For most of human history, physicians have treated patients as whole persons, in what today is referred to as “holistic” care.
Recently traditional allopathic medicine has categorized a person to a collection of “systems” and targeted treatments to these individual systems, such as pulmonary, cardiovascular or neurologic systems. Instead of “John” or “Sally”, you may become “diabetic hypertensive COPD Patient #XYZ”. With this systems-based approach has come increasing emphasis on prescribing of pharmaceuticals.
Osteopathic physicians are taught to approach medicine through the lens of the patient as a whole. This fully integrative approach involves much more than descriptions and prescriptions.
Integrative medicine involves really seeing you for who you are, listening to thoughts, emotions, spiritual and lifestyle practices, observing all body systems to assess relevant connections and interactions, and incorporating traditional medicine as well as integrative approaches to guide you to your best health.
During your integrative care services visit, I will do a thorough review and evaluation of your symptoms and concerns, and with your help develop an integrative plan designed just for you. This plan might include advanced functional testing, hormone assessment, use of vitamins and supplements, stress reduction strategies, diet and lifestyle changes, and evaluation of the impact of thoughts and emotions on chronic health issues. If needed, prescription medication may be used, but I emphasize non-pharmaceutical approaches.
Before your visit, you will be asked to fill out an extensive questionnaire, which will help me understand and target your evaluation and treatment plan. Plan to spend about two hours for the questionnaire. I know, it’s a lot of time, but it’s extremely important to have this information for your visit. So make yourself a cup of tea, relax, connect emotionally and spiritually with the physical problems you are experiencing, and then…complete the questions!
If you are interested in more information or would like to schedule a future appointment with Dr. Koski, please contact our office.
FAQs
What is an integrative health consultation?
My goal is to provide care of YOU, not just a collection of systems. I use a variety of techniques to arrive at an individualized plan for health.
This means that I consider the role of nutrition, lifestyle, stress, and the integrative use of medication. Prior to your visit, you will be asked to provide extensive and detailed information, so we do a deep dive into your history and what may be contributing to your current health. There will be a variety of functional testing options that we can use, dependent on the individualized plan we develop.
What kinds of recommendations might you make?
All treatment plans are individualized, so the recommendations for you will be unlike those for any other patient that I see. I will frequently make recommendations to change diet, use vitamins and supplements, try herbal combinations, have bodywork done (such as osteopathy, chiropractic, acupuncture or massage), and pay attention to the connection between stress or anxiety and chronic physical symptoms. I will usually order appropriate tests before making any recommendations, unless you have done these very recently with another doctor.
What conditions do you treat?
I am trained in traditional, osteopathic and lifestyle medicine and can treat many conditions including hypertension, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, chronic fatigue, women’s and men’s health, chronic pain, digestive issues, mental health conditions, migraine headaches, menopausal symptoms, and thyroid disease. I am happy to offer my opinion about whether non pharmaceutical strategies might be helpful for any problem or concern you may have.
What conditions do you not treat?
I do not do disability determination examinations or prepare reports for Social Security or other disability insurers.
Are tests covered by insurance?
Occasionally. Some of the advanced integrative testing is simply not covered by insurance. Often cash-based fees are lower than insurance-based fees, based on our access to wholesale pricing. We will do our best to let you know the exact cost of a test before it is run.
Can you serve as my primary care physician?
I have a limited number of openings for primary care patients. Please contact our office by filling out the online form for more information.