Telemedicine & Virtual Consultations
Distance shouldn't stand between you and the care you need. We offer secure virtual visits alongside our in-person care, for patients across the country and beyond.
Is Telemedicine for You?
Some patients aren't able to drive to our office, don't have a schedule that allows an in-person visit, or live in another part of the country. We don't think distance should stand between you and the care you need.
For patient convenience, we offer both in-person visits and virtual health consultations, also called “telemedicine.” We currently see patients across the country and even outside the United States. Contact us with any questions — we're here to help.
970-532-2755
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I communicate with the doctor?
Communication happens by phone or through the secure video platform built into our HIPAA-compliant electronic health record (EHR) system — not consumer apps like Skype or FaceTime — so your health information stays private and protected.
What if I need labs or natural medicine products?
We work with labs across the United States, and many tests can be run at home using take-home kits we provide. Any natural medicine products ship directly to your door — or wherever you're staying, including a hotel while traveling.
What if I want to fly out for one of my visits?
We're located about 50 minutes north of Denver International Airport, just off I-25, with plenty of lodging options nearby in Longmont or Loveland.
More About Virtual Health Consultations
Our HIPAA-protected EHR video platform lets us do more than talk — we can visually examine your concerns, share lab results, and walk through diagrams to help you understand your condition. We use secure screen sharing so you can see exactly what we're looking at.
Many patients choose telemedicine when they can't make it into the office — whether they're out of state, traveling, or working around a scheduling conflict. It's also helped us stay connected with patients and avoid gaps in care during natural disasters and other emergencies.
Many of the labs we use offer take-home versions of their tests that are just as accurate as what we'd run in-office. For diagnostics like bloodwork, we're networked with laboratories nationwide, so convenient access is available in nearly any state.
Telemedicine appointments are treated the same as our in-office visits. Your first appointment typically runs 60–90 minutes depending on the complexity of your case, with follow-ups from 15–60 minutes. Please have any old labs ready in advance, and a written timeline of your symptoms or a food diary can help us too.
Ready to Schedule a Virtual Visit?
Reach out and we'll help you find the right fit — whether that's an in-person appointment or a virtual consultation from wherever you are. Call 970-532-2755
In the 19th century, a doctor by the name of George Beard, M.D. coined the term neurasthenia, also known as nervous system exhaustion. The symptoms that accompanied neurasthenia were anxiety, exhaustion, depression and sexual dysfunction to name a few. Eventually the disorder caught on in the medical community and quickly droves of patients were being diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, CFS or myalgic encephalomyelitis, ME.
Chronic fatigue syndrome is a debilitating and complex disorder characterized by profound fatigue that is not improved by bed rest and that may be worsened by physical or mental activity. Persons with CFS most often function at a substantially lower level of activity than they were capable of before the onset of illness. In addition to these key defining characteristics, patients report various nonspecific symptoms, including weakness, muscle pain, impaired memory and/or mental concentration, insomnia, and post-exertion fatigue lasting more than 24 hours. In some cases, CFS can persist for years.
With push from the health profession to figure out the cause, active viral infections were first in mind due to the symptoms of these patients. Epstein Barr (EBV, cytomegalovirus (CMV)), and herpes simplex virus (HSV) were studied. Research reported that high titers of EBV, CMV and HSV were found in those patients that were symptomatic CFS. So finally we had a solid connection between the mysterious symptoms of CFS and a causative agent; until 2 studies by Buchwald et al. and Koelle et al. were published. They looked at 13 different viruses in symptomatic CFS patients and found that there was no relationship between the titers of antibodies to the viruses and the symptoms of patients. This means the association between the aforementioned viruses and CFS could not be definitively confirmed by viral infections alone.
Xenotropic murine leukemia virus or XMRV, has long be touted as a cause for CFS; but current research has dismissed this virus as a single causative agent much like the ones above.
Although no single one of these viruses are pathognomonic (disease causing) of CFS, it is still important to rule them out as these symptoms mimic those of CFS. The Doctors at Gateway Natural Medicine see chronic fatigue differently. We use viral load tests to rule in or out viral infection.The Doctors may also order organic acid, stool analysis and other blood test to obtain a comprehensive look at nutritional needs, energy pathways and your gut environment.Often times the symptoms result from such illnesses as systemic candida infections, allergic responses to foods, and thyroid or other endocrine dysfunctions.
We will research some of the common causes of CFS:
- Nutritional deficiencies – protein malabsorption
- Yeast/fungal overgrowth
- Toxic body burden
- Bacterial endotoxins
- Mitochondrial dysfunction
- Gut microbiota
In order to receive a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome, a patient must satisfy two criteria:
Have severe chronic fatigue of six months or longer duration with other known medical conditions excluded by clinical diagnosis; and
Concurrently have four or more of the following symptoms: substantial impairment in short-term memory or concentration; sore throat; tender lymph nodes; muscle pain; multi-joint pain without swelling or redness; headaches of a new type, pattern or severity; unrefreshing sleep; and post-exertion malaise lasting more than 24 hours.
The symptoms must have persisted or recurred during six or more consecutive months of illness and must not have predated the fatigue.
With this said, there are many people who have been told or suggested to them that they have chronic fatigue that do not meet this criteria. When these systems present in a patient and they can not be explained by another disease or illness patients are told they have chronic fatigue. What is worse, they are told there is nothing that can be done but to medicate the symptoms.
If you have been diagnosed with CFS, don’t give up hope. Schedule a consultation today to discuss your condition with the doctors. The chances are very good that we can help your have more energy and less pain, so you can get back to leading a normal life.