Our Intensive Program (formerly “Comprehensive Program”) serves both adults and children who are dealing with Chronic Illness. Regardless of the length or severity of the health problem, this intensive program seeks to restore patients to better health so that they can go on to live healthier and more abundant lives.
Whether child or adult, we begin the patient’s treatment by delving deeply into their family medical history, early life story, and their history of experiences and exposures.
After a thorough and detailed physical exam, we then use advanced testing to uncover the root causes of their Chronic Illness. With these answers gathered, we work with the patient to not only understand the “whys” of their illness, but also the “hows” of overcoming it.
The “hows” of this treatment program include our guidance through lifestyle changes, though the needed environmental modifications, and through nutritional supplementation. We seek to restore the patient to wholeness by approaching the patient’s illness as a dysfunction between many related systems, rather than as a set of isolated, unrelated symptoms.
We, at Sanctuary, are pleased to offer both in-person and distance healthcare. Patients traveling from a distance are seen once a year, and then Dr. Potter orders their lab work and their therapies so it can be performed in their home state. After an initial office visit, further care may be accessed through a secure video forum or by phone appointments.
Dr. Potter, IFMCP MD, is licensed in Tennessee; Kentucky, Virginia, and Minnesota but our initial in-person visit allows ongoing care in all states.
How the Intensive Program Works … i.e. the nuts and bolts
The hallmark of the functional medicine approach is to understand the underlying factors of a patient’s health. We do this by taking to time understand every aspect of a patient’s health story in an Intensive Program.
The Intensive Program includes:
The initial 90 minute intake history and physical, evaluating your medical and family history along with other key factors impacting your health, such as your lifestyle, genetics, nutrition, emotions, spirit and healthcare preferences. One of our nurse practitioners gathers the information and immediately collaborates with Dr. Potter to formulate your unique testing plan. Together the nurse practitioner and Dr. Potter explain the evaluation plan face to face before the nursing team comes in to walk you through the process.
In addition to the standard lab work, your health challenges will likely require advanced testing. Therefore, we also utilize a variety of specialty labs to dig into the root causes of your illness. These include:
- OATS testing – Organic Acid Testing
- Methylation Cycle Panels
- Diagnostic Genetic Testing and Interpretation Services
- Full Thyroid Panels
- Food Sensitivity
- Autoimmune Panels
- Allergy Testing
- Mold Toxicity Testing
- Adrenal Fatigue Testing
- Hormone Panels
- Advanced Cholesterol Panels
- Vitamin / Mineral Testing
- Energy Cycle Testing
- Organic Toxin Testing
- Lyme Testing
- Lyme Co-Infection Testing
- Nutritional Evaluations
- Heavy Metal Testing
Dr. Potter walks you through testing results from beginning to end and presents your personalized health restoration plan in Two Case Review Visits. The first covers the important findings of initial testing. The second finishes explanations and covers any additional testing ordered at the first Case Review Visit. At the end of this stage, you walk away with your restoration plan to review and implement.
As part of your implementation, one to two weeks later, your nurse practitioner guide meets with you for 25 minutes to review a detailed supplement spreadsheet and answer implementation questions. The nutritionist also comes alongside you in implementing dietary changes with another visit by telemedicine.
The program then provides 2 prolonged follow up visits spaced over every ten to twelve weeks and two shorter visits for acute needs and surprises. During each of these visits your nurse practitioner and Dr. Potter address progress and any adjustments to your protocol.
Beyond those visits, you can also access your care team for quick questions that do not require a full visit. Small adjustments made during these interactions keep you moving forward in your recovery.
Given the complexity of our patient’s cases, we ask for this nine to ten month commitment as we know the deeper restoration you want requires time. Should you need longer term therapy, we can discuss transitioning to the Bridge Program. When you have completed active therapy you graduate to the ongoing Empowered Life Program.
A Word from Dr. Potter
We approach every patient regardless of presenting symptoms with the same care and functional root cause approach, seeking to connect with them and help restore the whole person with the best of natural and conventional medicine. Because of these habits of excellence, we see people return to the healthier, more abundant life that God offers them.
Dr. Eric Potter
IFM Certified MD
