Taking Time to Listen.

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FAQs

About Breathe

  • Breathe - just saying the word, can make you want to slow down, rest, focus. This was foremost in my mind when I named my integrative medical practice. I want to help my patients find time to breathe - find time to be healthy. All too often, when I recommend healthy lifestyle changes to a patient, I hear, “I don’t have time”. I understand. However, true and lasting health takes time and intention. My desire in this integrative practice is to help my patients find the time to create their healthiest life.

    Another reason for choosing the name Breathe, is that the act of breathing itself can make us healthier. Slow deep breathing activates your parasympathetic nervous system and calms you down. It increases oxygen to your brain and other vital organs, and it promotes circulation and lymph flow. I want to teach you how to breathe in a way that calms your mind and nourishes your body.

    Last, but certainly not least, I believe that everyone has been created in the image of the Creator and that the very breath of God is in each of us. My heart’s desire is to honor that in each person and to treat everyone with respect and compassion as, together we pursue optimal health and wellness.

  • Holistic Care

    At Breathe I evaluate and treat all of who you are - body, mind, spirit. Real health and wellness requires attention to all these areas of our life.

    Time & Attention

    I take time to really get to know you and pay attention to your concerns. Appointments at Breathe are much longer than a typical medical provider’s visit. The initial visit is 75 minutes long, most other visits are 50 minutes, though patients can choose 20 minutes visits if desired.

    Real Solutions

    Lasting solutions to most health concerns require more than a prescription. I believe healthy lifestyles offer the greatest chance of improving health and wellness. At Breathe I want to empower you to make the changes necessary to find real solutions to your unique healthcare needs. I want to walk along side you and help you create healthy habits.

  • Integrative Medicine integrates all evidence-based treatment options – conventional, complementary, and alternative to achieve the best possible outcomes.

    Treatment plans may include conventional medical therapies (prescription medications, standard lab testing, or referrals to other medical specialists), just as you would receive with any provider. However, your integrative medicine treatment plan will likely also include dietary guidance, supplement recommendation, exercise prescriptions, specialty lab orders, natural remedies, mind-body approaches, stress management skills, or other evidence-based complementary, natural, and alternative therapies.

    Integrative Medicine values conventional medical practice. It appreciates that modern medical science has provided much to minimize symptoms, heal disease, and alleviate suffering. It simply considers and offers other evidenced-based treatments to help achieve the best possible outcome.

    Integrative Medicine is not fringe medicine. In fact, many major healthcare systems including the Mayo Clinic, the Cleveland Clinic, Duke University Health System, and MD Anderson maintain Integrative Medicine Centers as part of their healthcare systems.

    I believe the human body is fearfully and wonderfully made with a tremendous ability to heal itself given proper care and environment. Therefore, much of my focus is helping patients manage stress, optimize nutrition, and improve fitness – creating healthy lifestyles that give the body what it needs to heal.

  • Lifestyle Medicine is the practice of helping individuals adopt habits and practices that promote health and prevent, treat, or reverse disease.

    The Lifestyle Medicine provider prescribes, guides, and implements behavioral interventions to assist patients in establishing healthy lifestyles that can improve well-being. Areas of focus may include, but are not limited to, stress management, relationships, spiritual connection, sleep, body weight, fitness, and nutrition.

  • The first visit is usually 50-75 minutes long, depending on which initial visit you choose to schedule.

    Prior to your visit, you will receive an email with several forms and questionnaires. The information you provide on these forms allows my assessment to really begin days before we even meet. Please have these forms back to me at least 48 hours prior to your appointment to allow me adequate time to review them and prepare for our visit.

    Here is a list of some of the forms, though others may be added for various conditions:

    • Symptom Questionnaire

    • Medical & Surgical History

    • Preventative Health History

    • Family Health History

    • Current Medications and Supplements

    • Nutrition & Lifestyle History

    • Readiness Assessment

    • Perceived Stress Questionnaire

    • Sleep Diary

    • 3 Day Nutritional Diary

    During your first visit, I first spend time just getting to know you. Together, we will review your questionnaires and history forms to fill in any details needed. I will perform a physical exam, fitness assessment, and a nutritional evaluation. Lab and/or imaging will likely be ordered.

    Together, you and I will create an individualized treatment plan, based on your specific conditions, preferences, and personal health goals. This plan will often include exercise prescriptions, mind-body techniques, nutritional guidance, supplement recommendations, and prescription drugs and/or referrals as needed.

    A follow up visit is almost always needed. Since your treatment plan may need to be adjusted after a review of any lab or imaging results. During the follow up visit, I will also explain your tests results, so you have an understanding of what is going on inside your body.

    More details of what is included in each initial visit can be found on the Visit & Pricing page

  • NPs and MDs receive similar training in the basic sciences and medical diagnosis and treatment.

    Nurse practitioners perform the same medical exams, diagnose the same conditions, order all the same lab tests and imaging, send referrals to specialists, and prescribe the same medications as would any doctor.

    The training physicians receive does take longer and is broader in scope, to include training in surgery, certain procedures, and critical care which nurse practitioners do not perform/provide.

    Instead, nurse practitioners choose a clinical focus at the start of our training and receive extensive training in this particular area of patient care. The focus of my training was family medicine - allowing me to see patients of all ages in the clinic or ambulatory care setting.

    Nurse practitioner training does not include all of the surgeries, procedures, or critical care skills included in physician training, it does include similar training in anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, clinical examination, testing, diagnosis, and pharmacology - all of which allow nurse practitioners to offer the same care in their chosen specialty.

    Nursing practice places a very strong emphasis on patient education, behavioral modification, emotional support, and holistic care. These, I believe, provide nurse practitioners a unique perspective and special skills necessary to help our patients.

    Texas law requires all nurse practitioners to have a written collaborative practice agreement with at least one medical doctor. I have excellent relationships with several local physicians and collaborate with them as needed to ensure a high quality of care. I personally believe that this collaborative practice adds to the value of care provided.

    Though Nurse Practitioners in Texas have these collaborative agreements in place, we do not need to consult a physician in every case. Nurse Practitioners most often examine, diagnose, and treat patients completely independently.

Treatments

  • Medical Therapeutic Yoga (MTY) combines biomechanical, structural, and rehabilitative therapies with traditional yoga practices (yoga postures, breathing techniques, and relaxation exercises) to offer pain relief, healing of disease, and health promotion. It is a holistic evidence-based therapy, which goes beyond conventional medical or rehabilitative approaches to treat the bio-psycho-social-spiritual needs of each individual.

    Distinguishing itself from Yoga Therapy, Medical Therapeutic Yoga (MTY) certification is available only to licensed healthcare providers. Both yoga therapy and MTY apply yoga practices to address specific physical or mental conditions. In this way, they are complimentary. MTY supports the value of yoga therapy, as well as group yoga practice.

    MTY simply offers more - the benefit of therapeutic yoga applied by a licensed healthcare provider who has extensive training in anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology. The MTY provider is able to order labs or imaging, diagnose conditions, and offer a variety of other rehabilitative treatment options, including referrals to physical therapy and prescription medications when needed.

  • Yes. Telehealth visits are most often video visits, though we can do visits by phone. In order to ensure your privacy, video sessions are offered through our HIPPA complaint secure client portal.

  • Lab tests are ordered based on your particular symptoms or conditions. The labs I order are often more extensive or more specific than those you may have had ordered by other providers (hormones, micronutrient, food sensitivity, microbiome, or organic acids testing, to name only a few). Most labs will bill insurance directly. For those patients without insurance, I have arranged special discounted pricing.

  • Yes. Absolutely!

    Optimal nutrition is foundational to good health, but there is so much information available about diets and nutrition. It can be confusing and a bit overwhelming.

    Weight loss can be overwhelming as well, and it is often difficult and frustrating. Most often, you need someone to come along side to support and support you in these efforts.

    I want to work with you and your specific needs and preferences to help you find a nutritional plan and exercise program that works for your body type and your goals.

    Together we can do it.

  • Yes. I have teamed up with a supplement company with over 40 years of experience and an excellent reputation to offer my patients the very best professional grade supplements I could find.

    My recommendations are individualized and targeted to meet your specific needs. Very often, I make these recommendations only after reviewing your lab results. This allows me to identify the exact supplements your body needs.

  • Physical activity it absolutely essential to good health. Even those with physical limitations still need some form of exercise.

    As a Certified Personal Trainer, I am able to perform individualized fitness assessments to identify any physical limitations or specific areas of weakness and find the best exercises for you with the least chance of injury.

    I take the time to get to know you, your health goals, and your personal preferences. Together we create an individualized fitness plan that works for you and your life and enables you to reach your goals.

    All of these fitness plans can be done at home without a gym membership or expensive equipment.

Policies

  • Yes! I see patients of all ages.

  • The patient portal is a HIPPA compliant platform that Breathe utilizes for paperless client forms, scheduling, and patient-provider communication. Please be assured that all information is private and secure.

  • I require a minimum of 24-hour notice for cancellation.

    Your scheduled visit is time set aside specifically for you. Appointment times are limited. Adequate notice of cancellation allows me to offer care to others.

    If you cancel with less than 24-hour notice, you will be charged a $35 fee. Future appointments will not be scheduled until your account is settled. Exceptions for emergencies are made due to extenuating circumstances on a case-by-case basis.

    My desire is to honor and respect my patients and their time and give each person the time and attention necessary to provide the very best care possible. Staying on schedule helps me to do that.

  • Adequate time with my patients is a priority for me, so beginning and ending on time is very important.

    Patients are considered to be a “no show” if more than 15 min late.

    Patients who show up less than 15 minutes late can still be seen, but appointments will end at the originally scheduled time and the price for the visit will remain the same.

    For example, if you show up 15 minutes late for a 50-minute visit, your visit time will be only 35 minutes, yet you will be charged the cost of the 50 min visit.

    If you no-show by being 15 minutes or more late, you will be charged a $25 fee. Future appointments will not be scheduled until your account is settled. Exceptions made due to extenuating circumstances are at the full discretion of Breathe.

    Beginning and ending on time ensures that every patient is given the time and attention he or she deserves.

Finances

  • I do not accept insurance payment for services. However, I will provide you with a superbill after each visit. You can submit this superbill to your insurance company to have them reimburse you directly. I am happy to help you and can provide you with resources to submit a claim.

    In order to accept insurance payment, a healthcare provider must have a contract with the insurance company. These contracts often limit the medical services which can be offered and/or the order in which these services can be provided.

    In other words, the insurance company, rather than you and your provider, determines your plan of care. I believe that patient care should be based on shared decision making between the provider and patient, not the insurance company’s policy.

    I also believe strongly that time with my patients is essential if we are to get to the root of any problem and find lasting solutions. When a provider agrees to accept direct insurance payment, these payments often pay only for very short (10-15 minute) visits. Patients are often rushed through appointments and end up feeling unheard, unseen, or frustrated. Too often they leave with questions unanswered or concerns that have not been addressed. I refuse to allow an insurance company to limit the time I spend with you. I prefer to take my time with each patient - time listening, answering questions, and really getting to know you as an individual.

  • Yes. I can take both HSA and Flexible Spending Accounts Cards as payment.

  • Yes. I offer a 10% discount to:

    • Senior Citizens (over 65)

    • Military (Active Duty/Veterans)

    I genuinely desire to serve and help others live their healthiest life. If you have a unique need or difficulty, please feel free to talk with me one on one