Working with Dr. Joe · New Orleans
Meet Dr. Joe Mather
I’m a board-certified Family Practice physician who specializes in Functional Medicine, practicing in New Orleans. My job is simple: find the real reason you’re sick, and fix it. Many of my patients come to me still unwell after seeing several other doctors — and I’m proud to help so many of them finally get back to their life.
All too often, doctors make medicine more difficult than it needs to be. Most of my patients have been sick for years — but after taking time to listen, I can usually identify several issues that were overlooked or never properly addressed. If you’ve been struggling with your health, or feel your regular physician doesn’t have the tools or experience to help, you’re in the right place.
Joseph Mather MD, MPH
Board-Certified Family Medicine
- ✓ Over a decade of experience treating chronic fatigue and complex chronic illness
- ✓ World class medicine — works with patients across the globe
- ✓ Skilled at safely untangling overmedicated, overtreated patients
- ✓ Educator and mentor offering CME education for physicians
Functional Medicine Expert — Treats the Cause of Disease
Board-Certified American Board of Family Medicine
Tulane School of Medicine & Tulane University School of Public Health
Why my office is different
During my last year of residency, I realized that the tools I’d been taught in conventional medicine simply weren’t enough to help patients struggling with chronic disease. That started me on a journey to find other ways to help them feel better.
One of the approaches I found was functional medicine. The more I learned and brought to my patients, the better they got — I finally had the tools to help people I’d once thought were incurable. I watched patients with chronic fatigue regain their energy, patients with treatment resistant Ulcerative Colitis go into remission without medication, patients who reversed cognitive decline and more.
At the same time, I saw how conventional doctors dismissed their patients’ complaints as stress, or anxiety, or said their symptoms were all in their head. I also saw how most other functional and integrative doctors were practicing — and I didn’t like what I saw. Outrageous fees, inaccurate labs, and more interest in selling supplements than in listening. I saw doctors who used fear to motivate patients, and doctors who were chasing trends straight from Facebook news feeds rather than medical journals.
So I built an independent practice where I can practice medicine the way it should be done: with the time to listen, think, and research, and the freedom to recommend only what’s truly best for you.
If you’ve been suffering for years, you deserve a comprehensive, practical approach — and a doctor who is equally comfortable with lifestyle medicine and prescriptions, and who takes the time to find the actual cause.
What is Functional Medicine?
Instead of simply quieting symptoms with medications, I ask a different question: why is this particular patient sick, and how can we fix it? That sounds revolutionary only because our healthcare system is mostly set up to throw prescriptions at symptoms. But treating the reason someone is sick isn’t a miracle — it’s common sense.
Functional Medicine is the idea that disease can be improved or resolved by treating its underlying cause.
After all, it’s what we expect from every other professional. You’d be justifiably upset if your plumber, instead of fixing your leak, just told you to put a bucket under the sink — or if your mechanic wasn’t sure why your car was making that noise but suggested you turn up the radio. Getting to the cause is simply the most effective way to help you heal.
The Science Behind Treating Root Causes
In my office I look for the reasons why you are sick and treat the cause. Here are some of my favorite papers demonstrating why this is such an effective strategy for patients who have been struggling to get well.
I'm here to help you heal.
Appointments
I thoroughly review every case before we meet, so your visit is as productive as possible — you won’t have to repeat anything from your intake forms.
Initial Visit
$700
45 minutes
Focused on identifying the root issues driving your health concerns and planning your treatment.
Extended Initial
$950
2 hours
Ideal if you’re traveling from out of state to establish care, have a complex history, or simply want more time.
Follow-Up
$350
45 minutes
Most patients follow up every 4 weeks until they’re well. Some need only a few visits; others take more time.
Not sure if I'm a fit?
Book a free 15-minute discovery call to ask questions or make sure my office is right for you.
Common questions
Do I need labs before being seen?
No. Your history, symptoms, and physical exam are the most important information for figuring out how to help you. I recommend testing on a case-by-case basis, and I'm happy to review labs you've already done.
Do you accept insurance?
I don't bill insurance, but you can request reimbursement using a superbill you download from your patient portal after each visit. Working directly for my patients gives me more time with you, and the freedom to recommend what's best for your health — not an insurance company's profit margin.
I don't live in Louisiana or Texas. Can I still become a patient?
Yes. Patients regularly travel to my New Orleans office to establish care, and we can use telemedicine for follow-ups. (Most US states require an in-person initial visit; international consults can be done by telemedicine.)
A few of the things patients ask most — you’ll find the complete list on my FAQ page.
How to find a doctor you can trust
Functional Medicine isn’t regulated, so almost anyone can claim to practice it — and not every office is equally helpful. Having led a clinic that treated patients worldwide, I’ve seen the field from the inside. Here’s how to tell the difference.
Red flags to watch for
Ordering tests before meeting you. Many offices require expensive tests before they’ll even accept you as a patient. Those doctors have usually marked up the cost and profit from ordering more testing — and running many tests at once raises the chance of a false positive, sending you both chasing problems that aren’t real.
Aggressively pushing supplements. In my experience, around 30% of a typical Functional Medicine doctor’s income comes from supplement sales, which creates real financial bias. One clue: their answer to every symptom is yet another supplement.
Recommending many treatments at once. This wastes your time and money — and it means the doctor rarely learns what’s actually helping. If I give you treatments A, B, and C and you feel better, how would I know which one helped?
Being overly dogmatic. Be cautious if your doctor seems to have decided what’s wrong before you walk in, or blames one thing (gluten, MTHFR, glyphosate, thyroid) for everything. If you say a treatment isn’t working and their response is that you just aren’t doing it enough, look for someone more open-minded.
Signs of a practitioner you can trust
They start by fixing lifestyle issues, then reevaluate your symptoms. Most chronic disease is caused at least in part by lifestyle imbalances; if those aren’t fixed, it’s very hard to heal.
They’re more interested in your symptoms than your lab tests. Your experience is always more important than numbers on a page.
They don’t rush to judgment. A sign they’re truly listening is that they ask pertinent questions about your case.
They’re an expert at gut health. When gut function improves, many other systems in the body get better too.
They reevaluate treatments if you aren’t getting better.
They’re happy. Functional Medicine is genuinely fun — I get to put on a detective hat to figure out why someone is sick. It’s never boring.
Let’s Get Started
A doctor who cares about science
Working as an independent physician gives me time to study and keep learning new ways to help my patients. I’m proud to have contributed to our understanding of the gut–thyroid axis in a paper published in 2022.
I graduated from Tulane University School of Medicine and School of Public Health in 2011 and completed my Family Practice training in 2014. I treat many conditions, with particular expertise in GI health and mold and heavy-metal toxicity. When I’m not with patients, you’ll find me playing with my three kids, exercising, meditating, or playing the drums.
