Nutritional Medicine, Amino Acid Therapy Program
The use of amino acids has been demonstrated to assist in the management of a number of conditions. Unlike conventional pharmaceuticals, the use of amino acids is thought to pose reduced risks but does require additional time and effort on the part of both doctor and patient.
The best results occur with diligent compliance to the dosing regimen, and a comprehensive program of diet and lifestyle modification, including a health-promoting diet, appropriate exercise, and adequate rest and sleep.
Medical Supervision:
1. The first doctor visit is a routine, thorough evaluation of your particular case. This evaluation costs $295 and is billable to your insurance company or Medicare at the standard rates for an initial doctor visit. At this visit, the doctor will review your overall medical history, including medication use, perform a physical exam, and discuss your management options: both conventional standard treatments, as well as the nonconventional or “experimental” management approaches including nutrient-based amino acids.
2. If after your initial visit, you and the doctor determine that Amino Acids are worth a trial, then a second doctor visit will need to be scheduled. During this second visit the doctor will explain the program to you in terms of specific supplements, dosing, administration, potential side-effects and their management. This second visit costs $95 and is also billable to insurance at the standard rates for a follow-up visit.
3. If, after these two visits, you decide to proceed with the trial, the doctor then designs a program tailored to you. This program setup fee is $400. This charge is for setting up a personalized program, interpreting and managing responses to management and side effects, calculating and adjusting doses, interpreting urinary cation testing, consulting with experts in Amino Acid research as needed, and keeping your protocol current with the latest advances. THIS FEE IS NOT BILLABLE TO INSURANCE, as this program is above the standard of care and NOT recognized by insurance companies or Medicare.
4. Follow-up in-person visits, if needed, are $95 and are considered medical checkups, and thus are billable to insurance at standard rates.
5. Adjustments to your program can be frequent. This could require frequent doctor visits, especially in the first few weeks.
6. In order to minimize the number of doctor visits, an email support line has been set up to help with fine-tuning. The subscription is $360 per year. That fee is waived for the first year for patients who have gone through the first three steps listed above. After the first year, you will likely not need to continue the close email support, but can opt to renew if desired.
Supplements: For most patients on this program, the brand name amino acids can cost from $150 to $250 a month, depending on the doses; 10% of patients need higher doses, which can run up to $300 a month or more. There are no effective generics currently available.
Lab Testing: Intermittently, there are lab tests to check the effects of the amino acids on the body’s cell gateways. These cost about $140 per test. Patients may need several tests throughout the first year, as the dosing is adjusted.
