Lifeforce
Health seekers are turning to functional care for optimal well-being.
The latest: Lifeforce, a clinically integrated health optimization platform, raised $12M in a Series A round.
The platform combines at-home diagnostics with lifestyle intervention, nutraceuticals, and hormone therapies to increase quality of life. Importantly, the membership includes ongoing access to clinicians and health coaches to track and refine care plans over time.
Care Conundrum
Americans aren’t feeling well about the state of conventional healthcare.
- Only 27% of Americans say the US medical system meets all their needs.
- 60% give the healthcare system a “C” letter grade or below.
- 64% wish their healthcare providers took more time to understand them.
A noted shortfall after affordability, access, and distrust, 19% of patients say traditional providers are only focused on treating an illness or injury and not on preventative care and wellness.
Alt-medicine. With needs unmet, Americans are increasingly left to assemble their own treatment a la carte, exploring both ancient wisdom and advances in tech for “unconventional” care.
In particular, protocols for longevity, aging well, and high performance aren’t typically found in traditional healthcare — but the needs and wants of consumers persist.
Now, health-optimizing providers are bundling a new continuum for well-being, incorporating personalized diagnostics, lifestyle recommendations, and often supplements or nutraceuticals.
- Human optimization platform Fount uses self-experimentation and biometrics to produce a holistic program of nutrition, exercise, light exposure, sleep, meditation, and more.
- For men, Maximus and Hone Health prescribe testosterone treatments as part of anti-aging and optimization plans.
- Using epigenetic age clocks, proprietary supplements, and personalized lifestyle recommendations, Tally’s platform aims to boost longevity.
Shifting the paradigm of sickcare, Parsley Health’s digital clinic is now in-network care in NY and CA, while its employer-focused division added women’s health, menopause, and autoimmune disciplines. And Whole Foods co-founder John Mackey’s Love.Life is pursuing lifestyle medicine with plant-based food at the center.
Elsewhere, touting the vast benefits of better metabolic health, January AI, Levels, and InsideTracker build holistic care plans around how you eat.
Punchline: Functional medicine, preventative healthcare, and holistic longevity programs are becoming three sides of the same coin, emphasizing behavioral changes that lead to better outcomes and optimal health. Whatever you call them, these approaches share all the common sense that conventional care is lacking.
