- What is functional nutrition?
Functional nutrition means slightly different things to different people. To me, functional nutrition is personalized, holistic health care with an emphasis on food and nutrients as instrumental to whole-body balance and health. My educational background in nutrition is rooted in the systems biology approach of the Institute for Functional Medicine. In systems biology, the body systems are not siloed but, rather, are viewed as an interconnected and interdependent web. In this paradigm, one imbalance can manifest as many different disease states, and conversely, one disease state can be caused by any number of different imbalances. What this means in practice is that regardless of your diagnoses, or lack thereof, I take time to consider your whole health history along with environmental factors including food, stress, movement, sleep, and toxin exposures. I also utilize (but do not ever require) functional lab testing that can pinpoint nutritional deficiencies and biochemical imbalances. Particularly when dealing with stubborn or complex issues, this type of data can be very helpful in tailoring a nutrition, lifestyle, and supplementation plan for you. I believe my functional nutrition approach is successful because it factors in your individuality and supports your body’s innate ability to heal itself.
I am not a medical doctor, and I don’t pretend to be one! It is beyond my legal scope of practice to diagnosis or even specifically to treat diagnosed medical conditions. Therefore, I ask that you retain a primary care doctor if we are working together. What I can do is identify and treat nutritional and biochemical imbalances, which are at the roots of disease and which impact every area of your health. Typically in conventional medicine, diagnoses of chronic conditions are used to determine symptom management approaches, which can result in short-term relief and a slowing of the disease process. By adding in personalized nutrition and attention to whole body well-being, we can work to reverse dysfunction and rebuild lasting health. Notice that I used the word “adding”. I do not believe that nutrition is necessarily a replacement for other care (although sometimes it can be), and I don’t think it is usually an either-or situation when it comes to conventional approaches or “alternative” therapies like nutrition. This is why I chose to use the word integrative in my practice name. I want my clients to find a path forward, and I remain open to all modalities that can provide them benefit. I am happy to work in collaboration with your primary care physician and any other care providers on your team to help provide you with the most comprehensive care possible.
2. How much do appointments cost?
Please visit my Services page for current pricing information.
3. How many appointments will I need?
For most clients, we meet periodically over the course of 3-6 months, or longer for continued support or health optimization as desired. Success is best achieved with intentional, meaningful, and realistic steps. After the initial session, a majority of clients come for several follow-up appointments because it is usually not feasible nor optimal to implement an entire therapeutic plan after just one visit, and clients benefit from the dynamic and supportive process of working together to carry out and evolve the original plan. This is why I offer a follow-up package of 4 sessions for the price of 3. However, there is never any obligation to schedule more appointments than you wish to come to. You ultimately decide what you need.
4. Can I pay with HSA or FSA funds?
The answer here is probably, but you will likely need to obtain a “letter of medical necessity” from your primary provider detailing that you are receiving nutritional care to address a specific medical concern or diagnosis. Please contact your benefits administrator to find out what your eligible expenses are.
New for 2025: I am credentialed with United Healthcare, Aetna, and First Choice Health! I can accept United Healthcare for residents of both OR and Wa, and Aetna and First Choice Health for WA residents only at this time. Please reach out if you have any of these insurance carriers and I can help you determine your nutrition coverage.
5. Can I contact you between appointments?
Absolutely! I am available to answer quick questions via email, messaging through the electronic health record service, or scheduled phone calls (5-10 minutes). If you have more in-depth questions or concerns that cannot be answered in a 5-10 minute conversation, or which are about new topics we have not yet discussed in session together, you may be asked kindly to schedule a follow-up appointment so that we can have adequate time together to get your questions fully answered. I do offer (unadvertised) shorter follow-ups when a full length follow-up is not needed but a client has a specific question.
6. What happens after I book my first appointment?
After you book an initial consult, I will send you several forms to complete at least 1 full day (24 hours) prior to your visit. It is important that I have this information prior to our visit for legal and practical reasons, so if you are not able to complete them in time, we will need to reschedule. The forms you will receive are: an intake form, a medical symptoms questionnaire, 3-day food journal, a privacy notice, and a consent form. Based on any preliminary conversation we may have had, I might also send other forms if I think they are particularly applicable to your case. If you have any lab work to share with me, you will be able to upload that into the electronic health record along with the forms. I understand that it can feel cumbersome to fill out a bunch of paperwork, but do please know that this is all in the service of providing the most personalized care possible for you.
If this page did not answer your questions, please reach out! I would love to hear from you and personally reply to all inquiries. Email me at becky@osaintegrative.com, or reach me by phone: 206-390-0747