FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

9:00 am – 5:00 pm

714-864-3730

JOINING ANTI-FRAGILITY HEALTH

What is included with my membership plan?

What Is Included:

Doctors visits
Nutritionist / coaching visits
Diagnostic Lab Orders
Online scheduling, payment and invoicing
Personalized Diagnostic Report, Prescription Plan & Lifestyle Schedule on our online portal

In addition to our services, as an Anti-Fragility Health member you’ll have access to:

Unlimited email and messaging access to the Anti-Fragility Health team
Exclusive members-only events
Member benefits and discounts

What Is Not Included:

The cost of laboratory tests. Many lab tests are covered fully or partially by your health insurance plan, however some may not be covered at all, or may require a co-pay.
Medical or non-medical services other than those specified above, such as:
- emergency services
- specialist care
- acupuncture
- fitness classes
Any medications, supplements, vitamins, herbs or foods
Optional membership services or fees associated with provided equipment

Is Anti-Fragility Health covered by insurance?

Medical insurance is not accepted and our office cannot assist you with claim resolution. In addition, Anti-Fragility Health clinicians are not Medicare providers. You will be provided with a billing summary that you can submit to your insurance carrier. Anti-Fragility Health clinicians do not submit their medical notes to insurance companies.

However, your insurance may cover some laboratory tests. We will submit your insurance information to the laboratory company for processing. Be mindful you are financially responsible for any portion that is not covered by your insurance.

Can Anti-Fragility Health be my primary care physician?

While our doctors may replace many of the functions of a Primary Care Physician, we do require that you maintain your primary care doctor for routine screening exams such as pap smears, colonoscopies, prostate exams, etc. and for emergency situations requiring immediate care or hospitalization. Our doctors can confer with your primary care doctor if required. It is important to keep in mind:

We do not fulfill an insurance company’s requirement for an in-network primary care physician.
We are not available for same-day or emergency appointments.
We do not have a 24-hour answering service and do not take calls on weekends. If you need to be seen urgently or have a medical emergency you would need to visit an ER or urgent care center.

How much does an Anti-Fragility Health membership?

For all of our memberships there is a one-time fee of $500 followed by 12 monthly payments depending on the membership that best suits your needs. The monthly payments will not begin until you come in for your 2nd visit.

For Example:

If your 1st visit is June 1st and your 2nd visit is July 15th, your 1st monthly payment will be processed July 15th followed by 11 more monthly payments billed the 15th of each month.

Annual memberships will automatically renew each year. At the end of the year, you may opt out for the following year.

We offer 2 payment options for our memberships:

Monthly
- $900 + 12 monthly payment of $150 = $2,700
Pay in full upfront – 20% savings
- $2,160 upfront payment = $540 savings!

Does Anti-Fragility Health offer one-time consultations?

Yes, our team is here for you if you would like a one-time consultation. However, regular visits with our doctors and counselors as part of the membership is a key aspect to a successful Journey to Anti-Fragility

Does Anti-Fragility Health have specialists?

Anti-Fragility Health will be working with Medical Doctors (MD), Naturopathic Medical Doctors (ND), Genetic Counselors, and Registered Dietitians who will review your Intake Portfolio and test results. In addition, based on your prescription set forth by our Clinical Team, we will be able to refer you to specialists if required.

Is there anything I should do before my first appointment?

Before your first visit, it is important our team is able to review your medical records and lifestyle questionnaire to allow us to provide you the personalized care we pride ourselves on. As this information is critical to your quality of care, a complete Intake Portfolio is required at least 7 days prior to your first visit. Once you sign up, either for a membership or pay as you go visit, we will send you all the forms you need and a detailed explanation to complete the Intake Portfolio and all other requirements.

CURRENT PATIENTS

How do I submit my Intake Portfolio?

When you have completed all of your Intake Portfolio, all of the documents can be returned to our office by fax or email. Please send the information to: clinical_research_team@anti-fragilityhealth.com. Our fax number is (714) 677-4040.

What happens if I need to cancel my visit?

If you need to reschedule or cancel your visit, please do let us know at least 48-hours in advance to avoid any fees. Any visits rescheduled or cancelled within 24 hours will incur a $50 fee. No shows or late cancellation will be charged $100. All fees will be charged through the credit card on file.

How do I cancel or reschedule my visit?

If you need to reschedule or cancel your visit, you must do so at least 24 hours in advance to avoid any fees. You can request by calling our office number at (714) 864-3730.

Can I change the credit card on file for my account?

Yes, please send us an email at patient_experience@anti-fragilityhealth.com letting us know you wish to change your credit card on file and we will send you an email with instructions on how to make this change.

What if I change my mind about my membership?

Cancellation Policy

If you change your mind within 60 days from the day you registered online, you may request a refund.

If your request is made prior to your Initial Health Visit, you will receive a full refund less a non-refundable $150 registration fee.
If your request is made after your Initial Health Visit, you will receive a full refund less a non-refundable $150 registration fee and $500 for the cost of the first visit.
Once you have had your second visit at Anti-Fragility Health (start of your membership), your membership is considered activated and is nonrefundable.

Why? Because the value of membership is to promote commitment. We are not just about a “quick fix”, but a transformation of your life towards health and Anti-Fragility.

If you want to cancel your membership, please email patient_experience@anti-fragilityhealth.com with subject line “Membership Cancellation Request.”

LABS & TESTING

What do I need to know about lab testing?

Most lab tests ordered by an Anti-Fragility Health doctor will be billed directly to your insurance by the lab.
Some lab tests that we offer as part of our personalized lifestyle medicine testing program may not be covered by your insurance. In these cases you will be charged a fee for a particular test by the lab or through Anti-Fragility Health.
The specific tests ordered will be personalized to you based on your initial evaluation with an Anti-Fragility Health doctor and may include blood, saliva, urine or stool testing.
We will make every effort to make you fully aware of any additional lab fees that may be incurred and to give you the opportunity to choose which lab tests you feel comfortable paying for.
You are under no obligation to purchase any specialty testing.
Should any lab results indicate you may need further testing, you have options to continue your care with your primary care physician or a relevant specialist, or continue to work with your Anti-Fragility Health doctor.
At home test kits: If a lab test kit is mailed to you by Anti-Fragility Health, you will be charged for the shipping cost. This is not included in your membership fee.

What types of diagnostic testing does Anti-Fragility Health do?

We offer two categories of testing: initial blood and urine tests and specialty tests.

All specialty tests are optional and a personalized diagnostic testing plan will be recommended by your doctor. The specialty testings include food sensitivity test, toxicity test, gut microbiome test and genetic test.

Is testing included in my membership fee?

The cost of laboratory tests is not included in membership fee. Many lab tests are covered fully or partially by your health insurance plan, however some may not be covered at all, or may require a co-pay.

Will my insurance be accepted for my labs?

We accept almost all insurance other than Kaiser and Medicaid. With Kaiser, we suggest you have your primary care doctor at Kaiser order the tests from our requisition. Otherwise you will have to pay out of pocket. If you do not have insurance, please let us know before taking any tests. Some specialty tests will not be covered by insurance.

How much will my specialty testing cost?

Specialty tests vary in price. We will provide you with an estimate price before you take each test.

Where can I get my blood drawn?

You can get your blood test drawn at Anti-Fragility Health office. We will send the samples to the lab test providers.

Do I need to fast before I get my blood drawn?

Fasting before a blood draw means you don’t eat or drink anything except water. Fasting for a lab test typically lasts eight hours. Your doctor will give you special instructions related to your tests, including fasting requirements. Always follow her or his instructions.

Why would you consider sequencing your genome?

Your genome is your genetic blueprint. It can help you make better decisions about your health, today and in the future. You will find out what you may have inherited from Mom or Dad and what you may pass on. You will get useful information, like potential disease risks & recommendations for lifestyle adjustments — such as changes to your diet.

DURING YOUR VISIT

What are healthy dining options while I am near the office?

1. Healthy Junk

Cheery vegan cafe with a hip vibe dishing out a big menu of health-conscious & gluten-free options.

Address: 201 W Center Street Promenade B, Anaheim, CA 92805

Hours: 10AM – 9PM

Phone: (714) 772-5865

2. Poke Bowl Factory

Casual counter-serve eatery specializing in customizable Hawaiian poke bowls, plus salads & nachos.

140 W Center Street Promenade, Anaheim, CA 92805

Hours: 11:30 AM -9PM

Phone (657) 230-9060

3. Anaheim Packing House

Upscale food court with local vendors & bars in a renovated, historic 1919 citrus-packing house.

Address: 440 S Anaheim Blvd, Anaheim, CA 92805

Hours: 9AM – 10PM

Phone: (714) 533-7225

4. Green Bliss – The Cafe

In mod surrounds, this vegetarian cafe & coffeehouse offers up locally sourced American fare.

Address: 305 N Harbor Blvd #103, Fullerton, CA 92832

Hours: 8AM – 4PM

Phone: (714) 773-0018

5. Green Tomato Grill

Informal stop for health-focused fare such as rice bowls & wraps, with vegan & gluten-free options.

Address: 1419 N Tustin St, Orange, CA 92867

Hours: 8AM – 9PM

Phone: (714) 532-1220

What is the link to MyBiomarkers portal?

https://portal.mybiomarkers.com/

What if I forgot my username or password for MyBiomarkers portal?

Go to https://portal.mybiomarkers.com/ , and click Forgot my Username/ Password. Follow the instructions on the page. If you are still having trouble, please give us a call at (714) 864-3730

When are you open?

We are open Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm.

GLOSSARY

Biomarkers

A substance used as an indicator of a biological state. Such characteristics are objectively measured and evaluated as indicators of normal biological processes, pathogenic processes, or pharmacologic responses to a therapeutic intervention. Examples of cancer biomarkers include prostate specific antigen (PSA) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA).

ChronicCare Model

A care model developed by Wagner and colleagues, the primary focus of which is to include the essential elements of a healthcare system that encourage high-quality chronic disease care. Such elements include the community, the health system, self-management support, delivery system design, decision support, and clinical information systems. It is a response to powerful evidence that patients with chronic conditions often do not obtain the care they need, and that the healthcare system is not currently structured to facilitate such care.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)

A group of diverse medical and healthcare systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional, mainstream medicine. The list of what is considered to be CAM changes frequently, as therapies demonstrated to be safe and effective are adopted by conventional practitioners, and as new approaches to healthcare emerge. Complementary medicine is used with conventional medicine, not as a substitute for it. Alternative medicine is used in place of conventional medicine. Functional Medicine is neither complementary nor alternative medicine; it is an approach to medicine that focuses on identifying and ameliorating the underlying causes of disease; it can be used by all practitioners with a Western medical science background and is compatible with both conventional and CAM methods.

CORE

A mnemonic given to patients to help them take ownership and engage in their healing plan. The mnemonic is a framework to help patients do the following:

Commit to making lifestyle changes that are compatible with their overall health goals (e.g., commit to engaging in physical activity three times per week).
Omit from lifestyle any habits or behaviors that are making it difficult to meet health goals (e.g., omit smoking from the daily routine).
Reduce habits or behaviors that do not align with the health goals identified in partnership with the physician. Some of these habits or behaviors may need to be omitted or eliminated slowly over time (e.g., reduce the intake of carbonated beverages with added sugar from three times per day to once per day; once the patient is comfortable with that level of reduction, reevaluate and assess the need for further reduction).
Eliminate from the diet and environment any foods or substances that may be contributing to negative health symptoms (e.g., undergo an elimination diet to identify any foods that may be triggering GI upset).

Dysbiosis

A condition that occurs when the normal symbiosis between gut flora and the host is disturbed, and organisms of low intrinsic virulence, which normally coexist peacefully with the host, may promote illness. It is distinct from gastrointestinal infection, in which a highly virulent organism gains access to the gastrointestinal tract and infects the host.

Epigenetics

The study of changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression rather than alteration of the genetic code itself (i.e. a change in phenotype, not in genotype). Epigenetic modifications may occur in response to several factors, including aging, stress, lifestyle, environment, nutrition, and overall health status. Some of the most common mechanisms by which these factors can affect change to gene expression include histone modification and DNA methylation.

Functional Medicine

An approach to medicine that addresses the underlying causes of disease using a systems-oriented, individualized approach, which engages both patient and practitioner in a therapeutic partnership. It reflects a personalized lifestyle medicine approach, and utilizes the Functional Medicine Timeline and Functional Medicine Matrix to help organize the patient’s story and determine appropriate interventions for the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases.

Functional Nutrition Fundamentals

The key foundational aspects related to eating a healthy diet and making positive choices. Our relationship to food is multidimensional, and our choices are impacted by many conscious and unconscious desires. The Functional Nutrition Fundamentals consist of four main ideas about food and nutrition:

Food is energy. At the most basic level, food is a fuel source necessary for the body to function.
Food is information. Byproducts of food convey messages and assist with various processes within the body (e.g., metabolism, cell signaling, detoxification, etc.).
Food is connection. Food brings people together, often serving as a central focus of social gatherings and celebratory events. Additionally, both pleasant and unpleasant memories often incorporate the smell, taste, and texture of foods. The reasons behind food choices, cravings, and aversions aren’t always logical or rational, and these reasons can often be tied back to the connections we have to food.
Food is medicine. We are what we eat. Choosing nutrient-dense foods that send signals to the body for positive gene expression is a key component of optimal health. Foods and food behaviors influence the body and can contribute to underlying causes of disease, and these factors can be adjusted to move an individual toward their greatest state of health and healing.

Genomics

The study of the whole genome of organisms, including interactions between loci and alleles within the genome. Research on single genes does not fall into the definition of genomics, unless the aim of this functional information analysis is to explain the gene’s effect on the entire genome network. Genomics may also be defined as the study of all of a cell or tissue’s genes at the DNA (genotype), mRNA (transcriptome), or protein (proteome) levels.

Integrative Medicine

Medicine that combines treatments from conventional medicine and those from CAM, for which there is high-quality evidence of safety and effectiveness. In a broader sense, integrative medicine is healing-oriented medicine that takes into account the whole person (body, mind, and spirit), including all aspects of lifestyle, and makes use of all appropriate therapies, both conventional and alternative. The field is the only one of the emerging models to explicitly encompass the integration of therapeutics that, until recently, were the sole purview of CAM. Note that Functional Medicine is different from integrative medicine because Functional Medicine emphasizes the evaluation of underlying causes of health and dysfunction, and organizes assessment and treatment using the Functional Medicine Matrix, the Functional Medicine Timeline, and the GO TO IT heuristic.

Lifestyle Medicine

The use of lifestyle interventions to lower the risk for the approximately 70% of modern health problems that are lifestyle-related chronic conditions (e.g., type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, etc.), or for the treatment and management of disease if such conditions are already present. This includes lifestyle interventions such as nutrition counseling, physical activity, stress reduction, and rest. Lifestyle medicine is an essential component of the treatment of most chronic diseases and has been incorporated in many national disease management guidelines.

Modifiable Lifestyle Factors

Health-promoting lifestyle factors that include:

Sleep and relaxation: getting adequate sleep and making time for meaningful relaxation
Exercise and movement: participating in physical activity that is age-appropriate and that can be performed within the parameters of an individual’s health status
Nutrition: maintaining adequate hydration, and eating a diet that is age-appropriate and complementary to genetic background, health conditions, and environment
Stress: reducing overall stress levels and effectively managing existing stress
Relationships: developing and maintaining healthy relationships and social networks, while reducing the impact of noxious relationships These appear along the bottom of the Functional Medicine Matrix. Clinicians and their patients can co-develop an individualized plan for addressing these issues.

Nutrigenomics (Nutritional Genomics)

The study of how different foods may interact with specific genes to increase the risk of common chronic conditions, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers. It can also be described as the study of the influence of genetic variation on nutrition by correlating gene expression or single nucleotide polymorphisms with a nutrient’s absorption, metabolism, elimination, or biological effects. Nutrigenomics also seeks to provide a molecular understanding of how common chemicals in the diet affect health by altering the expression of genes and the structure of an individual’s genome. The ultimate aim of nutrigenomics is to develop rational means to optimize nutrition for the patient’s genotype.

Patient-Centered Car

Care that is centered on the goals of the patient. This type of care requires the involvement and collaboration of both patient and doctor in working towards health goals. The patient plays an active role in their healthcare, with the underlying goal of promoting optimal health and vitality, rather than simply working toward the absence of disease.

Personalized Medicine (Individualized Medicine)

Medicine that treats each patient as a unique individual and takes into account the totality of personal history, family history, environment and lifestyle, physical presentation, genetic background, and components of mind, body, and spirit. Interventions are tailored to each patient and adjusted based on the patient’s individualized response. This term can also describe the effort to define and strengthen the art of individualizing healthcare by integrating the interpretation of patient data (medical history, family history, signs, and symptoms) with emerging “–omic” technologies like nutrigenomics, pharmacogenomics, proteomics, and metabolomics.

Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP)

A DNA sequence variation occurring when a single nucleotide—A, T, C, or G—in the genome differs between members of a species or between paired chromosomes in an individual. Almost all common SNPs (pronounced “snips”) have only two alleles. These genetic variations underlie differences in our susceptibility to, or protection from, several diseases. Variations in the DNA sequences of humans can affect how humans develop diseases. For example, a single base difference in the genes coding for apolipoprotein E is associated with a higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease. SNPs are also manifestations of genetic variations in the severity of illness, the way our body responds to treatments, and the individual response to pathogens, chemicals, drugs, vaccines, and other agents. They are thought to be key factors in applying the concept of personalized medicine.

Personalized Nutrition Plan

A customized nutrition plan that addresses and takes into account the findings from the Functional Nutrition Evaluation in order to reestablish health in an individual.

Phenotype

Observable traits of an organism resulting from the expression of genes influenced by environmental factors.