If you’re looking for a more holistic, personalized approach to mental health care that incorporates complementary and alternative therapies alongside conventional treatments, an integrative psychiatrist may be the right choice for you.

In general, an integrative psychiatrist has interest in more holistic approaches that encompass mind, body and spirit. Care goes beyond medication and traditional talk therapy, although integrative psychiatry also utilizes these conventional treatments, especially in the acute phase of treatment.

The idea is to stabilize your symptoms, while continuing to work with you in a holistic way. An integrative psychiatrist listens carefully to your story and creates a personalized treatment plan based on your specific needs. Your treatment plan may incorporate lifestyle changes, motivation coaching, yoga, meditation, nutrition coaching and more, to help you heal, grow, and live your best life.

Additionally, integrative psychiatry emphasizes the deep interconnection between mental health and physical health, taking into consideration the effects of the following: hormones & stress response, inflammation, hormonal imbalances, the gut-brain axis, and nutritional status.

In your initial evaluation, we’ll review your chart, and then we’ll take time to get to know you and hear your story -- not just your acute symptoms, but your whole story. You’ll share the most important things you want to focus on, and where you want to start. The session will end with a personalized plan for your healing: addressing acute symptoms, getting needed lab work, and outlining your long-term healing journey with Dr. Rai, which will include both Eastern and Western modalities.

Yes! Our holistic psychiatrist, Dr. Abhishek Rai, will address acute symptoms with medication as needed, while also creating a plan for your long-term healing and wellness that includes lifestyle modifications and complementary modalities. We also offer ongoing medication management as needed.

Sacred Balance Integrative Health does not accept insurance for services. This is because integrative medicine, which combines conventional medical treatments with complementary and alternative therapies, faces challenges in insurance coverage, for reasons listed below. If you’ve met your deductible, we can provide a superbill that includes billing codes to submit to insurance for reimbursement. You may also use your Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA) to pay for services. Medications and labs are billed separately and are covered by insurance.

All payments are due when services are rendered and it is the client’s responsibility to check with insurance about reimbursement.

Reasons why integrative medicine is often not covered by insurance:

Unique Approach: Unlike conventional medical treatments that have established protocols and guidelines, integrative medicine often involves a variety of complementary therapies that may not have standardized protocols or rigorous scientific evidence supporting their efficacy, making it difficult for insurance companies to determine cost-effectiveness of these treatments.

Cost Considerations: Integrative medicine may involve additional services such as acupuncture, nutritional counseling, massage therapy, or mind-body interventions, which may not be covered by insurance plans or may require out-of-pocket expenses. Insurance companies often prioritize cost-effective treatments with strong evidence of efficacy, leading to limited coverage for integrative therapies.

Reimbursement Models: The reimbursement models used by insurance companies may not align well with the holistic and individualized approach of integrative medicine.Traditional fee-for-service models may not adequately cover the time-intensive consultations, personalized treatment plans, and multidisciplinary care coordination often seen in integrative practices.

Regulatory and Licensing Issues: Integrative medicine involves a range of practitioners from different backgrounds, including medical doctors, naturopathic doctors, acupuncturists, nutritionists, and mind-body therapists. Variations in licensing, certification, and regulation across different therapies and practitioners can create challenges in standardizing care and determining reimbursement criteria.

Despite these challenges, there is growing recognition of the benefits of integrative medicine in improving patient outcomes, reducing healthcare costs, and promoting holistic well-being. Some insurance plans may offer limited coverage or benefits for certain integrative therapies, and advocacy efforts continue to push for greater inclusion of integrative approaches in healthcare coverage.

We do not complete paperwork for short-term or long-term disability patients or in any cases of secondary financial gain for the patient, because it does not align with our vision to serve patients who are proactively taking ownership of their health.