FAQ

As naturopathic medicine is new to California, many in the state are unfamiliar with what naturopathic medicine is and what a naturopathic doctor is. License was granted to Naturopathic doctors in 2004, much later than other states. Oregon has had licensed naturopathic doctors since the 1950s. Most of the Western United States now licenses naturopathic doctors.

All naturopathic doctors hold a four-year undergraduate degree as well as an additional four-year doctorate degree.  Naturopathic doctors learn the standard medical curriculum of anatomy, physiology, pathology, microbiology, immunology, clinical and physical diagnosis, laboratory diagnosis, cardiology, gastroenterology, gynecology, pharmacology, etc. In addition,  naturopathic doctors receive training in clinical nutrition, botanical medicine, homeopathy, hydrotherapy, naturopathic manipulative therapy, psychology, and counseling.

They must complete at least two years of hands-on clinical training and pass two sets of national boards (board certified). Naturopathic doctors are trained to diagnose, treat or refer to specialists when necessary, much like your traditional primary care provider.

Not all naturopathic doctors are alike. Like regular medical doctors, each naturopathic doctor has their own area of expertise and preferred treatment modalities.

You can find more information here: https://aanmc.org/naturopathic-medicine/.

At San Jose Integrative Medicine, we follow the 6 principles of naturopathic medicine.

What Are The Six Principles of Naturopathic Medicine?

1. First, Do No Harm
   Utilize the most natural, least invasive and least toxic therapies.
2. The Healing Power of Nature
   Trust in the body’s inherent wisdom to heal itself.
3. Identify and Treat the Causes
   Look beyond the symptoms to the underlying cause.
4. Doctor as Teacher
   Educate patients in the steps to achieving and maintaining health.
5. Treat the Whole Person
   View the body as an integrated whole in all its physical and spiritual dimensions.
6. Prevention
   Focus on overall health, wellness and disease prevention.

Yes. We will do an annual physical and bloodwork and handle any other medical concerns you have, referring out to specialists as needed.

Naturopathic doctors are allowed to independently prescribe only hormones in the state of California. This includes thyroid, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.

Yes, Naturopathic doctors can order lab work. We commonly use Quest and LabCorp. We offer standard blood work like anemia screening, metabolic testing, cholesterol screening and vitamin D levels. We can also order imaging studies such as X-rays, bone density, ultrasound, mammograms, CTs and MRIs.

We also contract with many specialty labs for more complex screenings and functional testing such as food sensitivities, micronutrient testing, hormone testing, etc.

For Kaiser patients, we work with labs that offer cash pay discounts. We also will accept labs run by Kaiser.

NOTE: Medicare will not cover labs or imaging ordered by a naturopathic doctor.

Payment in full is due at the time of service. 

Please note that our practice is an out of network provider.

Upon request, we can contact your insurance company to verify coverage. We can provide you with an approximation of coverage, but not a guarantee of coverage.

Some insurance plans from United Health Care, Anthem, Blue Shield, Aetna, and Cigna provide out of network benefits. As plans and benefits vary, we encourage you to call the number on your card to verify your out of network benefits.

Medi-Cal, Medi-Care, Valley Health, Kaiser, and county plans DO NOT have out of network coverage and will not reimburse for our services.

As a service to our patients, we offer complimentary insurance submission for the first visit. There is a $10 fee per visit for subsequent submissions.

If you have insurance coverage, we direct your insurance company to reimburse you directly. You may request that your insurance company send us the reimbursement check.

We accept cash, check, and all credit cards. We also accept HSA and FSA payments.

New patients may book acupuncture and massage appointments online here.

New patients interested in naturopathic appointments and hormone balancing appointments must first schedule a phone consultation to speak to the doctor before their appointments. This 10 minute phone consultation is complimentary.

You can schedule online here.

Please fill out all forms online through HUSHMAIL. You will be emailed a link when you make your first appointment. Please contact the front desk if you have any questions.

Printable forms can be found under the patient tab.

Please bring in any copies of recent or past blood tests, medical reports, or treatment plans with previous practitioners.

Please bring all current supplements and prescribed medications that you are currently taking.

If you are motivated to do so, we highly recommend keeping a diet diary at least 3 days before the date of your consultation – recording food intake throughout the day, plus any corresponding symptoms/energy levels/mood.

Established patients can schedule at https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=17390830.

The first visit will generally take 45 to 60 minutes. After covering your intake forms and taking a complete medical history, the doctor will perform a targeted physical exam.

After your initial intake visit, the doctor may require lab testing before any treatment recommendations are made.

At the first or second visit, the doctor will give you a specific treatment plan designed for your unique needs. This may include a personalized diet plan, dietary supplements, lifestyle changes, additional lab tests, changes in medication (coordinated with your primary care physician, if necessary), hormone therapy, acupuncture, and/or manual therapy.

Follow-up visits range from 15-60 minutes. Acupuncture visits generally take 45-60 minutes. Manual therapy/massage appointments can be 30 to 90 minutes.

If you have an urgent concern, a brief visit by phone or in office can often be accommodated the same day.

Should you need to reschedule or cancel your appointment, we ask for 24 hours notice.  All cancellations for appointments require 24 business hours notice for office visits, including acupuncture.  Appointments cancelled less than 24 business hours or missed appointments will be charged up to a $50 fee.

In the case of any medical emergency, you should always dial 911, visit an emergency room or urgent care facility.

For non-urgent matters, you can call us at 408-357-3422. We will do our best to contact you the same day but for matters that can wait, please be patient. It may take up to one business day to return your call or email.

New patients will likely have 2-3 appointments within a 6 month period. This includes a first time appointment, follow up to review labs and formulate a treatment plan, and a third appointment to review progress and make changes to your treatment plan.

Patients with more complex health concerns may be seen every 4-6 weeks, while patients being seen solely for preventative care may only be seen yearly.

Patients taking bioidentical hormones are required to follow up every 6 months, perform yearly blood work, and mammogram.

Lab results are reviewed with you by the doctor. It is important to review the results in depth at an appointment to make sure you understand the results.

Quest and LabCorp generally take only 4 days. Specialty labs can take from 7-28 days for results.

Our office will contact you by phone and electronically to alert you that lab results have been received. This will include a link to the schedule. The doctor will call you immediately upon receiving any results that require urgent attention.

Please call your pharmacy for all refill requests (even if there are no refills remaining). The pharmacy will then contact the doctor electronically and by fax. If the doctor does not respond within 24 hours, the pharmacy calls the doctor. This is the best way to ensure your medication is filled promptly.

Call our office at 408-357-3422 or email info@sanjoseintegrative.com to ask if we have your supplement in stock.  You may also purchase supplements at our stores at Full Script and Wellevate.

We follow HIPAA guidelines for your protection. HIPAA is a privacy rule, enacted by the Federal Government. It gives you rights over your health information and sets rules and limits on who can look at and receive your health information. The Privacy Rule applies to all forms of individuals’ protected health information, whether electronic, written, or oral.