FAQ

Are you accepting new patients?

Yes!

Dr. Claire Michelson specializes in:

• Holistic mental health care for children and teens
• Adolescent health (hormone issues, behavior challenges, school concerns, and so much more)
• Holistic Pelvic Care™
• Reproductive/hormone health
• Family medicine, including primary care for all ages

Dr. Eva Wilson specializes in:

• Pediatric primary care, especially newborn care
• Women’s health, including hormonal health
• Infertility
• Postpartum health
• Holistic mental health care for women
• Family medicine, including primary care for all ages

Dr. Erika Krumbeck specializes in:

• Holistic mental health care for neurodivergent children, especially children with ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, PDA, and sensory problems
• Infertility
• Postpartum health
• Primary care pediatrics

Dr. Krumbeck is accepting a limited number of infertility and mental health patients at this time.  Please call (406) 552-1717 to be placed on her waiting list, or schedule with another provider at Montana Whole Health.

Do you take insurance?

The doctors at Montana Whole Health are in-network providers for Aetna, Allegiance, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Missoula County, Pacific Source, and Mountain Health Co-op. Dr. Krumbeck is an in-network provider for United Healthcare.  However, some plans specifically exclude naturopathic coverage. Remember that you are responsible for confirming that your plan covers naturopathic physicians.  We are considered an out-of-network provider for other insurers.  However, some companies extend their out-of-network coverage to naturopathic physicians.  Please double check with your insurance company before coming for a first office visit.

We are happy to bill your insurance for you.  You may also use your health savings account to pay for visits, copayments or supplements.  Check with your insurer to determine eligibility and benefits. It is the patient’s responsibility to pay any amount that their insurer denies. Verify Your Insurance Benefits

Unfortunately naturopathic physicians are not included in Medicare or Medicaid health plans, including CHIP (Healthy Montana Kids). We would like to clearly state that this is not our choice, but due to the fact that naturopathic physicians are excluded from these programs.

What are your fees?

For a full list of costs and what to expect please see our page Fees.

Is naturopathic care right for me (or my child)?

Naturopathic medicine tends to be a great fit if any of these sound familiar:

• You’ve been told everything looks normal, but something still feels off
• You’re looking for answers, not just symptom management
• You want more time with your doctor and a care plan that’s built around your specific situation
• You’re interested in natural therapies but want someone with real medical training guiding the process
• You’ve tried conventional treatments and haven’t gotten the results you hoped for
• You want a partner in your child’s health, not just someone to see when things go wrong

That said, we’re not the right fit for everyone, and we’d rather tell you that upfront than waste your time. If you’re unsure, our free 15-minute phone consultation is the best way to find out.

What can I expect?

Your first visit at Montana Whole Health will probably feel different from what you’re used to. Plan on spending 45–60 minutes with your doctor — enough time to actually talk. We want to hear the full story: what’s going on, how long it’s been happening, what you’ve already tried, and what a typical day looks like for you or your child. We also do a thorough but gentle physical exam at the first visit. For little ones, the exam can be done right in Mom or Dad’s lap.

We’ll review any previous labs, imaging, or records from other providers, check medications and supplements for interactions, and order additional testing if needed. By the end of the visit, you’ll have the first phase of a treatment plan in hand.

Your doctor’s work doesn’t end there.  Between the first and second visit (typically 2-8 weeks) the doctor will carefully review your case, do additional research and consult with previously seen doctors, if necessary.  Montana Whole Health physicians work tirelessly to put all the pieces of the puzzle together so you can have truly individualized care.  After all of this your physician will develop the second phase of a treatment plan that encompasses all of your or your child’s health needs.

The second visit includes discussion of the treatment plan, the results of labs or research, and time for answering questions.

Follow-up visits are 30 minutes and are scheduled based on what you or your child actually needs. Some patients are seen weekly — particularly when starting a new psychiatric medication, where more frequent check-ins help us monitor how things are going and make adjustments safely. Others are seen monthly while we fine-tune a treatment plan. And some patients only need a handful of visits to get where they need to be. We’ll always let you know what we recommend and why, and we’ll adjust the schedule as your health changes.

What conditions do you treat?

The honest answer is that we treat people, not diagnoses. Rather than matching a condition to a protocol, we build a picture of the whole person — their history, their labs, their diet, their environment, their genetics — and treat from there. Two children with the same diagnosis may leave with very different treatment plans, because they’re different people with different underlying factors driving the same symptoms.

That said, some of the most common reasons patients come to us include: anxiety, depression, ADHD and behavioral concerns, chronic gut problems, autoimmune conditions, fatigue, hormonal issues, infertility, postpartum health, and recurrent infections in children. For a fuller picture, see our pages for Children, Teens, Adults, Infertility, and Postpartum Care.

Can you prescribe medication?

Yes — and we’re glad you asked, because this surprises a lot of people.

Naturopathic physicians in Montana are licensed to prescribe most medications, with the exception of opiates and a few other scheduled substances.

That said, our first instinct is always to ask why — why is this happening, and what does the body need to heal? We reach for natural therapies first when it’s safe and appropriate to do so: nutrition, botanical medicine, targeted supplementation, and lifestyle changes. These tools are often remarkably effective, and we’re committed to using the least invasive approach that will genuinely work.

But we’re not ideologically opposed to medication — not even a little. Sometimes a prescription is exactly the right tool, and when it is, we won’t hesitate. Your child’s wellbeing always comes first.

On psychiatric medications: we prescribe and manage many of them, including medications for anxiety, depression, and non-stimulant ADHD treatments. We are happy to continue refilling stimulant medications (like Adderall or Ritalin) for established patients, but we do not initiate new stimulant prescriptions; if your child needs a new stimulant evaluation, we’ll refer you to the right provider. For antipsychotic medications, we defer to psychiatrists — that’s a specialized area of prescribing that benefits from psychiatric expertise, and we’ll help coordinate that care.

On antibiotics: we take a thoughtful, evidence-based approach. The evidence shows that many common infections (ear infections, upper respiratory illnesses, most sore throats) resolve on their own. We find that most respond exceptionally well to naturopathic support. Overprescribing antibiotics contributes to resistance and can disrupt your child’s gut microbiome in ways that have real downstream health effects. When antibiotics are genuinely needed, we prescribe them without hesitation. When they’re not, we’ll tell you honestly and give you tools to support recovery naturally.

Do you offer lab testing?

Yes.  For most patients we perform conventional bloodwork.  This may include screening labs like cholesterol, a complete blood count, a comprehensive metabolic panel, and a brief thyroid screen.  This is the bare minimum we recommend for all  our patients annually.  We strongly believe that all pediatric patients should be screened for celiac disease, vitamin D deficiency, iron deficiency and lead toxicity at least once in their lifetime.  For many patients we recommend additional thyroid workup, women’s hormones (timed according to the menstrual cycle), markers of inflammation, screening for autoimmune diseases, and vitamin levels like B12, folate and vitamin D.  All labwork is selected based on the patient’s symptoms and the full picture of their health.

We also offer specialty lab tests with U.S. Biotek, RealTime Labs, Center For SIBO Testing, Genova Diagnostics, Mosaic Diagnostics and others.  We perform food allergy and sensitivity testing, including IgE and IgG testing for patients with allergic diseases, irritable bowel syndrome and migraines.  We order Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth breath tests for patients with suspected SIBO and IBS. We offer comprehensive digestive stool analysis for patients with unexplained failure to thrive, abdominal pain, gas and indigestion, and more.  These stool specimens give detailed information on the microbiome, the body’s ability to digest fats and proteins, a screen for inflammatory bowel disease, and a full parasite test.  We also use urinary organic acid testing for patients with ADHD, autism and other neuropsychiatric conditions.  Organic acids testing shows urinary metabolites of neurotransmitters, citric acid cycle products (giving an overview of mitochondrial function), and much more. Urinary mycotoxin testing, toxic element testing, and EnviroTox testing give us information about exposure to mold, heavy metals, petroleum products and more.  These tests can give us more insight into environmental exposures, but must be interpreted carefully.

Finally, we offer review of SNP tests, including MTHFR, MAOA, COMT and others. These “single nucleotide polymorphisms” are normal variations in the human genome, and give us insight into the function of numerous enzymes and receptors.  Some of these enzymes are responsible for specific steps in detoxification, others are responsible for making dopamine or serotonin, others are involved in methylation, estrogen metabolism, stress response, histamine metabolism, blood flow and many functions.  This testing does not diagnose disease, and is not the same as conventional genetic testing.  Instead it gives us insight into the many biochemical processes in the body, and helps us put a big picture together.

We understand that many conventional providers have questions about these test.  No test is perfect, but most of these tests, when interpreted correctly can give extremely useful information that puts the pieces of the health puzzle together.

I don’t live in Missoula – how can I see you?

We can see patients via Telemedicine, but our naturopathic medical licenses restrict care to patients in the state of Montana.

Do you work with my (or my child’s) other providers?

Yes — and we think this is important. We don’t ask you to choose between us and your pediatrician, therapist, or specialist. Naturopathic care works best when it’s collaborative. We’re happy to communicate with your child’s other providers, review records from previous care, and coordinate on treatment plans when that serves your child’s health. If something comes up that’s outside our scope, we’ll tell you and refer you to the right person.

How long does it take to see results?

Honestly, it depends — and we’d rather give you a real answer than an overly optimistic one.

Some patients notice meaningful changes within the first few weeks, particularly when a specific nutrient deficiency, food sensitivity, or other clear factor is identified and addressed. For more complex or chronic conditions, meaningful improvement typically takes several months of consistent care. Mental and behavioral health concerns, chronic gut issues, and hormonal imbalances often require patience and fine-tuning.

What we can tell you is that we’ll be honest with you about progress at every visit. If something isn’t working, we’ll say so and adjust the plan. We’re not interested in stringing anyone along.

Do you see patients for everyday illness — colds, ear infections, that kind of thing?

Yes. We offer same-day appointments for established patients dealing with acute illness. Ear infections, upper respiratory infections, rashes, fevers, coughs — these are all things we see regularly. We also have urgent same-day availability for acute mental health needs.

If you’re already a patient here, you don’t need to default to urgent care for every sick day. Give us a call.

What is the difference between a MD and a ND?

Naturopathic physicians (ND’s) attend four-year graduate schools that are nationally accredited by the Council for Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME).  The CNME is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, which classifies the ND degree as a Doctorate-Professional degree, on par with MD and DO.

The first two years of professional education is similar to that of an MD or DO, and includes instruction in basic sciences (anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pathology, and more).  The final two years of instruction are dedicated to clinical sciences – the naturopathic treatment of patients and training in primary care.  Naturopathic physicians sit for two sets of exams, the NPLEX basic science exam and the NPLEX clinical science exams.

Naturopathic doctors are licensed by each individual state – to be eligible for licensure a physician must be a graduate of a four-year naturopathic medical college, complete 4,100 hours of clinical training, and pass both the basic science and clinical science portions of the NPLEX exam.

Naturopathic doctors are specialists in the natural treatment of conditions, and have extensive training in botanical medicine, nutrition, physical medicine, homeopathy, counseling as well as conventional methods like pharmaceuticals.

For more information see Dr. Krumbeck’s blog post on this subject.

How can I know that you are the right doctor for me?

We are happy to provide free 15-minute phone consultations.  Call (406) 551-1717, e-mail reception@mtwholehealth.com, or Schedule an appointment online.