Commonly asked questions
Do you accept insurance?
No, I do not accept insurance. Upon request for my patients established in Arizona ONLY, I can provide a superbill with CPT and ICD-10 codes that can be submitted to insurance. I am not governed by the dictates of insurance companies and am able to provide more individualized and targeted care due to being a private pay practice. Just as you hire specialists to help you in all aspects of life, I am a specialist to help you get optimally healthy. :)
How much do labs cost?
This depends. But, I typically recommend comprehensive screening labs that test for cardiovascular health, metabolic function, hormonal health, thyroid health, blood counts, kidney function, liver function, nutritional deficiencies, and autoimmunity at the first visit if all of this has not been done in the past year.
ALL of these labs run about $300-350. Follow-up lab testing will be less as I will not be recommending as many labs. If cost is an issue, we can start with the basics (~$200) and expand from there. But doing the comprehensive screening is always recommended. :)
Additionally, some people like to take my list of recommended labs to their PCP on insurance and see if they will run them so that they are covered. This is also an option! However, the panels I typically run are more in depth than most conventional practitioners typically order. The panels I order are worth the cost AND I make sure I use a lab that gives you the best cost while maintaining excellent standards & reliability.
**If you are an Arizona established patient then I can order some of these labs directly and they are often covered but you can always call your insurance in advance to double check!
Specialty labs (eg stool testing, organic acids tests, environmental panels) are not included in this estimate. These costs range per test. I typically do not recommend many specialty labs unless I think they're immediately necessary as the screening labs typically tell me what I need to know to get you feeling better.
All labs are ordered AFTER your initial visit so I can tailor the labs & plan to what I think you need as an individual. Additionally, depending on you current health status I may want certain labs run on certain days & times which I'll need a visit to discuss.
How long will it take to get better?
This question is always difficult to answer as it depends on a variety of things, especially the complexity of your case and health conditions. Typically you can expect it to take about 'one month' of healing for 'each year' of ill health/chronic illness. While I work with you we will do regular check ins to make sure you are on track and improving, and if not, then more investigation and changes in your plan will be made.
Do you treat ______?
Honestly? Likely yes. There are few conditions I don't work with. My naturopathic training was focused on primary care. This means I'm a generalist. I do a little of everything. AND, I do not want to niche. I like doing a little of everything, and frankly, I think it's necessary to know how to be a good generalist to work with all sorts of conditions. No one just has a thyroid issue, or just has a gut issue, or just has ______ issue. Every organ system talks to each other! And, that is what I know going into helping my patients heal. I address everything.
That said, there are some things I'm particularly good at treating. I've listed them out
here. And, you may want to read up on
POTS/dysautonomia or
mast cell if you have these concerns as I work with them a lot. :)
I do NOT work with cancer (but do work with people that have had a history of cancer or want to be proactive about cancer prevention). The only mental health conditions I work with directly are anxiety and depression at this time.
And, yes, if you have complex health conditions that need further assessment I cannot do, then I will refer you to a specialist. And, I'll review all their records so I know exactly what is going on with your body and how best to help you. Sometimes I need to refer you so you get a workup I can't do as an ND and I of course can still work with you after we get that additional info! The goal is always to make sure you get the best care, assessment, and plan for you and your body.
Do you prescribe drugs?
Yes, I actually do. This is a common misnomer about naturopathic doctors. While drugs are NOT my go to therapy there is absolutely a time and a place for medications. It's my job as a doctor to know when I need to recommend them. My duty is to do no harm, and if my medical assessment is that they're needed I will prescribe them. Common medications I prescribe include thyroid medications, antibiotics (in rare instances), blood pressure medications, bio-identical hormone therapy, and low-dose naltrexone.
Please note- I can ONLY prescribe medications to patients established in Arizona.
What is the difference between Arizona visits & Online Consulting?
Great question! I outline this in two spots:
Arizona Visits and
Online Consulting. Scroll to the middle of those pages and it discusses this further. But in a nutshell in AZ I can order labs, imaging, prescribe medications, and act as your doctor. With online consulting I can order some labs and only act as your consultant. In both ways I can definitely help you get to feeling better!
I'm not in Arizona, can I still work with you?
Yes! I offer online consultations to clients outside the state of AZ or international.
