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St. Pete & Tampa Bay's #1 Wellness Center & Acupuncturist
DR.B'S WELLNESS & ACUPUNCTURE CLINIC
Frequently asked questions
Yes. If you choose to seek further training or work with Dr. B 1-on-1, the costs will vary, but can include, lab tests, herbal and supplement recommendations with the option to buy, personal wellness plans options, as well as the cost of the initial medical intake and diagnosis. All information regarding personal work is located on the 1-on-1 page listed above and by clicking, “View More.”
There are 4 payment options. I have tried to make this Academy affordable with as many options as possible. The initial costs with this Academy will be offset by your ability to actively prevent disease and live a fuller happier life.
1. The initial course is $89.
2. Each subsequent course thereafter is $135 a piece.
3. Purchasing the entire 10 module series is $1109 a savings of 15%.
4. Working with Dr. B and the 10 module series:
I often explain to my patients that Functional Medicine is the Chinese Medicine of the 21st Century. What do I mean by that? Obviously there are major differences between the two schools of medicine. The glue that binds them together though is the desire to get to the root causes of the imbalances in the body. What Chinese medical practitioners have been doing for thousands of years, Western medical practitioners are finally understanding that in order to treat the disease you need to treat the entire person.
Chinese Medicine, also known as Oriental or Eastern Medicine is one of the oldest forms of medicine. It has been continuously practiced for well over 4000 years. Oriental Medicine encompasses many modalities including; acupuncture, herbal medicine, cupping, massage, nutrition and scraping/Gua Sha (today’s Graston Technique). Oriental medicine offers relief while achieving a delicate balance of mind, body, and spirit.
The whole body in western medicine is seen as many parts put together, that then need to be looked at separately in order to work with a patient's disease. An MD, will reduce a disease to treatable signs and symptoms that a patient is experiencing. This leads to treating the branches of a condition rather than a root cause very often. There are three main available treatments within Western medicine: pharmaceuticals/drugs, surgery and therapy.
Holistic medicine bases a person’s path to wellness as one unified system rather than treating a disease or symptom so commonly found in more Western or Allopathic medicine. Through a thorough diagnosis process, a patient’s unique blueprint of their life begins to unfold. No two patients are ever the same, each one will often have different diagnoses and each a unique treatment plan. Oriental Medicine, acupuncture and functional medicine treat the underlying cause of the illness, stimulating the body to heal without masking the symptoms with powerful and often dangerous medications.
Here in my home state of Florida, Acupuncture Physicians and the term Acupuncture includes the entirety of Chinese Medicine. This includes diagnosis, nutraceutical and herbal prescriptions, ordering and interpretation of lab tests and images, the practice of internal and external medicine, rehabilitative exercises, structural analysis and massage and intramuscular injections of non-drug substances (such as vitamins or saline).
The primary difference between what a Medical Doctor (MD) and an Acupuncture Physician (AP) can do is that the MD can prescribe pharmaceutical drugs and perform surgery and an AP cannot. Both MD’s and AP’s spend 4 years in medical school, with similar prerequisites for science education in undergrad. Both physicians study important subjects such as Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology, Pharmacology, Internal Medicine, Orthopedics, Dermatology, and External Medicine.
I often tell my patients, “If you’re having a medical emergency go see a Western MD, for everything else come see me.” Obviously MD’s are unparalleled in their treatment of emergency conditions and I will always refer out if needed. This ultra specialized focus often leads to MD’s being unable to treat chronic pain, disease, autoimmune, heart disease, diabetes and mood disorders. Remember, drugs suppress symptoms and they don't’ cure anything. Having a MD and a health care practitioner that is trained in disease prevention and the treatment of chronic disease is always the best course of action.
You’ll be identifying your personalized protocol throughout the duration of the course and can purchase supplements at that time. I will also be recommending nutraceutical and herbal supplements as an adjunct to dietary and lifestyle modification. I offer an on-line nutraceutical dispensary as a service to my patients. You can, of course, buy your supplements anywhere you choose. For the Chinese Herbal medicine I work with an Online Pharmacy that is only open to licensed Chinese medical practitioners.
I am very picky when it comes to the supplements that I take, my family takes, and what I recommend as a practitioner. This is why I choose to only work with companies who undergo rigorous outside testing and quality controls. The supplement industry is not well regulated, this can lead to possible unsafe or adulterated products on the market.
Costs vary from patient to patient based on severity, symptoms and in general the length of illness. Certain Labs are required on all initial patients. I have personally found that over a decade of practice the amount of money spent testing up front pales in comparison to money spent on useless supplements and medically unnecessary treatment options. I prefer to, Test not Guess.
Initial costs, labs, and expected length of treatment is found clicking the “View More” button under the section, 1-on-1 Consultations.
The laboratory fees are separate from the teaching modules and are completely optional if you are not seeing Dr. Brian as a personal patient. If you do decide for a more personalized treatment plan than Dr. Brian will recommend the tests that he feels will best point us in the right direction. He always strives to avoid unnecessary testing. Lab fees are variable and depend on the nature and severity of your symptoms and health concerns. The cost can range from under $100 to several thousand dollars in complex cases.
I do not bill insurance on your behalf and do not accept any form of medical insurance.Every dollar goes to your care and to this Academy, no money is spent in a third party payer system. I completely understand the frustration at first, keep in mind though, that by doing this, your care will never be directed by an insurance company. They cannot and will not dictate what they think you need or don't need.Many health savings accounts will cover Dr. B’s consultation fees and services. You may use your HSA or FSA for any of his services.
This is first and foremost a place from which to begin your journey towards better health. This is a question that comes up often in my practice and one that has been answered the same way that it was answered for me by my mentor Master Yuen the first time he spoke. “If you are becoming a doctor to heal people you should walk away now.” Does that mean my attempts to guide and teach my patients what I know should be dismissed? No, it means that no person can heal another person, in-fact, the term doctor means teacher. What a student takes from a teacher is simply their own personal experience, the integration of what is taught and the acceptance of our own mortality is true healing. Is my goal to teach you everything that I know in the hopes that you find health and wellness? Absolutely! Can I guarantee healing, no unfortunately I can’t.
Upon purchasing you will receive an email (it will be sent to the email you use during purchasing) with details and links on scheduling your session. If you did not download the intake forms, extra forms will be emailed to you. Consider scheduling the consultation about 4-6 weeks from the date of purchase to ensure the lab results are in the office by the time of your appointment.
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