Lifestyle Medicine is a medical specialty that uses lifestyle interventions as a primary way to prevent, treat and in some cases, even reverse chronic conditions including, but not limited to, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity. It focuses on addressing the six pillars of Lifestyle Medicine—a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances and positive social connections. It is estimated that Lifestyle Medicine can address up to 80% of chronic diseases.

To learn more about Lifestyle Medicine, you can visit the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) website: https://lifestylemedicine.org/

Functional Medicine is a patient-centered approach to health that focuses on finding and addressing the underlying cause of an individual’s symptoms or diagnosis, rather than only treating their symptoms. It also evaluates the person as a whole and takes into account the interconnectedness of our body systems, and how an imbalance in one system often contributes to or causes an imbalance in another system. For example, mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression, may be in part due to gut dysbiosis, food reactions/intolerances, hormone imbalances, nutrient deficiencies, sleep dysregulation, chronic stress and/or toxic exposures (i.e. pesticides, heavy metals, mold). And more often than not, a symptom or diagnosis is often due to imbalances in multiple of these areas.

The investigation to find possible root causes includes a thorough patient interview, dietary recall and lab testing. Treatment plans are always personalized and include diet and lifestyle changes and may include supplement and prescription medication recommendations on a case-by-case basis.

To learn more about Functional Medicine, you can visit the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) website: https://www.ifm.org/

No. This is a common misunderstanding about both Lifestyle and Functional Medicine. While addressing the root cause of an individual’s symptoms/diagnosis and prioritizing a lifestyle-based approach to treatment can often resolve current symptoms, prevent disease progression and even enable current prescription medications to be reduced in dose or stopped, this is not always the case. Every individual’s situation is unique. Sometimes a medication might be needed long-term to reduce the risk of a complication later in life. Other times, a medication may be needed in the short-term (i.e. 6-12 months) to ensure patient safety while we work on establishing the daily lifestyle habits that will address the root causes of a diagnosis.

This will vary for each patient depending on their symptoms, health goals and the availability of any recent lab work (within the last 12 months). Dr. K will usually order blood tests through Quest or LabCorp and may also recommend additional Functional Medicine lab testing, which can include, but is not limited to, testing for the gut microbiome, food sensitivities, micronutrient levels, salivary hormone levels and mold.

No. Before The Script does not have evening, weekend or emergency visits, so we require that all patients maintain a relationship with a PCP and contact their PCP or visit an ER or urgent care center in case of an emergency.

Yes. All current patients will have access to HIPAA-compliant messaging through the ChARM patient portal. Patient messaging can be used to contact Dr. K for simple questions or clarifications. Please allow 48 business hours for a response. For more complicated questions or new health concerns, Dr. K may recommend you schedule a visit for further in-depth discussion.

If you are not a patient and would like to contact the practice, please contact us HERE.

We do not participate with any insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid. Unfortunately, insurance companies do not recognize the Lifestyle and Functional Medicine model of care and often do not reimburse for the extensive time providers spend with their patients to address all their needs thoroughly. Being a cash-pay practice allows Before the Script and Dr. K to better serve patient needs.

Insurance can be billed for many of the lab tests we order, however, we cannot know exactly which tests will be covered by each insurance plan and it is up to the patient to check with their insurance to see if the lab will be covered, prior to having labs drawn. Patients will be provided a lab order and patients can have labs drawn at any lab that is in-network with their health insurance. Specialty Functional Medicine lab tests are typically not covered by insurance.    

While the practice does not participate with insurance plans, patients with private health insurance may be eligible for out-of-network reimbursement for our services. We are happy to provide a receipt/superbill to submit to your insurer. However, since each insurance plan is unique, we cannot guarantee coverage or reimbursement for any services from any insurance plan. Since Dr. K does not participate in Medicare or Medicaid, individuals with these plans cannot submit for reimbursement.

Lifestyle and Functional Medicine services are often covered under most HSA plans. You may also be able to use your HSA account to pay for any recommended supplements. Please check with your individual HSA plan for a list of its requirements for coverage.

No. All visits are done via telemedicine (video visits through HIPAA-compliant medical record system). For this reason, all prospective patients must have access to a computer or phone to conduct video visits.

Dr. K is currently accepting patients in California, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Colorado, Florida, Virginia, Delaware. If there is a state you would like to see on this list, please send us a message HERE to let us know. As we get more requests, Dr. K may extend her services to additional states.

Please click HERE to see fees for telehealth Lifestyle and Functional visits.

Dr. K does prescribe thyroid replacement hormones. However, at this time she does not prescribe progesterone, estrogen or testosterone. Hormones replacement therapy is not our specialty and if someone is specifically interested in this service, we recommend working with a clinic that specializes in hormone replacement therapy.

While Dr. K takes a food and lifestyle-first approach to addressing health concerns, she does recommend supplements on a case-by-case basis, depending on a patient’s symptoms and lab testing results. Supplement recommendations are made through Fullscript, a site that offers a wide range of medical-grade supplements from reputable companies, many of which do third-party testing to ensure purity and potency. The effectiveness of a supplement depends on its quality, and quality of supplements can vary greatly depending on ingredients and manufacturing process. For this reason, sourcing supplements from reputable companies is very important. All patients receive a 25% discount on supplements ordered through Fullscript, as our goal is to ensure patients have access to good quality supplements. We do not recommend purchasing supplements from Amazon or big box stores due to quality concerns.