Naturopathic Medicine
What is it?
Naturopathic Medicine uses the guiding principles to focus on finding the underlying cause of disease, in addition to treating current symptoms. Naturopathic Physicians are Primary Care Physicians and have completed a 4 year medical degree at a Nationally Accredited Naturopathic Medical School.
One of the most important differences is the amount of time spent in the visit, with first office calls lasting 60 to 90 minutes and follow ups anywhere from 15 to 60 minutes as needed. This allows for an in-depth interview regarding health history. There is also ample time for questions to be answered and for targeted education in diet or lifestyle choices that may be beneficial to you. You are an unique individual and identifying which therapies or medications will be most advantageous to you is my goal.
Do you use lab work?Laboratory values are an important component of understanding your physiology and I often request blood work when indicated. I use a few specialty labs for Food Sensitivity Panels or Lyme disease testing but the majority of my requested labs are standard medical labs. Pathology Associated Medical Laboratory has a draw station located conveniently less than a block away from the clinic.
Do you accept insurance?I find many insurance rules to be neither in your or my best interest so I have chosen not to directly participate. As I am not contracted to any insurance plans I am considered an "out-of-network provider." This means that I request payment at the time of service and offer you a coded "superbill" that you can send to your insurance provider to receive reimbursement directly. As coverage varies tremendously I encourage you to call the number on the back of your card to find out the specifics for your insurance.
What therapy treatments do you use?
Treatment begins with reestablishing the basis of health. This often means assessing lifestyle choices such as diet, sleep, exercise and hydration.
Once there is a strong foundation then we can begin to stimulate innate healing abilities.
Often nutritional and diet counseling as well as other lifestyle modifications are the most important initial therapy. I may prescribe a botanical or nutrient supplementation. This may be a capsulated or liquid preparation. We have a herbal tincture dispensary allowing us to custom blend individualized formulations as needed. Sometimes I may recommend Acupuncture.
