FAQs
Please see the list of frequently asked questions about who we are and our services. If you have further questions please give us a call and we’ll gladly assist you.
What is naturopathic medicine?
Naturopathic medicine has existed for over a century. It is a unique system of medicine that takes the whole person into account, discovers the root cause of illness, and preferentially uses natural therapies to encourage the body to heal. At Aspen Integrative Medical Center, all of our physicians are licensed naturopathic physicians in the state of AZ. They use their naturopathic training to diagnose, prevent and treat acute and chronic illness, restore and establish optimal health by supporting the person’s inherent self-healing process. Rather than just suppressing symptoms, naturopathic doctors work to identify underlying causes of illness, and develop personalized treatment plans to address them. Naturopathic physicians believe the least amount of force can be used in order to promote gentle, safe and long-lasting health and well-being. While the physicians at Aspen preferentially use natural methods of treatment, we frequently use conventional treatments if it is in the best interest of the patient.
Why should I choose to see a naturopathic physician?
Why should I choose a naturopathic doctor?
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- You want a doctor who will treat all of you, not just your illness. Naturopathic doctors (NDs) are trained to treat the whole person. This requires taking the time to listen and understand the genetic, environmental, and behavioral/lifestyle factors that can affect your health. At your initial appointment, you’ll spend up to an hour or more talking with your ND.
- You want personalized treatment. NDs understand there is no one-size-fits-all treatment that works for everybody. After your visit with an ND, you’ll leave the doctor’s office with a treatment plan uniquely tailored to you, your health status, your health goals, and your lifestyle.
- You want to treat the root cause of an illness, not just the symptoms. Sometimes having trouble sleeping, aches and pains, strange or hard to treat skin rashes, and indigestion or stomach discomfort are symptoms of an underlying illness. While these symptoms can be managed, it’s more important to understand and treat the root cause—which is the focus of naturopathic medicine.
- You want to actively participate in managing your own health. An ND will help you learn what your body needs to get well and stay healthy. Patients have the opportunity to feel empowered and hopeful when they understand and are actively engaged in managing their own health.
- You have chronic pain and don’t want to use pharmaceutical drugs such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or highly addictive opioids to manage it forever. Pain that lasts six months or more is more complex than acute pain and requires a holistic, long-term approach to manage. NDs are trained to work with you to determine which combination of therapies will work best for you to heal or manage your pain safely so that you can resume daily activities.
- You have tried all conventional medical options for diagnosing and treating a health condition. Certain chronic health conditions that have symptoms such as fatigue, insomnia, or gastrointestinal distress can be difficult to diagnose and treat, and can benefit from a holistic approach. NDs use diagnostic tools common in conventional medicine, such as detailed health, disease, and prescription drug histories, physical exams, and targeted laboratory testing and imaging. NDs also consider detailed diet history, lifestyle habits and choices, exercise history, and social/emotional factors to assess patients’ needs. These approaches can open doors to new treatment pathways and options.
What types of conditions to naturopathic physicians treat?
Our naturopathic physicians are highly trained to treat a wide variety of conditions, including:
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- Primary care and general concerns
- Gastrointestinal disorders
- Autoimmune disease
- Women’s health concerns
- Men’s health concerns
- Cardiovascular disease including high cholesterol and hypertension
- Allergies
- Thyroid disorders
- Chronic pain
- Joint Pain – osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis
- Headaches
- Migraines
- Asthma
- Arthritis – rheumatoid, osteoarthritis
- Lyme disease
- Mold and/or mycotoxin illness
- Mast cell activation syndrome
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Traumatic brain injuries and concussion
- Cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disorders
- Environmental toxicity
- And much more!
What types of treatments do naturopathic physicians use?
Naturopathic medicine uses a wide variety of therapies for healing, including:
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- Dietary and lifestyle changes
- Pharmaceuticals when necessary
- Botanical medicine
- IV or injectable nutrients
- Ozone therapy
- Peptide therapy
- Hormone replacement therapy
- Visceral manipulation and/or craniosacral therapy
- Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine
- Vitamins and supplements
- Hydrotherapy
- Regenerative injections – Prolo, PRP
- Spinal adjustments
- Deep tissue laser therapy
- Sauna therapy
- Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
- Neurofeedback
What type of testing to naturopathic physicians order?
Our naturopathic physicians specialize in standard and specialty lab testing including:
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- Labcorp/Sonora Quest testing such as CBC, CMP, lipids, thyroid testing, and so forth
- Allergy testing
- Food sensitivity testing
- Stool analysis – looking at abnormal microbiome, inflammation, infection
- SIBO breath testing
- Hormone testing – blood, urine, saliva
- Heavy metal testing – typically urine
- Lyme disease and co-infection testing including Bartonella, Babesia, Mycoplasma
- Other infectious disease testing – EBV, CMV, HPV, HSV, etc.
- Organic acid testing
- Environmental toxicity – glyphosate, environmental toxins
- Mold and mycotoxin testing
- And much more!
How long is a patient visit?
Our naturopathic physicians will typically spend between 60-90 minutes with a patient on their first visit taking a thorough history, deciding on diagnostic testing, performing a relevant physical exam, and creating a customized, comprehensive treatment plan. Follow-up visits will range from 15-60 minutes depending on the patient’s needs.
How do naturopathic physicians manage pain without opioids or narcotics?
With the opioid crisis we are currently experiencing, naturopathic physicians are suited to help address the crisis. By seeking the root cause of the patient’s pain, our doctors can help reduce or eliminate the need for pain medication. When the body is allowed to heal, pain is reduced. And we are able to offer other treatments that reduce pain while the healing process is happening, such as acupuncture and perineurial therapy.
Do we accept or bill insurance?
Our clinic is unable to accept or bill insurance for patient visits because most insurance companies do not credential with naturopathic physicians and/or have poor reimbursement rates. We can however provide you with super bills of your visits upon request, so you can apply for insurance reimbursement, but we offer no guarantee those will be covered.
While we can’t accept insurance for patient visits, we do submit your insurance information with lab work, imaging orders, and prescriptions to increase the likelihood they will be covered. We are unable to do so for Medicare and Medicaid plans because they don’t accept naturopathic medicine at all.
If you don’t have insurance or have Medicare/Medicaid, we offer cash pay lab options through Labcorp, Sonora Quest, or Vibrant America to make it affordable for you. You know exactly what will be charged before your blood is even drawn.
If you have a Health Savings Account (HSA) or other similar healthcare plan, those often cover our services. We can provide you with appropriate coding to assist you with coverage, too.
How do I schedule an appointment?
We see patients by appointment only. You may schedule an appointment by calling our office at 928-213-5828. You can also request that a representative of the office call you by emailing us at info@aspenemedcenter.com.
What if I need to cancel or reschedule my appointment?
We require a credit card to hold your appointment time and dedicate a provider for your visit. If you need to reschedule or cancel your appointment, we require at least a 24 hours notice. If you do not cancel or reschedule your appointment at least 24 hours in advance, you will be charged to your credit card on file as a “No Show ” fee. We understand that last minute plans may come up or unforeseen circumstances may happen, please contact us a soon as possible so we can work with you to reschedule or cancel without having to charge you for a “No Show” appointment.
Where do I purchase all my supplements and medications?
We make all patients a simplified list recommending how to buy all your supplements and medications. Some are available at our office, but most are sold on our online dispensary called Fullscript: ACCESS HERE
We offer all patients 10% off on Fullscript and they will ship directly to you. After your first visit, you will receive an email invite to create a Fullscript account. Your doctor will also put all your recommended supplements in a Fullscript “Prescription” cart for easy buying.
If a supplement is on back-order or unavailable, please call our office and we’ll find you an alternative. Unless we advise you otherwise, please don’t buy supplements from Amazon because they are often “rejects” discarded by the supplement company that don’t meet quality assurance testing. All prescription medications are labeled with an “Rx.” They will be sent to your preferred pharmacy or a compounding pharmacy.
What if insurance will not cover a prescription prescribed?
If your insurance company doesn’t cover your prescription, we recommend checking GoodRx.com for the cheapest location near you. To transfer your prescription to another pharmacy, you just call your preferred pharmacy with your prescription number and ask them to transfer it for you.
Where do I get my recommended lab work done?
Our clinic offers in-house blood draw/processing/shipping for all standard orders like LabCorp, Sonora Quest, Vibrant America, and Patient’s Choice. We also have a long list of specialty labs like Vibrant America, Cyrex Labs, Genova Diagnostics, and Doctor’s Data. If you have insurance, we submit your information for all standard orders to increase chance they’ll be covered. If you don’t have insurance, we offer discounted cash lab pricing through Labcorp, Vibrant America, or , Sonora Quest. If you decide to not get labs done with us, we can give you a list of the test codes for your PCP to run. We can also submit standing orders for you to get your blood drawn at Labcorp and/or Sonora Quest if you like.
When is payment due?
Payment is due at the time of service. We accept ALL major credit cards, HSA, cash, and check. Unfortunately due to the rise in medical supply costs, we are no longer able to offer payment plans at this time.