Schedule Appointment with Dr. Mitchell

 

 
Who are the patients I primarily work with?
I work alongside men and women with autoimmune and rheumatologic disease.
 
 
Please note, I am not a board certified Rheumatologist. So, if that is what you are looking for, I am not your guy. I am simply a board certified Naturopath with deep interest and passion for rheumatology and autoimmune disease.
 
 

The bulk of women and men I consult with come from larger rheumatology practices with positive antibodies, vague symptoms and they would like someone to take a second look.

These individuals often do not fit classification criteria for an autoimmune disease, but may have positive ANAs/ENAs, Rheumatoid Factors, other autoantibodies inflammatory markers or inflammatory pattern pain and are suspicious that their health problem was not approached sensitively, enough. 

That’s where I come in. My perspective is that the diagnosis of an early autoimmune problem is an art – we essentially do not have great guidelines in approaching more vague presentations and early autoimmune diseases. This ultimately leads to patients being dismissed, led to believe they are crazy, or treated inapparopriately.

These early presentation are incredibly difficult to specify, I do my best to identify the “monster in hiding in the brush,” but at times I fall short. Minimally, I am confident I can get a sense of whether a problem is autoimmune versus not in most cases. And the good news is despite precise specification, there is much we can trial.

The problem with the conventional approach is that once the disease has differentiated into something clearly defineable according to classification criteria, there is much less chance we can address things with more conservative measures such as treating the gut, clearing chronic infections, addressing hormones, nutrition etc. and one will more likely be slated to committing to heavier duty medications.

 
Please also note, much of what I do with patients is experimental. We do not have rigorous clinical trials for almost all of what we do in Naturopathic medicine, as we do for standard of care in rheumatology. Thus, the Naturopathic physician and patient are essentially putting their brains together, based off of the individuals history, translational research, and other ideas. 
 
In this way, I consider myself very unique. Unlike many providers out there, be they board certified conventional rheumatologists versus naturopathic, functional, or alternative providers, I do my best to balance our best practices from standard of care versus these experimental approaches. In my estimation, many providers on either side are abducted by ideology. Abduction by ideology is a cognitive parasite, blinding so to speak and leading to an imbalance in approach (all medicine versus all natural).
 
Obviously, the best answer with a very complex problem to solve like autoimmunity is going to be somewhere in the middle, and one should have a sense of when a patient will need to be approached with only medication versus only natural approaches versus a combination of both.
 
 
 
 

The goal is to help your body along with it’s capacity to heal itself, rather than work against it!

Who is Dr. Mitchell?

I’m a naturopathic physician whose focus is autoimmune disease.

Naturopathic Doctors are licensed health care providers able to diagnose and prescribe in the state of Arizona, who prioritize the manipulation of environmental factors in addressing your disease process and investigation geared towards finding the root cause of your illness. 

That being said, my practice style is integrative, blending the best of both worlds, working alongside specialists and the standard of care.

Regardless of where you are on your health journey and whatever your goal is, my job is to work with you to get you there.

Primary symptoms investigated and diagnosed include:

Positive Antibodies/ANAs

Elevated Sed Rates/CRPs

Joint Pain, Back Pain

Fatigue and Brain Fog

Fevers/Chills

Dry Eyes/Dry Mouth

Headaches

Rashes, Skin Changes

Hair Loss

Muscle weakness

Gastrointestinal issues

Conditions Dr. Mitchell treats in include:

Ankylosing Spondylitis

Fibromyalgia

Gout

Thyroid Disease

Lupus

Polymyositis and Dermatomyositis

Polymyalgia Rheumatica

Psoriasis, Psoriatic Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Sjogren’s Disease

Scleroderma

Multiple Sclerosis

Anxiety

Depression

Allergies, Asthma, Eczema

High Cholesterol

Diabetes

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Lab tests and treatments

Most patients I consult already carry a diagnosis of a rheumatologic or autoimmune disease. If they do not or I do not agree with another clinician’s conclusions (it happens), I work the patient up using guidelines established by the American College of Rheumatology. This means visiting the patients history, considering physical exam findings, blood counts, blood chemistries, disease activity markers and specificity markers (antibodies) and necessary referrals.

I differ a bit from some some of the local specialists in the area. For diagnostic testing I use:

  • The Avise antibody panel through Exagen Diagnostics (Lupus, Rheumatoid, Sjogren’s, Antiphospholipid Syndrome, Hashimoto’s)
  • VECTRA DA for Arthritis Disease Tracking
  • The FM/a cytokine screen through EpicGenetics for Fibromyalgia

In seeking the cause of your illness, I use specialty laboratories that most medical doctors will not order. What I use most commonly in this area is testing for food sensitivity, urine markers for gut dysbiosis, and stool testing for parasitology. But a complete list includes:

  • Food Intolerance Testing
  • Urine Organic Acids
  • Parasitology/Dysbiosis via Stool PCR and microscopy
  • Serum markers for Vitamin and Mineral status
  • Urine markers for Heavy Metal Toxicity
  • Urine markers for Mold Exposure
  • NMR through Cleveland Heart Labs for Cardiovascular risk assessment

I’m sensitive to the fact that this second set of tests is not covered by insurance. While some patients have the resources to order all of the tests, others do not. I do my best to strategize the ordering of the tests based on your history. 

An overview of the therapeutic modalities I may use in your case:

  • Nutritional modification
  • Low dose naltrexone
  • Disease modifying anti-rheumatic agents
  • Nutritional supplements and herbs
  • Antibiotics (Vanberbilt and Mcpherson Protocols)
  • Antifungal therapy
  • Antiviral therapy
  • IV nutrient therapy
  • IV iron infusions
  • NAD Infusions
  • Chelation (Oral and/or IV)
  • Thyroid hormone replacement
  • Peptide therapies
  • Frequency specific microcurrent

Where are you located?

9097 E Desert Cove Ave # 100, Scottsdale, AZ 85260

If you’re not local, consultation services are available electronically. Please note – I cannot diagnose or treat any disease when working remotely. However I can discuss your lab work with you, what it may mean, and provide guidance with nutrition, lifestyle and supplements.

Insurance and Costs

Dr. Mitchell does not contract with any insurance companies and is an out of network provider. We can provide you with a receipt of services that you may submit to your insurance company complete with the doctors NPI #, EIN#, Diagnosis Codes, and Procedural codes. This applies only to patient who are seeking medical care.

Cost for medical services:

  • In depth history taking to identify triggers/perpetuators of autoimmune disease
  • Physical Exam
  • Ordering of labs and imaging
  • Routine Health Maintenance and monitoring
  • Prescriptions if we both agree and deem necessary
  • Development of treatment plan (prescription or nonprescriptions), modifications and reassessment

Initial Consultations (90 minutes): $295

Followup (45-60 minutes): $175

 

Let’s get going! Let’s get you healthier!

Please download and complete the new patient intake forms prior to your first visit.

New patient Packet

Practice Framework/Process and Frequently Asked Questions for medical visits/in person visits

You can call the clinic at (480) 609-4200 and schedule your office visit over the phone or schedule it electronically here

Have further questions? Before making a financial commitment it is advised that you set up a free 15 minute discovery visit.

Would you like to meet the doctor? Do you have questions about some of the investigative measures or alternative treatments? We look forward to meeting you!

Call and schedule a discovery visit with Michelle (480) 609-4200 or schedule electronically here

Any labs or past records you have please fax to 480-609-4233