A functional medicine practitioner may be anyone with a medical degree (medical doctor, doctor of osteopathic medicine, naturopathic doctor, doctor of chiropractic medicine, nurse practitioner etc).  This means the provider has training in natural medicine in general.  When you see a functional medicine practitioner, you can expect to receive an initial battery of tests to evaluate things like gut health, hormones, or nutrient status. Recommendations will depend heavily upon you making dietary and lifestyle changes to improve your health.

A Naturopathic Doctor (ND) is a doctor much like a Medical or Osteopathic Doctor, meaning the medical training is much the same.  One primary difference is that a ND does not do hospital medicine training.  A Naturopathic Doctor will still do extensive clinical training however the training is all in outpatient clinics.  When you see a Naturopathic Doctor (ND), you may have a similar experience as described above, or they may rely more heavily on one therapeutic modality or another—such as acupuncture, botanical medicine, homeopathy, or even prescription medications. Naturopathic Doctors are trained in conventional diagnostics as well as natural medicines, and the way they practice depends upon state regulations as well as areas where they have developed expertise.

Homeopathy is a specialty within medicine much like neurology is a speciality within medicine.  To be the best homeopath you should have a doctorate in medicine so that you can correctly assess each patient making the appropriate medical diagnosis and prognosis.  Not all who practice homeopathy in the United States are doctors and while they may not be bad homeopathic prescribers they have limited medical knowledge.  At our clinic not only are our providers doctors, they have gone over and beyond in the study of homeopathy achieving diplomate status meaning our doctors are the specialists of the specialists. 

No. Homeopathic medicines are taken as liquid drops or pellets that dissolve under the tongue. Whereas herbs and supplements often need to be taken in large quantities or for long periods of time to maintain the effect, homeopathic medicines need to be taken less frequently (and sometimes only once!) to stimulate healing. Homeopathic medicines are easier to take than herbs or supplements and there is a much lower risk of interactions.

Homeopathic medicines stimulate the body’s innate healing mechanisms, and the effect of a homeopathic medicine does not depend directly on diet or lifestyle changes. That being said, unhealthy lifestyle habits can interfere with healing. You will get the best and most lasting results when using homeopathy along with a healthy lifestyle. 

Dr. Amerine and Dr. Knapp are able to order labs and commonly order comprehensive panels that are more thorough than what you would typically get at a checkup. They do not have prescribing rights. If you have questions about prescription medications, you can consult with one of the nurse practitioners on our team. 

We do not file claims with insurance, but many of our patients use their Health Savings Account or Flex Spending Account. Lab testing is often covered by insurance.**

**We are happy to submit any lab work requested to your insurance. Because coverage varies by plan, not all lab tests may be covered.  You will be responsible for any portion not covered by insurance. We offer a direct pay option where you may choose to pay us directly for your lab work instead of submitting to insurance. 

Our goal is to listen and understand you completely and as a whole person. Your inital homeopathic appointment will be approximately 4 hours so that we can get a full understanding to recommend the best homeopathic medicine for you. You will be asked questions about your symptoms that you have never been asked before and may have never thought about. Initial appointments are conducted via Zoom so that you can be in the comfort of your own home.

Our doctors are focused on delivering homeopathic care, but we have a team of practitioners who can also provide bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT), direct neurofeedback, and hydrotherapy sessions.

There are a small number of medications and natural products that may interfere with the effectiveness of homeopathic medicines. Before booking your appointment with the doctor, we will ask you a few questions to make sure you are not taking anything that may interact.