The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will instruct his patient in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.

By "integrative," I mean that I use modalities besides nutritional supplements, hormones, and medications, and diet.  I primarily utilize my training in Ayurveda, botanicals, and some yogic practices to assist in attaining wellness.

Ayurveda is an Eastern healing paradigm and the sister science of yoga. It is estimated to have its roots in the Vedas, which were texts written 5000 years ago.  "Ayur" means "Life" in Sanskirt, and "veda" means knowledge - so Ayurveda is the science of Life.  In Ayurveda, physical matter is seen as comprised of 5 elements: ether, air, water, earth, and fire.  Every person is seen as a unique mixture of these elements.  Healing involves using the 5 senses, lifestyle, food, botanicals, and other practices to bring these elements back into harmony within oneself.  An Ayurvedic practitioner may also utilize yoga techniques, to include breathwork and meditation, to bring balance.  On a surface level, Ayurveda seeks to restore physical health.  On a deeper level, Ayurveda seeks to restore balance between body-mind-spirit, and to help us have a deeper experience of who we really are.

Functional Medicine is best described as "root cause medicine."  Functional medicine physicians treat the root cause of the disease rather than just treat it's symptoms.  This is the medical paradigm of the future and you will see more and more allopathic physicians trained in functional medicine.

Root Causes of disease include: chronic stress/ HPA axis dysregulation, food triggers/nutrient depletion, gut health imbalances, immune system imbalances, environmental toxins, and energy production/mitochondrial function.  When we approach a patient we also are looking at their mental, emotional, and spiritual health.

I prescribe medications and hormones where clinically indicated - I work with each person as a unique individual regarding what might best suit them.  I also prescribe nutrients, nutriceuticals, and botanicals.  

In this practice I am looking for people over age 18.  Yes, I treat men!  

No, in this capacity I will be acting as a consultant and I recommend that all of my patients have a primary care physician who can do an in-person physical exam on you once a year.  I am happy to provide you with your medical notes that you can take to your primary care physician or endocrinologist.

Studies have shown that accurate diagnoses and treatment is 80% based on thorough history taking.  In fact, good history taking really should be considered a "procedure" because it involves a certain level of skill.  Nothing beats an in-person visit (at least for me), but there is ease in not having to get out of your pajamas to go to a medical appointment, and we can reach more people with telemedicine.  You'll find the EMR interface is easy to navigate.  

The biggest limitation is that I cannot do a hands-on physical.  I do have techniques to evaluate people via video, though.  I recommend that you have a hands-on physical by a primary care provider at least once a year.

I do not have a brick and mortar practice at this time.  I currently see family pratice patients in-person at Chapa-De Indian Health in Grass Valley and Auburn, CA.  

Yes.  I am Board Certified in Family Medicine by The American Board of Family Medicine.  I am also certified by The National Board of Physicians and Surgeons.  I work hard to maintain my board certifications.  I believe board certification demonstrates adherence to a certain standard of care.

I'm currently licensed to practice in Nevada, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and California.  By law, that means that my patients must be physically located in any of those states for me to conduct a telemedicine visit with them.  If the demand arises, I would consider getting licensed in additional states.

I don't take insurance for the face-to-face visits with me.  You can use insurance for medication and most of the labwork I order (which can be done at a conventional lab).  I can also give you a Superbill from your visit that you can submit to your insurance company for reibursement (if they allow it).