PrimeHealth Denver is a functional medicine practice that offers a variety of services to patients. PrimeHealth uses an integrative approach to health care, which means treating the whole person rather than just the disease symptoms. We have answered some frequently asked questions below.
PrimeHealth is very different from a PCP, as we combine the best of Integrative and Functional Medicine. Please see below for the definitions of these types of care.
The care received at PrimeHealth goes far beyond that of a typical Primary Care Physician or even a specialist. We provide extremely personalized medical attention, in-depth testing for diagnosis and evaluation of health status, innovative and unique treatment options with proven results, and exceptional customer service. We also incorporate technology at every step to provide the best care possible.
In addition to the dramatically increased time and attention we spend on your care, there are many treatments that conventional medical specialists are unaware of that are extremely helpful in reversing and preventing the worsening of one’s condition.
If you’re reading this, then you’re being proactive! Being proactive about your health means seeking and acting upon advice on preventing or reversing disease before it’s too late.
Integrative Medicine is a general term for including multiple types of healing modalities in your care plan. Working with someone who knows, understands, and is open to various forms of healing is imperative to figure out what works best for you.
All treatment plans are individualized and evidence-based and can include Eastern (i.e., acupuncture, energy work, herbs, meditation, etc.), Western (i.e., medications, physical therapy, nutritional supplements, etc.), and/or lifestyle therapies (i.e., sleep, stress relief, diet, and movement).
Functional Medicine is true healthcare. It is a distinct medical model — separate and vastly different from the conventional approach — one that promotes wellness and helps both prevent and treat chronic disease.
Functional Medicine uses systems biology to uncover and address the root cause of illness (instead of just the downstream symptoms). We understand the patient and their body as an intricately connected network, with each system communicating with all others.
This process requires longer visits to understand the patient’s life story and uses cutting-edge testing to better evaluate their condition(s). Treatment plans will address lifestyle habits, environmental and genetic factors, and nutritional deficiencies and include collaboration with a health coach.
Conventional medicine is disease management and refers to the status quo of the current medical system. Rather than optimizing wellness (as in Functional Medicine) through preventative and restorative lifestyle strategies, it focuses on managing illness once it has already occurred, primarily by suppressing symptoms with prescription drugs. It involves short visits, usually reimbursed by health insurance, mostly centered around treating with medications or surgery.
Unfortunately, this model usually does not address the root cause of the problem. Instead, by treating disease in this way, the conventional care model creates patients for life. Conversely, Functional medicine promotes health and aims to prevent disease. When disease does occur, we seek to reverse it by investigating and treating its underlying cause(s).
For example, in treating depression, a conventional doctor will likely prescribe an antidepressant as their first line of defense. In contrast, a Functional Medicine provider recognizes that depression is not the result of an anti-depressants deficiency and will use advanced testing and extensive history-taking to determine the root cause, which could be due to vitamin deficiencies, food sensitivities, hormonal imbalance, digestive issues, or other causes.
Functional Medicine providers don’t put band-aids on the problem. Instead, they work to address and fix the root cause.
Translational Medicine bridges the gap between “benchside and bedside.” It brings new technology in diagnostics and treatments from the scientific research community into the clinical community to treat patients.
It requires keeping up with scientific research to provide the best treatments available today.
This involves continuously learning, reading, researching, and attending conferences on many health topics.
No. Preventative Medicine is for both patients that are well and those that are not. It’s a common and damaging misconception that Preventative Medicine is only for those that are already well.
Anyone can work on preventing further disease and reversing disease at any stage in their lives.
We care for the young, the elderly, the well, and the sick. Whether your goal is to optimize health and continue thriving, cure an autoimmune disease before it worsens, get off of the psychiatric medications that you began 20 years ago, optimize health while on medications, or be the most active 95-year-old that you can be, we can help you.
Your certified Health Coach provides continuous support to help you implement provider recommendations and healthy strategies into your lifestyle (i.e., diet, sleep, exercise, stress management). They are your partner and health advocate and will work closely with you to guide you toward optimal health.
They bridge the gap between your provider’s recommendations and your everyday life and help you put ideas into practice at your own pace based on your preferences. You are not required to use health coaching, but it is included in your care plan.
We are highly selective in our Health Coaches, who are formally trained in nutrition and therapeutic diets and have trained under the best Functional Medicine doctors in the world.
Unfortunately, most doctors do not have the awareness, expertise, or time to order and interpret advanced testing. Instead, they order an extremely basic and superficial level of testing and miss crucial information. Here is a blog that we wrote about essential tests that everyone would benefit from.
A powerful way to be proactive about your health and prevent disease is by understanding your current health status through in-depth testing and tracking changes over time. Without this vital information, you’re left guessing as to the cause of illness.
Please see the “Conditions” page.
Yes, however, we only see the children of our current members. Please ask us about our available Family Plans.
Yes, we accept patients from outside Denver and have patients throughout the United States.
However, if you are located outside of CO, we are legally required to have each visit in person.
