FAQ

What is Functional Medicine?

Functional Medicine is the scientific practice that seeks to identify and address the root causes of diseases. It is patient centered and treats the body as a whole and not only the symptoms. Functional Medicine uses saliva, urine or serum (blood) specialized lab tests to discover where, how and why a health condition occurs and seeks a personalized treatment plan in order to restore health. Taking the time to understand what has triggered the condition(s), eliminate those elements, and allow healing to begin from within is the primary focus of Functional Medicine.

How long does it take to get results?

It's important to understand that in most cases, your condition didn't develop quickly. For patients with autoimmune or other chronic conditions, it may take months before you start to feel or see the results. This is why the initial testing is important. Testing lets us establish a baseline, and then with scheduled re-testing, we can determine how well your body is responding to the
treatment. Because the changes are happening internally first, testing is a way to verify the efficacy - even if you are not able to see or feel improvements.

What to expect

At Dr. Michael’s Wellness we will make every effort to make your first experience with us as comfortable as possible.Your first visit may take much more time compared to a conventional health provider visit. While the time it takes depends on the condition, you should expect your first visit to typically last one hour or longer. Since the main goal of functional medicine is to find and treat the cause of disease, spending that much time is essential in order to capture all the needed details that can help to fully uncover the root cause. In addition, the treatment may be tailored to each patient. This also requires more time compared to a standard one-fits-all treatment.

Functional Medicine is about treating the individual patient, so a lot of the time spent in the first visit is getting to know you, your concerns, your full medical history, your level of activity, the foods you eat, family history, etc. Be sure to bring a list of all medication and supplements you are currently taking or have taken in the recent past.

After that we can talk about some possible treatment options and lab work that may be needed to establish a baseline and further pinpoint any underlying causes for the conditions you may have. While some recommendations may be given during the first visit, we will need to wait for the lab results and your physical exam to be complete before making a full diagnosis and creating your customized treatment plan. The first visit generally takes about 60 minutes.

On your second visit - about 4 weeks later, we will perform a physical exam, review the results of the lab tests, discuss the conditions you may have and prescribe Practitioner Grade Supplements. The second visit generally takes about 30 minutes.
Depending on your condition and the customized treatment plan, half-hour follow up appointments may be scheduled every 3-4 months following the start of treatment.

Do you accept insurance?

While Dr. Michael’s Wellness does not accept any Medical Insurance or Medicare/Medicaid, we can provide you with the necessary documentation and receipts to submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement of costs (Medicare/Medicaid excluded). All of our services use standardized insurance billing codes to make this easier.

How much does it cost?

We are fully transparent about costs, so we have created a simplified approach to billing.

For new patients, the initial visit is $1950. This includes your first 60 minute visit with Dr. Michael and the 2-3 hours on average that Dr. Michael spends analyzing your detailed intake forms prior to your 1st visit.

For established patients, follow-up visits for Functional Medicine with Dr. Michael are $295.00 per 30 minutes. If extra time is required, then additional prorate charges will apply.

We also offer financing through Care Credit. It takes just a few minutes to apply and we offer special 0% interest for up to 12 months with no money down for those that qualify! Many patients choose Care Credit and discover care to be extremely cost-effective and affordable.

What should I bring?

Bring a list of all prescription and over-the-counter medications and supplements you are currently taking. Functional Medicine is different than medical treatment you have received elsewhere. Your treatment will be designed specifically for you.

Qualifications you should look for in a Functional Medicine Doctor are:

• Focuses on nutrition
  
• Opts for more natural treatments when available
  
• Emphasizes partnership with patient
• May practice “concierge” medicine to spend significant time with each patient
  
• Has a higher education degree
  
• D.O. stands for doctor of osteopathic medicine. They treat the whole body.
  
• M.D. is a medical doctor who earned a traditional medical degree. They are also qualified to treat the whole body but frequently specialize.
  
• D.C. is a doctor of chiropractic, who corrects spinal alignment and often practices functional medicine.
  
• N.D. is a doctor of naturopathy. Instead of pharmacology, naturopaths focus entirely on natural treatments.
  
• N.P. is a nurse practitioner, able to operate their own practices and prescribe medications.
  
• R.D. stands for “registered dietician,” which means these providers focus specifically on nutritional counseling. “Certified nutritionists” also fall into this category but have differing levels of patient experience (which isn’t always the same from state to state).

Can Dr. Michael prescribe?



Yes, Dr. Michael prescribes the highest quality and purity Practitioner- Grade Supplements.