[yoyonamite]

I think a core problem is that the incentives are to give a quick diagnosis and prescription, and if that diagnosis is wrong, move on to the next diagnosis / prescription, repeat. This is in contrast to my experience with a functional doctor, who laid out a logical plan, testing to verify hypotheses, and only after all the pieces fit together, decided on a treatment strategy.

Of course, for the majority of cases, the mainstream approach works well or well enough, but it's definitely frustrating when you fall outside of it. I think some people don't even know they're falling outside of it (e.g. long-term gastrointestinal problems), as in they've given up figuring out the root cause and have learnt to deal with their symptoms. I think the number is non-trivial (1%+?), but I can't think of any way to prove that.