Mold (Biotoxin Illness) Treatment in Ann Arbor, MI

The program to become a new patient includes:

1. Phone - "Meet and Greet" Session with Dr. Boggess (30 min): Prior to this appointment with Dr. Boggess, you’ll be asked to watch our introductory videos but you will not have completed our online New Patient Questionnaire. The purpose of this meeting is to briefly tell Dr. Boggess about your health concerns and hear his initial thoughts about your case. We are confident that once you speak with Dr. Boggess you will be sold on our approach! However, if for some reason you decide you don't want to proceed with our clinic, you may cancel the remaining of the New Patient Bundle, and will only be charged for this consultation ($225).
2. Phone intake with Dr. Soorya (50 min): At this point you will have filled up all our new patient paperwork. During this appointment we will do a complete medical history and will “hear your story,” as well as get you started on initial labs (some labs can take up to 8 weeks to get the results).
3. Videoconference with one of our doctors - One on One teaching session (60 min): At Natural Balance, we have a passion for empowering patients with insights and understanding. During this session, he/she will be sharing their insights about your case. The doctor will also be covering cutting edge theories about genomics, precision medicine, and teach you how our testing and tools will help us figure out your medical puzzle.
4 Lab-Kits video conference with Leslie, our Health Care Educator (30 min): Many of the diagnostic test we order have very specific instructions for collection as well as instructions required for insurance coverage. Therefore we set aside dedicated time to answer all your questions and assist you with collecting your specimens and submitting your paperwork in a timely and efficient manner.
5. Brainwave, EEG Assessment and basic session (30 min): Our Brain Health Center is well-known for assessing and treating brain- and mood-related conditions from a holistic perspective. We use HIRREM (High-resolution, relational, resonance-based, electroencephalic mirroring) to look at the brain’s electrical activity. This study allows us to evaluate the brain’s ability to relax and balance and helps to determine if you are a candidate for certain protocols we offer early on in the treatment process with our clinic.
6. In-person office visit with Dr. Soorya (60 min): This visit includes a phase angle test and a complete physical exam. We will perform a VCS test, as well as Marcons swab (you will mail this sample yourself, along with an $85 payment to the lab directly). If we draw blood at this visit there is a $45 additional fee. Your lab review will take place about 6-8 weeks after you have submitted your tests (see details below).
7. Dietary, Emotional, Lifestyle Assessment with our Registered Dietician (120 min): At Natural Balance, we offer an interdisciplinary team approach to our patients. After your physical exam, you will be meeting our register dietitian for pertinent lifestyle and dietary instructions as per your individual needs, and overall health concerns. We also take time to assess your emotional status as a way to treat the whole person. The visit can be either in-person or via videoconference as per your preference and local.
8. (2) Additional phone meetings with Leslie (30 min ea.): These meeting are intended to reiterate information reviewed during your initial visits and lab reviews and will serve to assist you with getting the most out of your treatment plans with Dr. Boggess and Dr. Soorya.

You will meet with Dr. Soorya for a complete CIRS assessment using Dr. Shoemaker's testing protocols. The program to get started with our clinic includes 2 appointments as follow:
1. Phone appointment-Chart Review and History (60 min)- Prior to this appointment you will have completed all the paperwork. This consultation is for the doctor to review your case and order the appropriate testing.
2. In person office visit - Physical exam (60 min) - We will be evaluating you for things specially related to mold exposure. We will perform a VCS test, as well as Marcons swab (you will mail this sample yourself, along with an $85 payment to the lab directly). If we draw blood at this visit, there will be a $45 additional fee.

Your lab review will take place about 6-8 weeks after you have submitted your tests (see details below).

Once you have completed the New Patient Process, you will be ready to review the results in about 6 to 8 weeks. If you have enrolled in the "Biotoxin Assessment Program", you will meet with our doctor for 1 to 2 hours to review your labs. The doctor will assess if there are some basic treatments we need to do to stabilize your body before creating the referral to Dr. Berry for Biotoxin treatment.

If you have enrolled in our "Precision/Biotoxin Program", the one-on-one Lab Review sessions typically take 2 to 4 hours in total, over the course of 1 to 3 visits, depending on the complexity of the situation and how many labs are being reviewed.  Our doctors and clinical team will be teaching you how to interpret your labs and genetics. The results will be fully summarized, and dictated, and you will be given a copy of all our reports and impressions. They will also develop, in partnership with you, a fully outlined treatment plan, including logical ordering of protocols, estimated time frames, etc. By the time you have finished your Lab Review session(s), you will have a full understanding of your labs, genetic predispositions, current state of health, and the treatment process that lies ahead, including at what point we will want you to work with Dr. Berry on Biotoxin specific/Shoemaker protocols. Consultations with Dr. Berry can be made at any point, specially if you need coaching getting out of your moldy environment.

The lab visits are billed hourly, at $450/hr, prorated to the length of time spent with the doctor.

Please watch this abbreviated video of Dr. Boggess with a patient during a one-on-one Lab Review to better understand the value of our "Precision/Biotoxin" Process.

If we diagnose you with Biotoxin Illness, we will refer you Dr. Berry for a full of comprehensive overview of Dr. Shoemakers multi step process, steps for remediation, further identification of hidden sources of continued exposure, and further testing if needed. Dr. Berry is currently seeing patients via videoconference only. Our videoconferencing tool makes the experience incredibly user friendly and convenient. With this tool, Dr. Berry can share her screen with you, and go through your lab results, treatment plan, etc. All appointments with Dr. Berry are billed at $450/hr, prorated to the length of time spent with the doctor. The first appointment is typically 2 hrs.

After completing the Lab Review process, the time frame and hourly rates switch to our standard follow-up fee schedule (please see below), and are generally 20-30 minutes every 3-12 weeks, depending on the situation.

We follow-up frequently because your condition and the recovery process are dynamic and changing, so our treatment approach has to be equally dynamic and changing. The same approach that is ideal for you in the beginning may be harmful 3-6 months later. Likewise, too much nutritional supplementation for too long can be equally or even more harmful than the original deficiencies being treated. Therefore, we work intensively, follow up closely, and adjust our protocols carefully and frequently in partnership with our patients.

Once your are working with Dr. Berry for specific CIRS treatment, we ask you to follow up every 6 to 8 weeks, with the appointments lasting between 60 to 90 minutes.

Our clinic works closely with our Precision/Biotoxin  patients for approximately 1 to 3 years, depending on the complexity of the situation. You will receive a written summary of all labs and suggested protocols at the completion of all one-on-one Lab Review sessions, as well as estimated time frame to accomplish our treatment goals.

Our job is to rehabilitate your health and return you to “natural balance.” Hence, the nutraceuticals/supplements we prescribe are not meant to be taken long term. They are given in an aggressive YET careful, systematic way for a predetermined timeframe before moving to other protocols. In other words, the order in which things are rehabilitated, and the degree to which a reliable foundation is laid, is the key to our success.

From a CIRS perspective, there is no known cure for it at this moment. The treatments with Dr. Berry are aimed to make your condition stable and help you to manage it in the future. Typically, the active treatment phase could last anywhere between one year to a few years, depending on the severity of your own condition. Once the active treatment phase is over, patients will come back to see us about once a year for retesting. This is one more reason why we urge patients to enroll in the Precision/Biotoxin Program first. Once your body is in a stronger, more optimal condition, your body will have the capability to endure future environmental stressors.

Step 1 of the treatment is an assessment for possible water damage with mold testing, as well as any remediation of your home, school, and work environment; this can be done while awaiting lab test results.

Step 2 of the protocol (with the use of toxin-resin binders) can be done while patients are working to remove the biotoxin exposure in their environment. However, please be aware that no further steps in the protocol can be done until the patient is in a “safe” environment.

Active treatment of CIRS requires retesting about every 2 months at St. Joe’s Reichert Health Center in Ann Arbor and LabCorp laboratories (two separate locations). Dr. Berry has meticulously worked in concert with St. Joe’s hospital to establish many of the specialty CIRS lab tests.

For patients who have a suitable Quest lab near them, there are some labs that can be drawn there, as well. However, Quest has stopped running several of the key CIRS labs, so Dr. Berry has switched to using St. Joe’s Reichert Health Center and LabCorp for now. It is unfortunate that it requires 2 separate lab locations to accomplish the proper testing, but at this point it is out of necessity.

We do not get involved in litigation, depositions, workman’s compensation claims, medical disability claims, or writing for any work restrictions. Therefore, if you are seeking medico-legal support, our office will not be able to assist you but can refer you to an out-of-state Surviving Mold physician who does offer such services. We are more than happy to continue to treat you from a medical perspective.

Natural Balance Wellness Medical Center is out-of-network for ALL insurances. We are happy to provide you with an itemized superbill for every encounter with the appropriate codes to submit to your insurance for reimbursement to you directly. However, please understand that we have literally given up trying to figure out the whims of insurance and cannot guarantee you will be reimbursed. For your reference, we have included the codes and pricing we use for the New Patient Bundle and follow-up visits, phone consults, etc. to assist you with checking with your insurance company ahead of time if you wish.

A Note Regarding Visits: The times below for follow-up visits include preparation and post-counseling with the nurse or clinical assistant, as well as direct collaboration with our physicians or clinicians.

The program includes all the items listed on this page.  The super bill will have the following codes.

Please note, the above New Patient Programs DO NOT include any Testing, or Visits to Review Labs.

The following price list will apply to any Lab Review visits or Fallow ups.

Once you are working with Dr. Berry on CIRS treatment: All  appointments are billed at $450/hr, prorated to length of time spent with the doctor

The following CIRS tests are NOT covered by any insurances (prices noted):

• VCS test in-office: $18
• API-Staph Nasal Culture for MARCoNS Test: $85, results in 2 weeks
• ERMI: $300, results in 5 business days (price subject to change)
• HERTSMI-2: $155, results in 5 business days (price subject to change)

Pricing for blood testing is not directly available through Natural Balance for LabCorp and St. Joe’s labs due to fluctuations in the pricing that are outside of our control, as well as the unpredictability if insurance will cover your testing.

Please note: The Shoemaker Protocol calls for using specific laboratories based on Dr. Shoemaker’s research. This includes the specific laboratories used for ERMI/HERSTMI-2 testing, blood draws, VCS testing, and nasal cultures. In particular, Dr. Shoemaker has seen erroneous results when other laboratories were used. Therefore, it is imperative that patients use the laboratories at the specific locations our clinic recommends. Reference: www.survivingmold.com

Billing Process: As a medical center, it is our sincere intention that your visit be recognized by insurance AND qualify for reimbursement based on your out-of-network benefits. Our clinic’s ability to provide superbills for your visit and utilize insurance for testing is why we are able to save patients thousands of dollars compared to other practices run by limited license clinicians such as chiropractors, naturopathic doctors, acupuncturists, etc. That said, we are unable to guarantee that your insurance will reimburse your visits, nor can we project how much reimbursement you might receive.