Not ready for a full functional medicine protocol? Our office is now offering the following services à la carte:
Integrative Thyroid Services
We are excited to announce our new Integrative Thyroid Services with Dr. Laura Ruby, DNP, CRNP. Dr Ruby is an Integrative Medicine practitioner with over 20 years of thyroid disease management. This service is designed for clients with Hypothyroidism who want a more comprehensive dive into their thyroid function or are interested in switching to T4/T3 combination therapy.
Prior to your first visit you will be given a lab slip for the following labs:
- TSH, FT3, FT4
- Reverse T3
- Thyroid Antibodies for Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
- Targeted Nutrient testing – Vitamin D, B12, Selenium, Magnesium, Zinc, and Copper
How it Works:
- Call to schedule an in-person consultation with Dr. Ruby –$300 for up to a one-hour appointment; includes client history and review of prior thyroid labs, a physical thyroid exam, and review of complete thyroid hormone testing (see above).
- You will be given a lab slip to take to your approved lab (per your insurance carrier). If you do not have insurance and/or your insurance will not pay for your labs, i.e., high deductible, you can have your labs drawn at a reduced cost through Ulta Labs. For more information go to www.ultalabs.com. Optimal Wellness is not responsible for any additional lab fees you may incur.
- If appropriate, recommendations for thyroid hormone replacement to include either traditional thyroid meds and/or a combination of T3/T4 desiccated thyroid hormone such as NP thyroid, Armour thyroid or a combination of Synthroid and Cytomel/Liothyronine.
- Consult fee also includes one 15 min phone follow up to review repeat labs 6 weeks after starting or changing thyroid hormone to evaluate your dose and make adjustment as necessary (this visit should be scheduled approximately 8 weeks after starting your new thyroid hormone or change in your dose).
- If you would like to have Dr Ruby follow your thyroid disease long term, you will be expected to make a follow up appointment every 6 months for your prescription refill and follow up labs. All follow up appointments will be via secure telemedicine and are $150 for up to a 30-minute visit.
** Optimal Wellness does not participate with insurance, and we do NOT file claims or any other paperwork with insurance companies, however we will give you a coded statement to submit upon request. You can also apply for an Advanced Care Credit Card. Apply at: www.mymedicalfunding.com
** This service does not include any of our Functional Medicine protocols. If you are interested in a more comprehensive Functional Medicine approach to Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, check out our Functional Medicine Memberships.
LEAP/MRT Testing
Is your food making you sick? It can be frustrating to be eating “all of the good foods” and still feel awful. Sensitivities to foods can be involved in a wide array of symptoms and chronic health problems.
What is the difference between a food sensitivity & a food allergy?
Both are inflammatory responses, but sensitivities are much more common and harder to nail down. Typically, if you ask a doctor to run a food sensitivity test they will run an IgG test. Unfortunately, while this is the most common food sensitivity test, it can only detect what is called a Type 3 sensitivity reaction, which covers only about 25% of food sensitivity reactions. Determining food sensitivities can be a COMPLEX task. It is incredibly difficult to pinpoint what foods cause what reaction in the body, due to the fact that there are so many variables at play (such as how many times the food has been eaten and what shape the gut is in). But the bottom line is and always will be gut health. Why are supposedly healthy foods causing so many symptoms? And why did you suddenly become intolerant to a food that you never had a problem with before?
What is Leap/MRT?
Leap/MRT is classified as a food sensitivity test, but actually provides so much more information, specifically in regards to gut health. Gut health can have a HUGE impact on overall health. Year upon year of bombardment from stressors, toxins, medications, etc. can lead to the intestinal membrane becoming hyperpermeable. This triggers an immune response in the body, in turn contributing to chronic inflammation. With Leap/MRT testing, specific foods that are causing that inflammatory response can be pinpointed. Instead of measuring IgG, Leap is measuring how your white blood cells respond to foods. Your white blood cells are “defenders” that work hard to protect you from what they deem a threat. And right now, they are working hard to protect you from whatever is working its way through that leaky gut lining. This makes Leap/MRT testing more of a gut health test rather than a food sensitivity test. The idea is to remove the foods that are reactive, allowing the gut to heal some, and then bring those foods back in after a certain amount of time. This “snapshot in time” gives us a peek into how your immune system is currently responding to these foods and chemicals. When we take the foods out for a bit, the immune system “calms down.” If the triggering foods are nutrient-dense, whole foods, we want them back in the diet. We don’t want them out forever! We just want to give the lining of the gut some time to heal, and the immune system some time to reset, so that when those foods are reintroduced, we don’t end up back at square one. After Leap, your newly healed gut will allow you to go back to being able to tolerate those “healthy” foods that you were having troubles with before. And you have learned so much about how your body responds to the foods you put into it, which is something you can apply for a lifetime.
Getting labs drawn for Leap/MRT*
Our center located in Westminster, MD offers draw services on select days of the week. Please give us a call to schedule your appointment at: 410.861.5256
This is a specific test that is done by Oxford Biomedical Technologies, Inc. They offer draw sites throughout the USA. If you cannot find a site near you, you have the option to have a mobile lab or travel lab do the draw for you at an additional cost.
*There might be some exceptions, but typically Quest and Labcorp will not do this draw
Find a lab near you here: https://www.nowleap.com/draw-locator/
Insurance
This is considered a functional test, and therefore typically not covered by insurance. If you have an HSA, you can use that. You can also apply for an Advanced Care Credit Card. Apply at: www.mymedicalfunding.com
Price
$725 – Includes the cost of the test and the initial interpretation with our clinical nutrition specialist
$995 – Includes the cost of the test, the initial consultation and up to 2 additional hours with our clinical nutrition specialist
DISCLAIMER
Please be sure that you have access to a lab to get the Leap/MRT test drawn BEFORE you sign up. Not all traditional laboratories offer LEAP testing. For a comprehensive list, please visit: https://www.nowleap.com/draw-locator/