PRICING: When you think about what a conventional doctor earns for a 15-20 minute visit, our prices are definitely a premium experience for a greater value. The initial functional medicine intake is the most substantial investment where you receive a practitioner’s full attention for an hour. Dr. Mary Pardee : $600 Dr. Stephen Meeneghan & Dr. Sarah Williams: $500 Then in the follow-up 30-minute functional medicine appointments, you build a relationship with your doctor to continue seeing increased benefits. Those appointments cost as follows: Dr. Mary Pardee: $350 Dr. Stephen Meeneghan & Dr. Sarah Williams: $275 You also have the option to work with our dietician for a functional nutrition appointment Intake with Atifah Osman, RD: $180 Follow-ups: $100 INSURANCE: We do not accept any commercial insurance at modrn med. Our team is composed of naturopathic medical doctors and unfortunately, the state of California does not allow for NDs to be contracted with insurance companies. We can provide you with a superbill after your visit. Many of our patients submit these superbills to their insurance companies for reimbursement. Depending on your insurance you may be partially reimbursed, entirely reimbursed, or not reimbursed at all. This is dependent on your insurance policy. Our patients do have the option to pay through their HSA or FSA accounts. LABS: However, if you have a good PPO insurance plan, we can order blood work through your insurance. If you have an HMO we have a very affordable lab company to order blood work through, or we can give you a list of labs to ask your primary care doctor to run through your HMO.

Before your initial consultation- You will fill out our comprehensive intake forms at least 24 hours prior to your visit so that your doctor can review them before they see you. This gives us a good idea of who you are and what we will focus the visit on. You can also upload any relevant labs that you have had done or recent labs in the last 3 months. We do not need all of the labs you have ever done, just the ones that are specific to your complaint or recent labs drawn in the last 3 months. (Think your last colonoscopy or endoscopy or your last SIBO breath test etc). Initial consultation- 1 hour long- In this visit you will meet with one of our practitioners to discuss your current health goals, your past medical history, family history, nutrition, exercise, lifestyle, emotional health and more. After this visit we will order lab work for you based on what we have discussed. We order many types of labs including blood work, saliva tests, stool tests, breath tests and other functional medicine labs. If you have a good PPO insurance plan, blood work can go through your insurance. If you do not then we have an affordable company for blood work. Functional medicine testing (salivary tests, urine tests etc) are paid out of pocket typically. Follow up- ~30 minutes- Once you have completed your lab work you will be notified when your results are back. You will meet with your doctor for a follow up appointment to discuss the results. Your modrn doctor will create an individualized treatment plan based on the results of your labs. This can include diet, exercise recommendations, lifestyle changes, herbs, vitamins, minerals or prescription medications. Every persons plan is different and we will talk to you about your preferences when we create your plan with you.

#1 Whole Person Approach Modrn med doctors ask in depth questions and listen with an empathetic ear in an unrushed environment to discover how your mind, body, and emotions function as a whole. Then together as partners, modrn med doctors build you a personalized health plan that fits your lifestyle and goals. This may include nutrition, exercise, mental health, supplement or medication recommendations. #2 Evidence Based Medicine At modrn med, we value staying up to date with scientific research. It takes an average of 17 years for this research to be translated into the medical systems practice, and we think that is too long. We rely on sophisticated lab work to identify which health markers are optimal, which are subpar, and how our organ systems communicate with one another. #3 Root Cause Focus Rather than settle with a diagnosis, we analyze the data to discover why your symptoms exist in the first place. During follow up visits, we take time together to review how the health plan is working for you, what new insights you have, and any adaptations we can make. #4 Joy Centered Life Joy allows for more meaning, wholeness, and pleasure in our lives. When we allow ourselves to experience joy we are changing our inner neurochemistry to create a foundation that is more suitable for healing. We feel honored when patients tell us they no longer dread going to the doctor because each visit to modrn med will bring new results, insights, recommendations, and hope. #5 Community of Doctors All the modrn med practitioners meet once a week to discuss patient cases to get multiple viewpoints. Plus, at the start of each meeting, we practice what we preach by checking in with our personal physical, mental, and emotional health. By supporting each other as a team, we bring the highest quality care to our patients. We also have a wide range of referrals if additional support is needed.

Yes, most of our patients have seen a gastroenterologist and still have symptoms despite following through with recommended treatments. Our doctors are trained in functional and naturopathic medicine. This means that we look at things from a different perspective. We not only ask different questions during the initial intake, but we also have access to more testing options than a conventional gastroenterologist. And lastly, we have many more treatment options including dietary and lifestyle changes, herbal medicine and a mind-body approach that is likely different from your gastroenterologist.

Bloating is the most common complaint that we treat, so you’ll be in good hands. Next question: HOW do you treat bloating? There are many causes of bloating/gas. Your modrn med doctor will do a thorough intake assessment to get to the root of what is causing bloating. In order to do this we use many lab tests including a lactulose breath tests to check for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), stool tests, and blood tests to look for thyroid imbalances, pancreatic issues, inflammation, motility issues, or infections that could be causing your symptoms. Once we know the cause, we use herbs, vitamins/minerals, and lifestyle changes (like mindfulness). We also use prescription medication when needed to treat infections or restore the motility of the GI tract. If you want to know a bit more before jumping into an intake, book a free 15 minute consult.

Yes, even though less than 0.5% of the population has IBD, this is one of our specialties. As the name indicates, inflammation is at the root of IBD. Now, inflammation is essential for the acute healing process, but the issue becomes when you have it for a prolonged period of time. This is what happens with IBD. The immune system becomes dysregulated and has an inappropriate response to the microbiota in the GI tract or another source for inflammation. There are a lot of treatments in naturopathic medicine that help to reduce inflammation, balance the immune system, and support the gut microbes to help reduce symptoms of IBD. These treatments may include: Supplements Therapeutic diets specific for IBD Fecal microbiota transplantation guidance (there are limitations to this but we do help people screen donors). Hear more from Dr. Mary about IBD in her Gut Health course on day 4.

There are a few big differences between the naturopathic and functional doctors at modrn med and conventional medical doctors. Here are the big ones: You must treat the whole person You can not just treat one organ system at a time since all of your organs act like an orchestra. You need all the pieces to create a working unified system. That being said, you need a doctor who understands how these systems work together. This is what naturopathic doctors specialize in. Wellness approach to health We are not in the industry of “sickcare”. Conventional medicine often waits until people are sick to treat, in naturopathic medicine we believe in wellness promotion and disease prevention. Testing In naturopathic medicine we have different testing options and are more likely to test more markers to make sure that people are well, and not just “not sick”. Some testing may include breath tests, saliva tests for cortisol levels, advanced hormone testing, and advanced cardiovascular testing.

The gut microbiome is an ecosystem of bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and fungi that help us digest our food, make vitamins, modulate our immune system, and so much more. The bulk of your microbiome is stored in the five feet of the large intestine – the section of our digestive system that forms our poop. We have a symbiotic relationship with our microbes. This means that we both benefit from each other. We give these microorganisms a place to live and we feed them. In exchange they provide us with important nutrients and other substances that help modulate inflammation in the body and can alter the function of other organ systems throughout our entire body. These microbes are a key component of the gut-brain connection. WE ARE HOLOBIONT! With 99% of our genes being microbial, we need to start to use the term holobiont instead of human. Holobiont, or superorganism, refers to the fact that we are the collection of human cells and all of the microorganisms that we are composed of.

Several studies have looked at the use of fecal transplants (FMT) in the treatment of ulcerative colitis and there is a favorable outcome. A small study they looked at the efficacy of FMT in children and young adults with mild-moderate ulcerative colitis. Nine (78%) subjects showed clinical response within one week, 67% retained this response at one month, and three of the nine (33%) subjects achieved clinical remission one week after FMT. (PMID: 23542823). At modrn med, we are able to help people screen stool donors and lead them through the process of FMT. We have had several patients with ulcerative colitis go into remission after using FMT. Become a patient of modrn med by filling out this form to start.

No, we have the option of doing a virtual intake via a HIPAA compliant version of zoom. We will uncover a lot in our first appointment that will allow us to give you preliminary steps to take, along with ordering any labs that you need to give us a clear picture of your body’s data. If possible, meeting us in Sherman Oaks, CA (right near Los Angeles) for your initial intake allows us to do a physical exam if needed. We also believe that an in person initial assessment offers a great opportunity to create a therapeutic relationship with your doctor.

Yes, all of the modrn med doctors can prescribe medications in states that they are licensed in. All of our doctors are licensed in California, and Dr. Scheeler can also prescribe for patients in Arizona.