Optimal Wellness Center 
at The Farmhouse Retreat Center

            A wise physician once said, "The best medicine for
            humans is love." 

            Someone asked, "What if it doesn't work?"

            He smiled and answered, "Increase the dose."

Working together, all these approaches are a collaborative and overlapping partnership in finding the root causes of our systems’ imbalances: to remove toxins, replenish what is missing, and restore balance.  Our mission is to have each person attain and maintain their unique health and wellness goals.

Integrative wellness takes into account the whole person and the constellation of family, community, social and work environments.  It encompasses all aspects of lifestyle.  The emphasis is on the therapeutic relationship between practitioner and client/patient, is informed by evidence, and makes use of all appropriate therapeutic approaches to achieve optimal health and wellness.

Integrative wellness includes:

• Client/patient and practitioner being partners in the healing process.
• All factors that influence health, wellness, and dis-ease taken into consideration, including mind, spirit, and community, as well as the physiology.
• Appropriate use of both conventional and alternative methods to facilitate the body's innate healing response.
• Effective interventions that are natural and less invasive used whenever possible.
Integrative medicine neither rejects conventional medicine nor accepts alternative therapies uncritically. Good medicine is based in good science. It is inquiry-driven and open to new paradigms. Finding the source(s) of the imbalances and symptoms along with the broader concepts of health promotion and the prevention of illness are paramount.

Holistic medicine considers the whole person as well in the quest for optimal health and wellness. According to the holistic medicine philosophy, one can achieve optimal health -- the primary goal of holistic medicine practice -- by understanding and implementing the protocols to create proper balance in life.
We believe that the whole person is made up of interdependent parts and if one part is not working properly, all the other parts will be affected.

In this way, if people have imbalances (physical, psychological, emotional, or spiritual) in their lives, it can negatively affect their overall health.
• All people have innate healing powers.
• The client/patient is a person, not a disease.
• Healing takes a team approach involving the client/patient and practitioner and addresses all aspects of a person's life using a variety of health care practices.
• We look to identify the root cause(s) that will lead to alleviating the symptoms.

Orthomolecular medicine was introduced by Nobel Laureate Dr. Linus Pauling. He defined it as “establishing the right molecules in the brain and body by varying the concentration of substances normally present and required for optimum health,” and as such we develop therapeutic wellness protocols from a macro- and micro-nutrient perspective, both playing a significant role in enhancing health and preventing disease.  Health whole foods and science-based, clinically tested supplementation are vital to remove toxins, rebuild systems and restore the best in health.

Functional medicine, not unlike integrative and holistic medicine, looks for the root causes of chronic conditions. We consider the full picture of your physical, mental, emotional, and your “spiritual” health.  This is "client-centered" care, which means we spend time learning about you, your lifestyle, your medical history, family history, and your needs, to find a solution for your health issues that is personalized to you.

Functional medicine also relies on evidence-based tools such as tests for food sensitivities, thyroid, adrenal and other hormone balance, organic acids, omega levels, metals and mineral levels and ratios, digestive and intestinal health (pathogens, parasites, bacteria, gut lining permeability), and genetic testing. Functional medicine labs look at our systems through a different lens than conventional blood work and can offer deeper insights when combined and compared with them. These may be indicated from the information provided and recommendations may be made.  You will decide which, if any, you would like to take.  The phrase “test, don’t guess” is a guide for the road to optimal wellness, and if possible one or more tests will be a wise decision.

Bringing together the entire complement of modern scientific tools integrated with world medical traditions, including a deep understanding of biology, physiology, genetics, social and environmental determinants of health, and the vital connection between mental and physical well-being is the foundation of our practice and collaboration with you.

It is this combination of focusing on our uniqueness and applying a multi-faceted wellness path that has the possibility of delivering transformational results.

How do we proceed?

A full history is collected to give detailed information and overall lifestyle conditions which requires more time spent with people to get all the information needed. We ask that any lab work that has been taken previously, conventional medicine or other, be sent for careful review to go along the history provided.

 

The initial intake appointment is usually 60 to 75 minutes to go over what your needs are for your primary and secondary health concerns and others that exist. We go over your history along with labs provided to be able to prepare a unique protocol/path for you.  Initial recommendations may or may not be made at that time, and a follow up email is included with the details of our appointment.

 

A second appointment is scheduled ideally withing 5-7 days (the time needed to review all material in depth).  This appointment is 30 minutes and we go over a proposed plan based on what we have seen and what your health goals are.  

 

We track your progress and make changes as needed. The approach is different for each person since functional medicine is centered around personalized treatment plans.  Ideally, we need at least 90-120 days to see changes at the cellular to best “reset”, however there are different ways to proceed based on your needs.

Options, scheduled at our mutual convenience:

1. 2 appointments, initial (60-75 minutes) and follow up (30 minutes), receive a plan to address your concerns. Any follow up appointments when and if you feel needed. No labs.
2. 3 appointments, the third to review any functional medicine labs that have been chosen, go over results and provide an updated customised plan based on what we see.  
3. A complete functional approach will include 4-5 appointments over the course of 90-120 days, 3 of them once a month, as we continue to measure, monitor and adjust as the mindbody works to remove, replenish and rebalance.

All follow-up appointments are 30 minutes unless we are reviewing labs; these will be 45 minutes.

Text and email questions are encouraged if needed in between appointments, no additional fee,  2-3/week.

We know people have full lives that can be rapidly changing. The cancellation/rescheduling policy* is:
No cancellation fee if 14 days prior to the appointment
25% within 7-14 days
50% within 4-7 days of the appointment
100% 3 days or less from the appointment

*We understand emergencies happen; there is no cancellation fee if so.

Please call 1.484.431.7474

or email barbara@optimalwellness.me

for fees and scheduling details.

 

 

 

           Barbara Montgomery, CIHPL2, CHHP, CCBD, CNC
    Board Certified Integrative and Functional Medicine Health Practitioner Specializing in:

 

To schedule an appointment or for more information, please email, telephone or text:

Email: barbara@optimalwellness.me

Telephone/text: 484.431.7474

Our practice uses methods that are variously known as environmental, complementary, alternative, orthomolecular, integrative, holistic, functional, lifestyle and/or nutritionally oriented. Some of the characteristic qualities that are used include the following:

• Lifestyle – a person's lifestyle, including his/her diet, exercise, sleep habits, stresses, and interpersonal relationships, has been clinically shown to be directly related to the development and maintenance of optimal health as well as dis-ease.
• Nutritional supplements--products that are natural and vital to the body including vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids, essential fatty acids, and herbs.
• Full Body Detoxification – diet and environmental factors may play a role in health and disease. Detoxification can be beneficial to cleanse all systems of the mindbody.
• Client/patient participation – the individual is vital in the involvement in her/his own health care. Questions are encouraged.
• Mindbodyspirit – We believe in mindbodyspirit integration in bringing about wellness and preventing illness. Consequently, part of our program may involve recommendations for counseling and/or meditation.
• Exercise – Appropriate exercise is extremely important in maintaining health and promoting wellness, along with helping recover from an illness.
• Sleep -- Restful sleep of the appropriate duration is a foundation of optimal wellness. Ensuring this is an integral part of any wellness protocol.

We make no representations, claims, or guarantees that you will be helped with your health issues or conditions. However, we will do our best to help you accomplish your healthcare and wellness goals.

The information provided is not intended to diagnose, cure or treat any illness and disease, rather to provide education, support and promote optimal wellness. Please reach out to a medical doctor in case of medical emergencies.