency room – I had gallbladder stones blocking the duct and this lead to further complications. They put in a stint and I fought to keep my gallbladder. Through my working with Natalie I had an understanding of how important your gallbladder is – digestion, thyroid, supports the liver and I wanted to try and kept it.With her guidance and following her recommendations I was able to lower my A1C in 6 weeks to normal range, reverse fatty liver and keep my gallbladder.The surgeon still checks in with me every 6 months and for 2 years afterwards they insisted I get an ultrasound to confirm I was ok.I will be forever grateful to work with her.

Ginny Miller

I worked with Natalie as part of her functional medicine practice. Over a period of several weeks, Natalie helped me prepare for an intensive, long term course of anti-biotics which is known to create difficult side effects for most people undergoing treatment. Through diet changes and supplements, I have experienced no side effects from the antibiotics. I am really grateful for the work I did with Natalie!

Kate Donovan

Read more success stories and functional medicine tips on our Instagram

Frequently Asked Questions

Functional medicine presents a science-grounded approach to healthcare, aimed at understanding, preventing, and managing complex chronic conditions. It represents an innovative paradigm in medicine, born from the collaboration of scientists and clinicians across various disciplines such as clinical nutrition, molecular biology, biochemistry, and conventional medicine. This approach views the body holistically, emphasizing interconnections between different bodily systems, as well as the impact of nutrient imbalances and toxic burdens on these interactions.

Contrary to the perception of most modern ailments being easily identifiable and treatable acute illnesses, the reality is that the majority of health issues are chronic and often preceded by a prolonged period of declining bodily function. Functional medicine, thus, departs from traditional acute-care models, seeking to restore patients to a state of wellness by addressing underlying dysfunctions contributing to their ailments. These dysfunctions emerge from a complex interplay between individual genetic predispositions, lifestyle factors, and environmental influences over the course of a lifetime.

Unlike conventional medicine's one-size-fits-all style, functional medicine customizes a wellness plan to suit your unique needs and circumstances. The main differences are:

Functional medicine looks for the common link between diseases, while conventional medicine views people in terms of their disease. 

Functional medicine takes a physiologic-metabolic-biochemical-genetic systems approach, while conventional medicine takes an anatomical-symptomatic approach.

All dysfunctions, symptoms and diseases have root causes. The Functional Medicine approach is designed to identify and address the root causes of imbalances and dysfunctions. This requires looking upstream from symptoms to identify the fundamental imbalances
in the body and what might be causing those imbalances. Therefore, Functional Medicine can be beneficial to anyone suffering from chronic illness(es), whatever the diagnosis.

Conventional medical practices often overlook the root causes of illness. Standard diagnostic procedures typically overlook factors like food sensitivities, covert infections, environmental pollutants, mold and toxin exposure, nutrient deficiencies, and metabolic
irregularities. We use advanced wellness tests that enables us to identify underlying root-causes of your imbalances and dysfunctions.

We do not provide primary care services as we are a Functional Medicine practice only.

Natalie will work with you closely as a mentor and guide in functional medicine to help you address the root causes of your chronic health problems. She will help you to reach your own health and wellness goals through implementing incremental, positive, healthy, sustainable lifestyle changes that will help you to live and thrive using simple methods.

We do not prescribe medications.

We work closely with the Vibrant Wellness testing laboratory company that offers both conventional lab markers and panels as well as comprehensive wellness panels.

The cost of the lab tests are not included in the functional medicine program. 

The cost of lab work review is included in the 3-month VIP Functional Medicine Boston program. 

Firstly, we will start with the Functional Medicine Comprehensive Health History Consultation and Assessment session which includes a review of your health history, detailed symptoms, dietary history, specific goals and review of any recent lab work.

If you are ready to optimize your wellness and reverse your health challenges, you would sign up for a 3 months VIP program.

We do not accept health insurance.

Yes, we often recommend high quality supplements as they can quickly aid in reversing chronic health challenges. Our
recommendations are firmly grounded in scientific research, ensuring that our therapeutic choices regarding nutritional supplementation are evidence-based. We exclusively carry only high-quality supplements that undergo rigorous quality testing. Our products
are of higher quality than those sold over the counter and are free of fillers, additives, artificial colors, sweeteners and allergens.

Still have questions? Book a free 5 minute discovery call

DISCLAIMER:

Information and content on this website is provided for information and educational purposes only, and is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional. No information offered here should be interpreted as a diagnosis of any disease, nor an attempt to treat or prevent or cure any disease or condition. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional. Do not disregard, avoid, or delay obtaining medical or health-related advice from your healthcare professional. Always speak with your healthcare professional before taking any medications or supplements. Information provided on this website does not create a doctor-patient relationship between you and any professional affiliated with this website. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.