Services

Whole Health Austin provides Integrative Medicine (short for Integrative and Holistic Medicine) Primary Care services and Consults.  Additional services offered include Mind-Body Skills Groups and BioFlex Laser Treatments.  The unifying theme of all these services revolve around the core belief that the body has an innate ability to heal, and there are ways to promote and enhance this natural built-in function.

 

Integrative Medicine

HerbsIntegrative Medicine is the term I use for the type of care I offer because I utilize ideas and concepts from a variety of healing traditions, ancient and modern.  Whole Food Plant Based Diets, the science of the Microbiome, tenets of Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine, herbs and nutritional supplements, and Western Medicine—these are all tools used in my practice.  Based on the patient’s background I will introduce a modality that is most likely to stimulate his or her innate ability to heal.  A typical initial consult for a new patient routinely starts with a short yoga practice, and then the history and physical exam, with a discussion leaning into their current state of health and wellness goals.  For a feel of my approach you can read the blog post, Integrative Medicine – A Recent Approach.

Integrative Medicine Visit Fees

New Adult Patient Integrative Consult (60 to 90 minutes)$270
New Pediatric Patients (up to 60 minutes)$180
Integrative Consult Follow-up for Established Patients (up to 60 minutes)$180
Urgent Care Visits for Established Patients (up to 30 minutes)$150
Urgent Care Visits for Established Patients (30 to 60 minutes)$220
Visits that go beyond allotted time$180/hour

** Payment in cash or check is preferred, though credit card is accepted. For credit card transactions, a 2.75% convenience fee is added.

*** Starting in 2019, my rates will increase for new patients.  Prior rates will be honored for established patients through 2019. Starting in 2020, established patients will also be subject to the new rates.

Laboratory Test Costs (as of 10/02/2018)

Lab TestTests ForCost
Expanded GI Health Panel™ (via DiagnosTechs. Specimen: Stool and Saliva)Stool culture for yeast; Ova and parasites, two samples, pooled (stool);
Bacterial stool culture, enteric pathogens, including Campylobacter antigen and Shiga toxin; Clostridium difficile toxins A & B (stool);
Giardia lamblia antigen (stool); Cryptosporidium antigen (stool);
Entamoeba histolytica Ab, sIgA (saliva); Helicobacter pylori Ab, IgG (saliva);
Total intestinal sIgA (stool); Lysozyme (stool);
Alpha 1-antichymotrypsin (stool); Gluten (gliadin) Ab, sIgA (saliva);
Chymotrypsin (stool); Occult blood (stool); Fecal pH (stool)
Milk (casein) antibody, sIgA; Soy (protein) antibody, sIgA;
Egg (ovalbumin) antibody, sIgA; Toxoplasma gondii antibody, sIgA (saliva);
Taenia solium (tapeworm) antibody, sIgA (saliva);
Ascaris lumbricoides (roundworm) antibody, sIgA (saliva);
Trichinella spiralis antibody, sIgA (saliva).

Useful for looking at gut health, the microbiome, parasites, markers of inflammation, and antibodies to milk, egg, and wheat (gluten).
$475
Fecal Calprotectin (via DiagnosTechs. Specimen: Stool)Fecal Calprotectin. Useful in monitoring status of inflammatory bowel disease like Ulcerative Colitis.$150
Zonulin, Stool (via Doctor's Data. Specimen: Stool)Fecal Zonulin. The level of the zonulin antigen in stool can provide a noninvasive indication of intestinal permeability (“leaky gut”).$120
Adrenal Stress Index™ (via DiagnosTechs. Speciem: Saliva)Measures cortisol rhythm (Cortisol x 4); DHEA & DHEA-S; Insulin x 2 (fasting, non-fasting); 17-OH Progesterone; Gluten (gliadin) antibody, sIgA; Total salivary sIgA. Useful in assessing for adrenal fatigue.$300
Temporal Adrenal Profile™ (via DiagnosTechs. Specimen: Saliva)Measures cortisol rhythm (Cortisol x 4). Samples taken at various times during the day. Useful for monitoring people with adrenal fatigue who have begun treatment.$160
Food Panel™ (via DiagnosTechs. Specimen: Saliva)Tests for: Milk (casein) antibody, sIgA; Soy (protein) antibody, sIgA; Egg (ovalbumin) antibody, sIgA; Gluten (gliadin) antibody, sIgA; Total salivary sIgA.

Useful to look at whether there is antibody production to common allergens, which is frequently seen in people who have ezcema, asthma, recurrent post-nasal drip, and seasonal allergies.
$180
Urine Iodine Loading Test With Iodine/Iodide (via Doctor's Data. Specimen: Urine)Assesses for whole body sufficiency for iodine. iodine/iodide loading test. There is evidence that a large percentage of the United States population is iodine deficient, based on NHANES data for the US compared to World Health Organization statistics for other countries.$100
Urine Iodine, Pre & Post Loading With Iodine/Iodide (via Doctor's Data. Specimen: Urine)Same as above, but this test is useful for those patients who have already been taking iodine but still want to do a loading test.$175
Urine Halides; Iodine, Fluoride, & Bromine. (via Doctor's Data. Specimen: Urine)Checks for excretion of toxic halides such as fluoride and bromine, relative to iodine.

Can be of use in patients with thyroid dysfunction, fibrocystic breast disease, breast cancer, and prostate cancer.
$175
Urine Halides; Pre & Post Loading. Iodine, Fluoride, & Bromine. (via Doctor's Data. Specimen: Urine)Same as above, but tests for iodine, fluoride, and bromine before and after a standardized iodine/iodide loading dose.$300

** Test prices listed may not be reflected of the most updated pricing.  Quoted prices are to be used as estimates of cost.


Mind-Body Medicine

While in residency training I started practicing Ashtanga Yoga, which began my education on how certain practices can help reduce anxiety and stress. This led me to search for other creative ways in which to tackle the problem of stress. I have since found a very effective and meaningful model through the Center for Mind-Body Medicine and share the techniques I learned in small group settings. In my personal life, the Mind-Body Skills I have developed have significantly improved my ability to be present and enjoy life, with the side effect of keeping me more healthy and happy. Stress is the most important risk factor for chronic disease that we can do something about in our lives, and developing skills to reduce stress is the most important medicine we can give ourselves today.

For the patients and the community at large, Mind-Body Skills Groups are offered through Whole Health Austin.  These groups are between 8 to 12 people in size, and are typically run over 8 to 12 weeks, with 2 hours per week dedicated to learning proven techniques that help decrease stress.  Participants will:

  • Learn to recognize the ways in which your mindful self is always within you.
  • Leave with skills that will transform the way you live in and experience the world, leaving auto-pilot behind.
  • Be taught a powerful and effective combination of research based healing therapies to help deal with life changes and stress in an intimate, supportive and highly experiential group setting.
  • Participate in and experience highly integrative techniques such as Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction, Guided Imagery, Bio-feedback, Autogenic Training, Breath Work, Movement, Journal Writing, Drawing, Food as Medicine and other approaches to enhancing the ability to respond optimally to life stressors.


 

BioFlex Laser System

flexible arrayLaser therapy, also known as low-level laser (LLLT) or light therapy, is a treatment that utilizes specific types of light to interact with tissue. It is used to eliminate pain and promote healing for a variety of medical conditions.  This type of treatment has been scientifically validated in over 4000 scientific studies done over the past 20 years, from cellular research to animal studies, to human clinical trials with sham controls.  During this time, no adverse effects have been recorded, which cannot be said for any other treatment.

Depth of Penetration of BioFlex Laser
Depth of Penetration of BioFlex Laser

The BioFlex Laser System is a specific LLLT system that was developed over 20 years ago in Toronto, Canada, by Dr. Fred Kahn, a vascular surgeon.  Since that time the system has been revised and refined over the course of hundreds of thousands of patient encounters.  What makes the system unique and effective, are the protocols that have been generated over the course of Dr. Kahn’s experience serving hundreds-of-thousands of patients.  Different illnesses and different tissue types require different amounts of energy for optimal healing to occur.   The BioFlex System protocols incorporate the sum of over 20 years of data utilizing light therapy for treating various conditions.  A three stage approach is used, with stage 1 and stage 2 utilizing a large, flexible superluminous diode array to saturate tissue with red and infrared light, at 660 nanometers and 840 nanometers wavelengths respectively.  Stage 1 penetrates light energy 1 to 2 cm into tissue, while stage 2 penetrates up to 5 cm.  The final stage utilizes a class III B laser to achieve a higher depth of penetration and intense focused delivery of energy directly to damaged tissue.  This three stage approach is very successful at saturating tissue with light energy and accelerating healing at an optimal rate.

Benefits of Laser Therapy

Laser therapy offers patients a safe and effective therapy for a wide range of medical conditions, including soft tissue and sports injuries, arthritic conditions, repetitive stress injuries, wound healing and an extensive number of additional medical problems. BioFlex light therapy systems are available for personal use in the comfort of your home or you can get treatment from a healthcare professional who uses BioFlex Laser Therapy.

Benefits of Laser Therapy

Clinical Benefits

  • Eliminates pain
  • Reduces the need for pharmaceuticals
  • Restores normal range of motion and physical function
  • Non-invasive
  • Non-toxic
  • No known adverse effects
  • No drug interactions
  • Often makes surgical interventions unnecessary
  • Provides a treatment alternative for patients that have not responded to conventional therapies

Physiological Effects

  • Increased production and release of:
    • Endorphins – naturally produced analgesic
    • Cortisol – precursor of cortisone
      Growth hormone – instrumental in tissue repair
    • ATP – improves and regulates cellular metabolism
  • Increased protein synthesis – collagen, DNA, fibroblasts
  • Venous and lymphatic flow facilitated
  • Increased angiogenesis – elevation of oxygen saturation
  • Enhanced immune response, etc.

BioFlex Laser Fees

Focused BioFlex Laser Medical Consult (required at first visit)$100
BioFlex Treatment from 0 to 30 minutes$60
BioFlex Treatment from 31 to 45 minutes$90
BioFlex Treatment from 46 to 60 minutes$120
The average number of treatments typically needed is 10, but this will vary based on what the issue is, which is determined at the initial consult.