FAQ
1. Is it safe to not take my anti-depressant? I'm afraid I will get depressed again.
This is of the utmost concern. Our method here is to identify the metabolic deficiencies that are the source of the depression first, before removing the anti-depressant. These deficiencies are corrected before the medication is removed. The medication is always slowly tapered to avoid withdrawal side effects.
2. What services are offered at the Center?
The Center for Holistic Psychiatry and Pain Management offers holistic psychiatry and a holistic approach to pain management. Our focus is on offering non-medical treatment approaches. Psychiatric services are accomplished by balancing any metabolic disorders with a strong emphasis on nutrition and the pain management is provided by osteopathic manipulation and medical acupuncture.
3. What are your qualifications? Are you legitimate?
Dr. Somner, the medical director of the Center is board certified in general, adult Psychiatry and Fellowship trained and board eligible in Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine. She is also certified in Cranial Osteopathy.
4. Why so much testing? Is it just to make money?
The foundation of the work here is metabolic, which means: How does your body function on the inside at a cellular level? In order to know how your body functions at a cellular level, we need to test. We need to look at what nutrition your body is missing, what it's using, how much cortisol you need, or do you have too much? All of these require testing. We do not make money from the testing. We charge a small administrative fee for the back end work we do regarding testing but we do not make money on the test itself. We try to keep costs down and find laboratories that will accept insurance coverage or have reasonable pricing.
5. What nutritional philosophy do you have? There is so much controversy?
Yes there is a great deal of controversy over the "right" nutrition. We follow the principles of metabolic typing and are influenced by the work of Dr. Weston Price. Dr. Weston Price was a dentist who studied, in detail, the nutrition of healthy, primitive cultures and found certain principles were present in all of them. We recommend those principles. However, the cultures he studied were comprised of genetically homogenous sets of people. We are no longer homogenous genetically, so our metabolism will vary according to our varied genetics. That's why we have added metabolic typing; it allows us the closest evaluation of unique metabolic needs. The diet can be modified to meet those needs. The body leads the way; if the nutrition needs to be modified then it's modified.
6. Is saliva testing really valid? My doctor told me the test doesn't show anything.
Saliva testing has been around a long time. Most physicians are trained only in serum (blood) measurements and so are unfamiliar with the saliva testing option. Saliva testing has been offered only by specialty laboratories but soon the large labs, Quest and Lab Corp will be offering saliva testing as well. Saliva testing offers the benefits of being less expensive and more convenient.
7. Does Adrenal Fatigue really exist? My doctor told me there is no such thing.
Yes, adrenal fatigue is an actual diagnosis. Yes, the cortisol levels will rise and fall throughout the day and according to your emotions. But what the saliva tests measure is one full day that gives us a picture of what happens most commonly in your body over time. That's what we are interested in. What is most important is that adrenal fatigue is treatable and may be completely curable.
8. How much does it all cost? Is it covered by insurance?
The answer is: it depends. Dr. Somner does not participate in insurance because that dramatically limits her freedom to practice as a natural physician and also increases the cost of doing business. Her services are often covered by insurance. You will be given an insurance receipt that you can submit to your insurance company for re-imbursement. We try to use testing from labs that accept insurance payments directly. For those without insurance coverage there are labs that are less expensive that we use. Dr. Somner's initial visit is $390.00 and lasts an hour and a half. This visit also includes your first metabolic type test (a $70.00 value). Follow up visits with Dr. Somner are 45 minutes and cost $175.00.
9. Do you have a nutritionist on staff?
We offer nutritional counseling from a bright and talented woman named Becky Marrs. Becky has a Master of Science in Holistic Nutrition from Hawthorn University and has the added benefit of being a trained cook. We are supporters of eating food that is delicious as well as nutritious. All of her services are supervised by Dr. Somner.
10. What is Osteopathy? I've never heard of that.
Osteopathy is America's best kept medical secret. In the 1800s when medicine was taught from father to son, Andrew T. Still, M.D. developed osteopathy. He felt that medication was not the answer but that the body contained its own medicine and its own healing powers. If you remove the barriers, the body will heal itself. Structure and function are intimately related. The body is a whole, each part affecting every other part. These are our guiding principles at the Center.