Frequently Asked Questions

What is Naturopathic Medicine?

Naturopathic Medicine is a unique and comprehensive approach to improving health and treating illness. Focusing on prevention, and using natural substances and treatments, naturopathic doctors support and stimulate the body’s ability to heal itself. The primary goal of naturopathic treatment is to address the cause of illness, rather than simply treat or suppress symptoms. The patient is seen as a whole person and the naturopathic doctor takes the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions into account when diagnosing and developing a treatment plan.

What is a Naturopathic doctor?

A Naturopathic Doctor is a primary care doctor who specializes in natural medicine. Our doctors look at the whole body and treat the cause not just the symptoms. Naturopathic doctors are trained in medical school to understand alternative medicine along with conventional pharmaceutical drugs.

What is the main difference in schooling for a MD and a ND?

A licensed naturopathic doctor (ND) attends a four-year, graduate-level naturopathic medical school and is educated in all of the same basic sciences as an MD, but also studies holistic and nontoxic approaches to therapy with a strong emphasis on disease prevention and optimizing wellness. In addition to a standard medical curriculum, the naturopathic doctor is required to complete training in clinical nutrition, acupuncture, homeopathic medicine, botanical medicine, psychology, and counseling (to encourage people to make lifestyle changes in support of their personal health). A naturopathic doctor takes rigorous professional board exams so that he or she may be licensed by a state or jurisdiction as a primary care general practice doctor.

Can your doctors work with my primary care doctor?

Yes, our naturopathic doctors are also primary care doctors and they can work with your primary care physician or any specialist as needed.

Is Naturopathic medicine safe?

Naturopathic medicine is very safe. Our doctors are trained to know the interactions between natural medicines and pharmaceuticals. We recommend that you speak with a qualified doctor before using any herb or supplement to ensure your health and safety.

How do I get started?

Our doctors are interested in forming long term relationships with their patients. We recommend starting with a free 15 minute consultation to answer your questions and meet the doctor before committing to becoming a patient.

What’s involved in a free 15 minute consultation?

This is a brief conversation about your health which gives you a chance to meet the doctor with no charge and no obligation. The purpose of the consultation is to answer any questions you may have about naturopathic medicine and for you to learn about how we can help you. No medical advice can be given during this consultation.

What does the initial intake (first appointment after the free 15 minute consultation) include?

The initial intake is a 1 to 2 hour review of your medical history and includes a full physical examination and review of systems. We also ask you to bring in any recent lab work, medication and supplements to discuss with the doctor.

How much do your services cost?

Our doctors bill hourly at $180. In order to get a better idea of what appointments and treatments would cost, we offer a free 15 minute consultation with the doctor. They will then be able to gauge how much time it would take to review your medical history and set up a treatment plan for you.

Do you take insurance?

We do not bill insurance but we do provide diagnosis (ICD-9) and treatment (CPT) codes on each invoice and can generate super bills for insurance submittal. Some of our patients do receive reimbursement for our services but we recommend that you call your insurance and ask whether your policy is restricted to exclude Naturopathic Doctors. Most of our lab companies will bill your insurance company directly. Many of our patients also use their health savings accounts with us.

Does Medicare/Medicaid cover any of your services?

Unfortunately, Medicare/Medicaid does not cover our services.

What do labs cost?

Labs vary depending on what you need and your insurance coverage. We can give you cost information specific to your case before running any lab work.

Can your doctors write any prescriptions?

Yes, the doctors can write prescriptions but their scope of practice is limited. The doctors can give you more detail about your specific prescriptions.

Do you have anything for weight loss?

We offer many options for weight loss including a homeopathic version of the HCG diet called the HC3 diet. Dr. Larrow can answer questions for you during a free 15 minute consultation.

Do you have any herbs for pain management?

Dr. Raithel specializes in pain management. Dr. Raithel can answer questions for you during a free 15 minute consultation.

Do you have anything for hot flashes?

Dr. Larrow specializes in women's medicine. Dr. Larrow can answer any questions for you during a free 15 minute consultation.

Do you do environmental detoxification?

Dr. Raithel specializes in environmental detoxification. Dr. Raithel can answer any questions for you during a free 15 minute consultation.

Do you treat children?

Dr. Morgan specializes in pediatrics. Dr. Morgan can answer questions for you during a free 15 minute consultation.

What don’t we treat?

Emergencies or broken bones.

What is the difference between a naturopathic doctor and a homeopath?

Homeopaths only use homeopathy as a treatment tool and they are typically not doctors. Naturopathic doctors use homeopathy when appropriate but have many other tools in their natural medicine toolbox. We recommend you schedule a free 15 min consultation with one of our doctors to answer your questions in further detail.

What is the difference between a nutritionist and a naturopathic doctor?

Nutritionists focus on food and how it breaks down in the body and they typically are not doctors. A nutritionist is only trained to tell you what quantity of macronutrients (carbs, protein etc.) to consume according to your activity level. A naturopathic doctor is trained in the biochemistry of nutrition and has many other tools in their natural medicine toolbox. NDs are also able to run diagnostic blood work to accurately diagnose and treat medical problems related to nutrition while nutritionists cannot do this. Nutritionists and herbalists can only RECOMMEND foods and medicines, they cannot PRESCRIBE.

What is the difference between a naturopath and an herbalist?

Herbalists are not doctors and cannot prescribe you an herb. Naturopathic doctors are trained in herbal medicine and pharmacology so they know of any potential reactions between these two types of medicine. Also, naturopathic doctors use other treatment methods besides botanical medicine.

I recognize some of the supplement companies from other stores or online. Why would I buy my supplements here?

The primary reason is that our doctors will determine which supplements are optimum for you based on your case history, blood work and labs. The second reason is that most of our supplements are pharmaceutical grade and cannot be obtained except through a doctor. The third reason is that our prices are normally equal or lower to what you can find at a health food store or online. One of our goals is to ensure you receive the highest quality supplements for the lowest prices available in the most convenient way possible.

Can your doctors do chiropractic or acupuncture care?

The State of California does not allow our doctors to do chiropractic or acupuncture care. Emiko Okabe, LAc. is accepting new patients here in our office for Japanese acupuncture. For chiropractic care, we recommend Dr. Eric McKillican, DC who is accepting new patients at McKillican Chiropractic just down the street from our office. Our doctors can closely coordinate treatment with both of these practitioners or any other practitioner that you are currently seeing.

Do you have medical cannabis?

We are not a dispensary and our doctors cannot prescribe cannabis.