These questions will answer all your questions about the process!
How do I become a patient?
It’s simple really! All you have to do is make an appointment. Click “book now” in the menu.
I have questions for you before I make a new patient appointment, so how do I reach you?
Great question. You can fill out a Typeform request here. I no longer do 15 minute discovery calls.
How does the process work? / What is the first visit with you like? / How many visits can I anticipate needing with you?
The initial consultation is 90 minutes, or 1.5 hours. We go in-depth about your health history, medical history, social history, all of it! We both become detectives. If you need a physical exam, we will attempt it during the video visit, or I may refer you to one of my colleagues. After the appointment, we usually do blood work or other testing. Then about two weeks later, we have a 60 minute follow up visit to discuss lab work and next steps. Sometimes, we need more time with our visits, so visits can be up to 90 minutes, or broken up into several visits. After the first follow up, we develop a treatment plan, and we talk about how you execute the plan over a 3-6 month time-frame. After 3-6 months has passed, we follow up, and we often do repeat lab retesting. This 3-6 month cycle repeats as needed per your case and your needs, until ultimately you “graduate” and only need to see me once a year (or less).
How do I pay for visits?
I charge patients online via credit card, which is required for booking the appointment; and I charge the card after the appointment.
How do I make an appointment?
Appointments can be booked easily online!
How do you do blood draws?
It all depends on your location. I have draw sites to send you to depending on the type of labs we are running. If you are in San Diego, most of the blood draws for my patients are carried out by Teresa and team from The Mobile Vampire, which is a mobile phlebotomy service in the San Diego area that comes directly to your house for the blood draw. If you are in another part of California, we arrange for a phlebotomist to come to your house, or find a draw site for you to visit local to you, like Quest/Labcorp. If you are in New Hampshire, there are mobile phlebotomists, Huggins Hospital, or driving to Quest/Labcorp.
What lab testing do you offer?
I usually recommend a variety of testing:
- Comprehensive blood work:
- Contains pretty much anything you could every want!
- Yes – I know how to run full hormone and full thyroid panels ;)… and I do it all the time!
- DUTCH testing
- Genetic testing
- Adrenal dysfunction testing
- Micronutrient testing
- Omega Check
- Celiac testing
- Food allergy testing
- Food sensitivity testing
- MTHFR
- Leaky gut testing
- Stool testing – I use Doctor’s Data GI360
Yes, if you have recent labs, within the last 3-6 months, we can often start there! We will request that you send them to us PRIOR to your visit, so that we can review them.
Are labs covered by insurance?
Sometimes. It is up to you to check with your insurance about coverage. Most often, people pay cash for labs unless they come with recent previous bloodwork. I work with many labs to get you the BEST possible price. I also prefer to be cash based for lab work, regardless of the insurance, because then I can tell you the EXACT price, and there are no surprise bills later. Labs are paid for by the client with check or credit card, depending on the lab.
Do you work with insurance?
We chose not to work with insurance in New Hampshire. Additionally, NDs/NMDs in CA cannot legally take medical insurance for visits.
Do you work with XYZ condition?
I posted a list of the issues I most commonly treat here.
Do you offer trades or any discounts on your visits or offer a sliding scale?
I do not offer a sliding scale.
I don’t live in New Hampshire or California… how can I work with you?
Patients need to be physically located in New Hampshire or California for me to work with them. I also can work with clients out of state in a more advisory role.