Functional Medicine
“Functional Medicine is the future of conventional medicine-available now. It seeks to identify and address the root causes of disease, and views the body as one integrated system, not a collection of independent organs divided up by medical specialties. It treats the whole system, not just the symptoms”
-Mark Hyman, Physician and Renowned Author
Our next “Renewing You” 9 month program begins March 1, 2022.
This course includes Functional Medicine, Health Coaching, and Community Support.
Schedule your free discovery call to learn if this program is right for you.
Treatment Timeline
1 | Prospective Patient Interview (Free 15 min phone call) It is important that we take a moment to connect and ensure we are a good fit before jumping right into working together. You will share what you are seeking support with AND what your dreams are for your health and for your life. This is also a time for you to ask any questions you have about the practice and the process and will help guide you in deciding whether functional medicine, acupuncture or both are a good fit. |
2 | Intake Questionnaire After scheduling your Intake Appointment, you will fill out comprehensive health forms in order for Kelly to get a first glance understanding of your health history and current health concerns. She will review your forms prior to your appointment so please complete them 48 hours before you are scheduled. |
3 | Functional Medicine Intake Appointment (75 mins) Now it’s time to get a more complete picture of who you are and how you came to be where you are today. Kelly will ask for more details about your symptoms and your health history, including what kind of stress you have been under and how you respond to stress. This appointment will help determine which lab tests may be necessary to determine the root cause of your current health picture and will also give Kelly time to assess what lifestyle and nutritional support you may need. |
4 | Lab tests Any lab tests that Kelly recommends to you will be mailed directly to you. After you complete them, you will mail them directly to the lab in the prepaid envelope. Lab test results typically arrive between 2-4 weeks from when the lab receives them. |
5 | Lifestyle and Nutrition While waiting for lab results, you will begin to implement the lifestyle and nutrition recommendations you and Kelly discussed during your intake appointment. This is potentially the most important part of the program. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but with a solid commitment to focusing more attention on your health, you will be primed and ready for the next steps. |
6 | Lab Result Review Once we receive your lab results, you will schedule an appointment to review them together. At this time, we will be able to see the full picture of the state of health in your body. We will go over a plan of action, taking into consideration who you are as a unique individual. This plan will likely involve supplement protocols and adjustments to your lifestyle as well as an estimated timeline for your specific program. Your plan may evolve and change along the way depending on how your body responds and how committed you are to making important changes for your health future. |
7 | Follow Up Appointments Your treatment plan may have more than one protocol in order to address different aspects of your lab results. We will need to check in twice a month to assess your improvement and any changes or adjustments that may need to occur. Some patients prefer to do one lab at a time and therefore will need to schedule a follow up prior to moving on to the next lab. It is important to book two 1hr follow up appointments every month for six months in order to have the best possible success and outcome. You can also book four 30min follow up sessions per month if you prefer weekly check-ins. |
8 | Treatment Plan Completion & Maintenance Once you have completed your treatment plan and feel at your desired state of health, Kelly will meet with you to go over any maintenance care which may include nutrition recommendations moving forward or a few supplements to support your lifelong health. Kelly offers a free 15 min check up appointment each year. Depending on your initial lab results, you may want to do a few labs every few years in order to keep an eye on things. |
1
Prospective Patient Interview
(Free 15 min phone call)
It is important that we take a moment to connect and ensure we are a good fit before jumping right into working together. You will share what you are seeking support with AND what your dreams are for your health and for your life. This is also a time for you to ask any questions you have about the practice and the process and will help guide you in deciding whether functional medicine, acupuncture or both are a good fit.
2
Intake Questionnaire
After scheduling your Intake Appointment, you will fill out comprehensive health forms in order for Kelly to get a first glance understanding of your health history and current health concerns. She will review your forms prior to your appointment so please complete them 48 hours before you are scheduled.
3
Functional Medicine Intake Appointment (75 mins)
Now it’s time to get a more complete picture of who you are and how you came to be where you are today. Kelly will ask for more details about your symptoms and your health history, including what kind of stress you have been under and how you respond to stress. This appointment will help determine which lab tests may be necessary to determine the root cause of your current health picture and will also give Kelly time to assess what lifestyle and nutritional support you may need.
4
Lab Tests
Any lab tests that Kelly recommends to you will be mailed directly to you. After you complete them, you will mail them directly to the lab in the prepaid envelope. Lab test results typically arrive between 2-4 weeks from when the lab receives them.
5
Lifestyle and Nutrition
While waiting for lab results, you will begin to implement the lifestyle and nutrition recommendations you and Kelly discussed during your intake appointment. This is potentially the most important part of the program. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but with a solid commitment to focusing more attention on your health, you will be primed and ready for the next steps.
6
Lab Result Review
Once we receive your lab results, you will schedule an appointment to review them together. At this time, we will be able to see the full picture of the state of health in your body. We will go over a plan of action, taking into consideration who you are as a unique individual. This plan will likely involve supplement protocols and adjustments to your lifestyle as well as an estimated timeline for your specific program. Your plan may evolve and change along the way depending on how your body responds and how committed you are to making important changes for your health future.
7
Follow Up Appointments
Your treatment plan may have more than one protocol in order to address different aspects of your lab results. We will need to check in periodically to assess your improvement and any changes or adjustments that may need to occur. Some patients prefer to do one lab at a time and therefore will need to schedule a follow up prior to moving on to the next lab. Follow up appointments can be 15 or 30 minutes depending on how you are doing and how many questions you have
8
Treatment Plan Completion & Maintenance
Once you have completed your treatment plan and feel at your desired state of health, Kelly will meet with you to go over any maintenance care which may include nutrition recommendations moving forward or a few supplements to support your lifelong health. Kelly offers a free 15 min check up appointment each year. Depending on your initial lab results, you may want to do a few labs every few years in order to keep an eye on things.
Frequently Asked Questions
About Functional Medicine
Rather than targeting individual symptoms, Functional Medicine focuses on the optimal functioning of the entire body and its organs. It addresses the underlying causes of disease, using a systems-oriented approach in partnership with understanding the conditions and history in which the disease manifested. Genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors all have a direct influence on long-term health and chronic health issues. Kelly Kessen uses a lab based health approach focused on addressing common conditions – fatigue, anxiety/depression, female hormones, digestive problems, weight gain, sleep issues – through restoring the 3 main body systems: neuroendocrine, gastrointestinal and detoxification. She uses lab tests that help identify the dysfunction of these 3 main body systems. Typically these systems have become compromised long BEFORE the symptoms appeared. The lab tests are used to determine the required natural support needed to rebalance your body back to its normal state.
Free 15-min Functional Medicine Consultation
In order to ensure we are a good fit, we offer a free 15-20 minute initial phone interview where you share what you are seeking help with and can ask any questions you may have.
Schedule an Functional Medicine Intake Online
Complete New Patient Paperwork at least 48 hrs prior to your Intake Appointment
Getting Results
Results vary by each person. Some people feel dramatic improvement within the first month, others may take a bit longer. Our standard programs are for a minimum of 6 months. Remember, your body didn’t fail overnight. Years of stress and illness takes its toll and it takes a proper amount of time to restore. On average it takes one month of repair for each year you’ve suffered from a specific problem.
The Intake Process
Using the intake questionnaire you fill out prior to our first appointment, we will discuss and document your health history and conditions. Based on the reported symptoms, we will recommend the labs required to test your body systems. All information gathered is put into your personal file on the Practice Better platform and app. Your lab results and wellness plan will be uploaded to this platform for you to access. During your intake, you will be given health and wellness recommendations. During the time it takes for you to complete your labs and while waiting for the results, you will begin to implement these lifestyle changes.
Well World
Yearly Maintenance
Scheduling
The fastest and easiest way to schedule an appointment is by using our online scheduler.
Appointment Length
Initial new patient consultations are 75 minutes.
Lab test result review appointment times vary depending on which test and if reviewing more than one test. Most can be scheduled for 30 min. (if reviewing 1 test), 45 min. (if reviewing organix or if reviewing 2 tests), or 1 hour (if reviewing 3 tests).
Existing client follow up appointments can be scheduled for 15, 30, 60 minutes.
Lab Testing
The number of labs recommended will depend on your individual situation including the number of issues you struggle with and the length of time you have been experiencing them, but the range is 1-4 lab tests.
Depending on the type of test, the samples required are saliva, urine or stool. All tests are completed by the client through easy test kits that are self-administered in the comfort of your own home. No blood tests will be interpreted.
The results of your lab test(s) will be sent to the office 2 to 4 weeks after mailing your specimens to the lab. During this time when you are waiting for results, you will begin making lifestyle changes recommended by Kelly. After evaluation we will contact you to schedule a follow up appointment to review your results with Kelly Kessen and she will recommend a wellness protocol.
LAB TEST KITS
Our authorized laboratories are only able to sell test kits to licensed practitioners. Kelly Kessen uses specific lab tests from small lab companies that exclusively offer functional medicine tests. Larger national labs and local hospital based labs are not helpful for these types of highly specialized tests.
Kelly Kessen has learned that the accuracy of your lab findings and the quality of the professionals performing the lab tests is the key to you uncovering what’s going on. Quality is not equal across all lab companies. Many times we see “normal” test results from regular lab companies and our lab tests find many “functional” problems. The lab companies used have the highest testing standards and the most consistent lab results year after year. These are not replacements for regular medical tests, these tests are used to detect “functional” issues rather than medical problems and aren’t meant to diagnose or recommend protocols for diseases. We are attempting to detect problems with the functioning of organ systems prior to the onset of a disease. If you already have a diagnosis, these tests and protocols can help support your healing.
RETESTING
While retesting isn’t required, it is recommended that a client retest at the 6 month mark to measure improvement and adjust protocols if needed. Once a client has achieved their desired health results, we recommend annual testing with some of the labs to ensure your body systems continue functioning at their best.
PREVIOUS LAB WORK
Even if you have previous labs completed in order to become a new patient with Kelly Kessen, a new patient consultation is required. At that session, Kelly will determine if new labs are required. Kelly does not do any interpretations on blood work.
Cost & Insurance
Fees vary based on type of consultation and time.
Functional Medicine Intake Appointment is: $395
This appointment is an assessment of your health and recommendations on what lab tests are required to understand the state of your body systems. The intake appointment fee does not include any follow ups, lab test kits or supplements. It does include wellness and lifestyle recommendations.
Depending on the lab test, the cost is $199-$399 per lab kit, which includes Kelly’s time interpreting the lab results. Lab Review Appointment cost varies based on how many labs we are reviewing.
You can always start a program just by ordering a single lab test. Kelly will help you determine which lab to begin with.
Additional costs vary depending on which supplements are needed and how often we need to follow up.
Insurance
We do not bill insurance companies; it is up to each individual to determine whether their insurance plan provides coverage for consultations, supplements and lab tests.
Per your request, we will provide a superbill that you may submit to your insurance company. Our superbills provide the codes for consultations and lab tests. Most insurance companies will not reimburse for supplements. Please note that we cannot guarantee reimbursement.
Supplements
Kelly Kessen recommends supplements from high quality and reputable manufacturers that can only be purchased with a practitioner’s recommendation. The Wellness plan that Kelly Kessen creates has specific dosages based on the exact ingredients in that specific supplement. If you want to do your own research on different supplements, we welcome you to do so but we do not provide any other recommendations nor advise on other specific blends or brands. If you purchase other supplements from other manufacturers, please research carefully. Not all ingredients are equal, and there is not a guaranteed quality when you purchase supplements elsewhere, especially on Amazon.
You will order your supplements online through Well World and/or Fullscript. Kelly will set you up with accounts where needed.
Communication
Kelly is happy to answer brief questions via Practice Better that you may have about your protocol or symptoms. If it is a complex question which requires further back and forth communication, she will recommend scheduling a 15 min. consult.
Kelly and the office staff are committed to responding within 48 hours with the exceptions of holidays and when Kelly is traveling. If you are experiencing a medical emergency you should contact your primary care practitioner or call 911.
Kelly Kessen is not a medical doctor; she does not service medical emergencies, diagnose or issue protocols for any specific diseases. If you have a medical emergency, you must contact your primary care physician or dial 911.