Ok, so what is this program exactly?

You deserve to have the energy to show up for your life. In my experience, a real transformation in the level of your health and vitality is best supported by regular, personal care with a provider you trust. It means engaging all aspects of your being—physical, emotional and spiritual—in decision-making and creative solutions. In practice, that looks like:

A Comprehensive Intake - You’ll begin your health journey by meeting with me for a thorough 60-minute intake on your overall health. We’ll discuss your well-being in all areas, with a focus on creating health strategies that work in your life. For all medical concerns, we’ll discuss potential avenues for treatment. That includes both conventional and holistic medicine, from lifestyle change to herbal and supplement therapy, from cutting edge therapies to prescription medication. My goal is always to assist you in healing from within, and to limit the number of supplements or medications that you need to take.

Follow-Up and Ongoing Care: With your membership, you also receive two 30-minute follow-up visits annually, to review subsequent testing, refine strategies, and track your transformation. You can schedule as many additional follow-up visits as you like for an additional fee.

An Expert Health Strategist: In addition to the comprehensive care you’ll receive directly from me, I’ll also serve as the “quarterback” of your healthcare team (including acupuncturists, chiropractors, and specialists). As the team quarterback, I’ll review recommendations from other practitioners and help you decide what’s worth your time and money. I can also help you find specialists or treatment options that you weren’t aware of. You’ll still need to have a primary care physician for emergencies, routine medication refills, and routine health screening. I’llwork with you and your primary care doctor on any health needs that arise.

I believe groups are where transformation takes place. Besides my medical practice, I have decades of experience in teaching groups, including leading many retreats at Esalen. I’ve seen that when people drop into a safe container of trust, something magical happens. Group work offers an opening that can cause big leaps in wellness and transformation.

But don’t just take my word for it: Working in groups is the medicine of the future. A recent paper by the National Academy of Medicine on Whole Health recommends a new model of patient care for major medical providers. Essential to this medical model of the future? Group medical visits.

The format

You will be invited to monthly 90-minute Zoom medical and coaching sessions covering the most important health topics. We will begin each session with an informational talk and then Dr. Rachel will answer questions from the group and facilitate a discussion. By discovering how we face many similar health challenges, we can learn from others and heal together. Participation in the group session is voluntary, though highly recommended. The initial teachings in each Zoom meeting will be recorded for future listening by members who cannot make the group sessions or prefer not to participate. A group discussion platform is available to members only, for ongoing mutual support.

If you bill your insurance, these can be billed as medical appointments. (See: Can I bill my insurance?)

Topics for our community sessions will depend on the interests of the group but may likely include:

Optimal eating and nutrition

Movement, exercise and joyful physical expression

Restorative sleep

Healthy sexuality and how to stay sexually alive throughout our lifetimes

The central importance of digestion and gut health

Integrative approaches to anxiety and depression

The How-To’s of an Integrative approach to Chronic illnesses, such as High Blood Pressure; Allergy, Asthma and Lung disease; Arthritis, Chronic Fatigue; Fibromyalgia; Long-COVID; Chronic Pain; Autoimmune diseases—as are relevant for our group

Cutting edge prevention and treatment of

Cardiovascular disease

Cancer

Diabetes

Dementia

Healthy relationships, including marriage/committed partnerships, parenting and friendship

Ketamine and other psychedelics as therapeutic agents of change

Nature as healer

Wearable health trackers for sleep, blood sugar, heart rate variability, etc (We can explore the use of these together and follow up on what we have learned!)

Often, we know what we need to do to be healthy, but each of us has blocks (both structural and psychological) that prevent us from actually doing it. We have psychological blocks for reasons that we may or may not understand. Psychedelic medicine, such as ketamine, can be extremely helpful in facilitating the identification of our psychological blocks and helping us to create new patterns of thinking or feeling that help us have greater clarity and make different choices in our lives.

Ketamine has been used medically since 1970. Ketamine is currently being used as a research-proven treatment for treatment-resistant depression and anxiety, as well as chronic pain. Ketamine is used similarly to the psychedelics currently in phase III trials, such as MDMA and psilocybin (magic mushrooms).

It’s given in personalized doses under physician supervision to safely alter consciousness and promote healing. It can help shift recurrent brain patterns that perpetuate worry, anxiety, guilt, shame and sadness. For many people, 1-5 sessions can significantly change the perception of issues that have been stuck. This aspect of the program is a completely optional extra investment, only for interested patients.

The Format

For the greatest benefit to patients, ketamine sessions are offered as a package of treatment that protects, surrounds and expands the efficacy of the ketamine experience. A ketamine treatment consists of:

1 hour preparation and screening visit for first time users (30 minutes for repeat sessions).

3-4 hour in-person ketamine session, including integration counseling.

1 hour integration session, within 1-2 days following the ketamine session (can be virtual or in-person).

First ketamine session with Dr. Rachel: $2500

Follow up ketamine sessions with Dr. Rachel: $2000

Please note: I am providing ketamine sessions as a wellness and personal transformation tool, in contrast to its other established uses for treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). There are other psychiatric providers better equipped to provide care for severe mental illness, and I can make referrals if this is necessary.