Knowing where to start on your functional medicine journey can be intimidating. Where do you even begin? Life is noisy, symptoms blur together, and it’s hard to know which lever to pull first.
Over the last two weeks we discussed two simple tools: your Timeline (what happened, and when) and the Matrix (how your body’s systems connect). Now it’s time to pause, reflect on how you feel today, and mark where the load is heaviest.
For this week’s Sunday Reset I’m sharing a short symptom self-check. It’s inspired by the Institute for Functional Medicine’s Medical Symptoms Questionnaire, but I’ve rewritten around the seven systems of the Functional Medicine Matrix. I hope it will help you to map symptoms to systems, allowing you to then choose where to focus and make one small change that helps you feel happier and healthier.
It also gives you a baseline. Do it now, make a simple change for a few weeks, then repeat and see how your scores shift. This sits with the core idea from my article on exposome, change your inputs improve your outputs. Small moves, done daily, help you go from surviving to thriving.
How to complete the Symptom self-check
- Timeframe: think about the last 30 days.
- Scale (0–5):
0 = never or almost never
1 = rarely, mild
2 = sometimes
3 = often, noticeable
4 = most days, clear impact
5 = all the time or severe - Scoring: in each section, score every item 0–5, then add your scores for the section (max 35).
- 0–7 = Green (steady)
- 8–17 = Amber (worth attention)
- 18–35 = Red (priority)
- Keep it quick. Do not overthink. Re-check monthly.
Attribution: this self-check is inspired by IFM’s Medical Symptoms Questionnaire, but rewritten to align with the seven systems and the central hub of the Functional Medicine Matrix.
1) Digestion & absorption
How you break down food, absorb nutrients, and keep a healthy microbiome.
Score each item 0–5.
- Bloating or uncomfortable fullness after meals
- Heartburn or reflux
- Irregular bowels, loose or hard, or incomplete emptying
- Abdominal pain or cramping that comes and goes
- Predictable reactions to certain foods: gut upset, skin flare, joint ache, or headache after eating
- Nausea or early fullness
- Coated tongue or unpleasant breath on waking
Digestion subtotal (0–35): ___
2) Defence & repair
Immune balance and inflammation. Your body’s ability to defend from invaders and heal from injury.
Score each item 0–5.
- Colds or bugs that linger or keep returning
- Daily or frequent nasal or sinus congestion
- Rashes, itch, hives, or eczema flares
- Joint ache, heat, or swelling, worse after poor sleep, stress, or certain foods
- Cuts or gums that heal slowly or bleed easily
- Seasonal or environmental allergies
- Morning stiffness lasting more than 30 minutes
Defence subtotal (0–35): ___
3) Communication
Hormones, neurotransmitters, and stress chemistry. Your timing and messaging.
Score each item 0–5.
- “Tired and wired” at night or 3–4 am waking
- Mood or focus swings with stress or poor sleep
- Low libido (sex drive) for you
- Temperature intolerance, easily hot or cold, or unusual sweating
- Strong carb or sugar cravings, or appetite swings
- Headaches linked to stress, sleep loss, or monthly patterns (e.g. menstrual cycle)
- Dependence on morning caffeine to function
Communication subtotal (0–35): ___
4) Energy
Cell output and recovery: mitochondria, oxygen, nutrients.
Score each item 0–5.
- Unrefreshed on waking despite “enough” sleep
- Afternoon slump or heavy fatigue most days
- Disproportionate fatigue or soreness after modest effort
- Brain fog or word-finding dips
- More breathless than expected on stairs or hills
- Needing sugar or quick snacks to push through
- Slow bounce-back after illness or high stress
Energy subtotal (0–35): ___
5) Transport
Delivery and clearance: blood and lymph flow, steady blood sugar.
Score each item 0–5.
- Shaky, irritable, or headachy if meals are delayed
- Sleepy or foggy for 30–90 minutes after meals
- Light-headed on standing or after hot showers
- Cold hands or feet
- Ankles or feet puffier by evening
- Sensations of skipped or racing heartbeats, palpitations
- Short of breath on small hills or brisk walks
Transport subtotal (0–35): ___
6) Structure
Muscles, joints, fascia, posture, and bone. Your frame and scaffolding.
Score each item 0–5.
- Morning stiffness that eases as you move
- Recurring pain in the same area (e.g. neck, shoulder, low back, knee, or hip)
- Tension headaches linked to desk work or sleep position
- Limited mobility e.g. reach, squat, or rotation, or joints that click or catch
- Tingling or numbness in hands or feet
- Jaw tension or teeth clenching
- Feeling unsteady with stairs, getting off the floor, or carrying shopping
Structure subtotal (0–35): ___
7) Detoxification
Biotransformation and elimination: processing and clearing waste and exposures.
Score each item 0–5.
- Headache, nausea, or fog from strong smells (perfume, cleaners, petrol)
- Feeling rough after small amounts of alcohol
- Fewer than one comfortable bowel movement daily, or “sticky” stools
- Skin flare or itch after rich or processed foods or drinks
- Regular exposure to fumes, solvents, or dust at work, home, or hobbies
- Waking groggy despite enough sleep, worse after heavy meals or drinks
- Night sweats or strong body odour despite good hygiene
Detox subtotal (0–35): ___
8) Mind & mood (central hub)
Cognition, attention, mood, stress response, meaning, and connection.
Score each item 0–5.
- Trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep
- Feeling flat, anxious, irritable, or over-amped most days
- Poor concentration or memory
- Everyday stresses feel harder to handle than a year ago
- Overwhelm with bright lights or loud noise
- Feeling isolated or low on meaningful connection
- Sense that overall health has declined in the last 1–2 years
Mind & mood subtotal (0–35): ___
Analysis and scoring
Section scores
Write your subtotal for each system:
- Digestion & absorption: ____ / 35
- Defence & repair: ____ / 35
- Communication: ____ / 35
- Energy: ____ / 35
- Transport: ____ / 35
- Structure: ____ / 35
- Detoxification: ____ / 35
- Mind & mood: ____ / 35
Highest section or sections: ____________________________
Overall score
Add all eight subtotals:
Total: ____ / 280
Bands for the total:
- Green: 0–56
- Amber: 57–136
- Red: 137–280
Put it into action
1) Map it to your Timeline and Matrix
Take your colours and notes and mark them on your Matrix. If you missed that post click here.
Update your Timeline, especially your ‘current concerns’, you can also think back for any bad symptoms, when did these start? Can you identify any triggers? Or mediators (things which are keeping the symptoms going)? Click here for the timeline post.
You now have a clear picture of what to change first.
2) Choose one remove and one add for 7 days
Pick the highest-scoring system. Think about what simple changes you can make to add more of what your body needs and remove what is causing harm. Revisit my article on exposome (here) if you want a recap of this approach. Make a plan with small changes you can maintain.
Worked examples
- Digestion:
- Remove: nightly alcohol or an ultra-processed lunch.
- Add: eat sitting down without screens. Two fistfuls of veg at lunch and dinner.
- Track: bloating score 0–10 after your evening meal.
- Mind & mood:
- Remove: screens after 9 pm.
- Add: a fixed sleep window and 5–10 minutes of morning daylight.
- Track: sleep onset time and ease of waking 0–10.
- Transport:
- Remove: grazing on sweets between meals.
- Add: a 10-minute walk after your main meal, and protein at breakfast.
- Track: post-meal sleepiness 0–10.
3) Re-score in four weeks
Repeat the self-check. You are looking for a shift in the right direction, not perfection. Small changes, done daily, move you towards wellness.
If you score Red in any section, or your total score is Red, consider getting support from a licensed professional. You can use the IFM Find a Practitioner service to look for a clinician who can support you.
Grab a printable
Want a clean PDF of this questionnaire to print and fill in? Email me and I will send it over.
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Disclaimer
Education, not medical advice. Speak to your clinician before making changes, especially if you take medication or have a diagnosed condition.