Frequently Asked Questions

Functional medicine — sometimes known as Integrative Medicine, Anti-Aging Medicine, or “root cause” medicine — merges traditional Western medicine with alternative medical approaches for optimal health, which includes diet, nutrition, lifestyle change, etc.

The foundation of this approach is the philosophy that optimal health is more than just an absence of disease, and many of Dr. Kalyanapu’s patients do not even suffer from a specific disease but seek functional medicine care to enhance their longevity, athletic capacity, mental performance, and/or emotional health.

Dr. Kalyanapu’s goal is to uncover the root cause of your symptoms and then to stack physical and psychological treatments to achieve the best possible outcome, whatever your goals may be, and even if these change over time.

Yes! Dr. Kalyanapu is accepting new patients. Use our Consultation Request form to get started.

Note: Dr. Kalyanapu is licensed to practice medicine in Maryland, Virigina, Michigan and Florida. Patients seen via telemedicine need to be physically present in one of those states at the time of their appointment.

Dr. Kalyanapu is an “out-of-network” provider; she does not accept any form of insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid. Her patients pay in full at the time of their appointment, then submit an invoice that includes relevant diagnostic and procedure codes for reimbursement from their insurance company.

Dr. Kalyanapu is often asked why she does not accept insurance. The answer to that question is best elucidated on either of the following podcasts: Broken Health Insurance System with Brigham Buhler from November 2023 (about 1 hour), and Brigham Buhler on the Joe Rogan Experience from April 2022 (about 2.5 hours).

Dr. Kalyanapu charges $100 for a 30-minute initial consultation and $800 for a full 2-hour evaluation. Follow-up appointments are $180 per 30 minutes, which typically range from 30–60 minutes.

Labs, testing, and supplement costs are billed separately by the specific laboratory or pharmacy. The costs of any testing or supplements will be discussed with you prior to ordering.

Yes! While Dr. Kalyanapu prefers in-person visits — particularly with children — and patients are encouraged to come into the office for appointments, routine follow-up care can be conducted by phone or video. *

It is necessary to meet in-person with Dr. Kalyanapu for your initial evaluation and possibly at other times, such as during crises or emergencies.

* Note: Dr. Kalyanapu is licensed to practice medicine in Maryland, Virigina, Michigan and Florida. Patients seen via telemedicine must be physically present in one of those states at the time of their appointment.

Yes. Dr. Kalyanapu offers a personalized, comprehensive treatment plan to address physical and psychological needs of each patient, which usually requires a combination of multiple treatment modalities. While she prefers to use the most natural methods possible — and many patients have come to her to help them get off of medications altogether — medications are sometimes necessary or desirable to achieve a particular goal.

In these cases, Dr. Kalyanapu strives to use the least amount of medication for the shortest amount of time possible. In addition to psychotropic medications, she utilizes other prescription medications such as hormones, anti-fungals, as well as nootropics and prescription-strength nutrients like Vitamin D and B12 injections.

Although Dr. Kalyanapu is trained in psychodynamic psychotherapy, supportive/expressive therapy, play therapy, and family therapy, she currently focuses on biological interventions. However, she frequently recommends and collaborates with other therapists/ counselors.

Yes! All psychiatrists train as adult psychiatrists; child and adolescent psychiatrists then do additional training to specialize in child and adolescent care.

That additional training also provides a developmental perspective that can add to adult therapy. In addition, it provides more experience with adult conditions that usually begin in childhood, such as Attention-Deficit Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Dr. Kalyanapu is happy to refer you to her colleague Dr. Elizabeth Stuller, MD, a board certified addictions specialist with a similar treatment philosophy.

Lyme and tick-borne illnesses can have an enormous impact on the brain. Dr. Kalyanapu sees several patients with tick-borne illness and treats the psychiatric conditions associated with their disease, often working in conjunction with Lyme literate doctors. She does not primarily treat Lyme or other chronic infections, however, but refers patients to trusted practitioners who do.

Dr. Kalyanapu has spent many years consulting with nutritionists, naturopathic doctors, and other integrative physicians as well as attending conferences, reading medical textbooks and journals, and viewing lectures all regarding the relationships between diet, gastrointestinal health, biochemistry, and the brain.

In addition to this, she has personally sampled different dietary approaches and nutritional supplements to better provide you with the most practical, hands-on advice about how to implement nutritional and lifestyle changes. She is not a certified nutritionist.

Dr. Kalyanapu believes that the closer to the root cause of your issue she can get, the more effective your treatment will be. She specifically selects testing for each individual patient depending on need and budget. This often includes standard lab testing that is usually covered by insurance as well as specialty lab testing.

Some of her most frequently used specialty labs are Genova Diagnostics, Great Plains Laboratories, GeneSight, Doctor’s Data, and iGeneX. She also partners with Amen Clinics, Inc, to perform brain SPECT imaging or quantitative EEG and may refer out for traditional EEGs, MRIs, sleep studies, and other tests.

Dr. Kalyanapu does not engage in formal research for the purpose of publishing studies.

However, she has a particular interest in obtaining the most comprehensive, up to date treatment for her patients and will often search the most recent medical literature for issues regarding individual patients, especially in complex or atypical cases. This ensures the most thorough understanding of your condition and provides the most options for therapy.

At this time, Dr. Kalyanapu is only engaged in outpatient treatment and is not affiliated with any hospitals. If you require hospitalization, she is happy to collaborate with your inpatient providers on your behalf.

Crisis intervention requiring urgent attention should be addressed at your nearest emergency room.

Patients are free to communicate through our patient portal, by phone, or email at any time. Most issues, such as scheduling and medication refills, can be addressed by the office staff, and Dr. Kalyanapu is notified directly when necessary.