Appointment Menu & FAQ

Functional Medicine in Capitola and via Zoom

  • Introductory call, 20 minutes ($67). You can ask Laura if she is familiar with your condition, and discuss what labs to order before your first visit. This call is not required in order to book a new patient appointment, however, it is recommended if you don’t have current labs.
  • New Patient or 1+ years since prior visit, 1 hour ($350). This includes an overview of your health goals, history and timeline, current symptoms, and lifestyle log. In addition, you can upload any current labs from the past 1-2 years. This appointment fee includes Laura’s time to review your case prior to the meeting, and a written treatment plan afterward.
  • Followup, 60 minutes ($225). This is for patients seen within the past 12 months, to report progress, review new labs, discuss new issues, and update treatment plan.
  • Brief, 30 minutes ($150). This is for patients seen within the past 3 months, as a progress report and update of current plan.

Acupuncture in Capitola and Monterey

  • New Patient, up to 90 minutes ($125)
  • Return Visit, 60 minutes ($95)
  • Packages. These provide savings for those who need to come frequently.
    • $425 for 5 visits
    • $750 for 10 visits
    • $975 for 15 visits

FAQs

We do not bill insurance for Functional Medicine, however, we can give you a superbill with appropriate codes that you can submit to your insurance plan for potential reimbursement. For acupuncture visits, we do bill Aspire plans as an in-network provider, and we also bill PPO plans that have coverage for acupuncture. You need to verify your coverage if we are not familiar with your plan.

We keep our Functional Medicine fees as low as possible in order to provide services to people from a variety of economic backgrounds. Laura is also very judicial about lab orders, and you can use your insurance for labs whenever possible. In addition the Functional Med Hub has many low cost DIY classes, discounted medical grade supplements, and free resources. For acupuncture visits, we do offer a sliding scale fee, as well as packages for people who need frequent treatments. Please inquire about a sliding scale fee application for acupuncture.

This is very individual and depends on how long your health concerns have existed, and how many systems there are to investigate. You can discuss this at your first new patient visit. In general, Functional Medicine consults take place once a month, and Acupuncture treatments take place once or twice a week, until concerns are resolved. At that time we can discuss a maintenance plan.

Laura does not prescribe medications. She only prescribes botanicals and supplements. However, she can advise you about your hormone replacement options and can help you with how to talk to your doctor about your medications. This includes medications that you may need to wean from, because as you get better with Functional Medicine, you may need fewer prescription medications or the dose may need to change.

Functional Medicine applies a root-cause approach to health and wellness. We investigate underlying body systems that are disrupted as the source of many common ailments. Our concern lies with the whole person, including their background story, environmental triggers, lifestyle, emotional and spiritual well-being, and nutrition. We use lifestyle medicine first and foremost, then natural agents like herbs and supplements, and medication comes last. Any licensed medical provider can take continuing education to become certified in Functional Medicine. To learn more, please visit the Institute for Functional Medicine.

book an appointment

Appointments take place at two Monterey Bay Paris Healing Arts clinic locations: 820 Bay Ave in Capitola (Santa Cruz County) and 700 Cass St in downtown Monterey.