— FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

+ HOW DO I BOOK AN APPOINTMENT?

All sessions will be booked via our ONLINE SYSTEM

+ WHAT PAYMENT METHODS DO YOU ACCEPT?

Payment for all packages and appointments are made at the time of enrollment/booking using Stripe, Square, PayPal or Credit/Debit card. We do not extend credit, or offer payment plans. There are two options for payment of coaching plan fees:

To pay the full amount with credit card up front
Request a PayPal invoice to be sent, where you’ll be given the option to apply for 6 months FREE financing. The financing and payments will be between you and PayPal, not between you and me. Additionally, the financing is not guaranteed. It is based on qualifications.

+ WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP AFTER THE INITIAL CONSULT?

The Jump Start Your Healing Plan is the next step after the initial consult. It precedes all Functional Health and Comprehensive healing programs as well as stand-alone consultations. This session is scheduled through the website, the same way you scheduled the initial consult.

Prior to this consultation you will complete detailed intake documents and lab work. Please allow around 1-2 hours for this session. During this session, we will review your health history, your initial lab work, lab work that you provided from other practitioners, and the responses provided on your health intake questionnaires.

This will allow us to obtain a greater understanding of why your health is the way it is today and to identify potential underlying causes. We will also discuss your health goals and listen to you and your needs to ensure you are 100% satisfied with the plan moving forward.

We will also determine any functional lab testing that will be helpful in helping to further identify underlying dysfunction. Finally, we will discuss action steps in the areas of diet, rest, exercise, stress reduction, and supplementation that you can begin implementing right away.

Following the session, we will email you all the documents that were presented in the session along with next steps for moving forward with functional health and lifestyle coaching services.

+ WHAT IS A FUNCTIONAL APPROACH AND HOW CAN IT HELP ME TO RESTORE MY HEALTH?

A functional model to health is a science-based, holistic, and systems based approach to investigating, identifying, and addressing the root causes of ongoing health challenges. Based on 4 primary “R’s” of healing: REMOVE - RECONNECT - REWIRE - RESTORE

A functional approach places much emphasis on the therapeutic partnership between client and practitioner. This approach addresses the whole person, not an isolated set of symptoms or specific condition. Individualized lab testing, much of what is completed in the comfort of your own home, is used to identify healing opportunities within the hormone, immune, digestion, detoxification and intestinal barrier systems.

To restore balance to the systems of the body, a functional model uses a combination of interventions including therapeutic nutritional plans, detoxification protocols, sleep/rest hygiene, exercise recommendations, stress reduction strategies, mind-body medicine, and targeted supplementation protocols.

Many chronic, autoimmune, and neurodegenerative conditions have origins in the gut in tandem with imbalance in one or more of the five key systems: hormone, immune, digestion, detoxification and intestinal barrier.

When these systems are constantly stressed and imbalanced, the body incurs damage at the cellular level, and symptoms begin to develop. Many times, the nature and location of symptoms can be far removed from the source of the underlying dysfunction. With that in mind, our specialty is in helping people to restore their health by walking them through a step by process that includes but is not limited to:

NOURISHING the mind, body, and spirit
DEVELOPING daily habits that support health goals
IDENTIFYING and REMOVING food intolerances
OPTIMIZING nutrition, rest, exercise, and stress reduction
SUPPORTING adrenals, detoxification, and enzyme pathways
ADDRESSING chronic gut and intracellular infections (i.e.: Lyme and Company)
IDENTIFYING and REMOVING molds, heavy metals, and other environmental toxins.
REPLENISHING beneficial gut bacterial
HEALING and SEALING leaky gut
RESTORING HPA-axis dysfunction and CORRECTING hormone imbalances

My Gut Cause coaching plans integrate functional, mind-body, and energy medicine along with transformational coaching into a cutting-edge, whole-person approach for health restoration and optimization. They’re intended for those that are ready for comprehensive coaching support that emphasizes restoring balance to biochemistry and physiology, but then goes beyond this, deep into the realms of mindset, nervous system regulation, neural rewiring, energy rebalancing, habit change, passions and purpose, and more.

+ WHAT ARE ALL MY OPTIONS FOR WORKING WITH THE GUT CAUSE, LLC?

The process and options can be found by clicking HERE

+ YOUR RATES SEEM SO EXPENSIVE; WAY MORE THAN GOING TO A DOCTOR AND ONLY PAYING A COPAY. WHY IS THIS?

Functional Health and Lifestyle Coaching is a highly customized and personalized service. Much goes into providing quality functional health coaching services well beyond the time spent in coaching sessions.

When Bob is not meeting with a client, he is working behind the scenes on reviewing case files and lab work, doing research, planning for consults, writing up custom protocol sheets, ordering lab and specialty products, doing administrative work after a coaching session, providing ongoing email support, and the list goes on.

Additionally, there is much emotional, mental, and spiritual energy that goes into being a mentor for somebody on their journey to overcome chronic health challenges.

If clients could obtain this level of service from the medical community (their doctor), then there would not be a market for the services, support, and expertise that Bob provides to his/her clients.

Most people; especially one’s suffering from chronic health challenges, realize that our current medical paradigm is failing miserably in helping people to restore their health and create sustainable wellness.

+ I HAVE ALREADY TRIED NUMEROUS APPROACHES WITH LITTLE TO NO SUCCESS. HOW CAN I BE SURE THAT YOUR APPROACH/PROTOCOLS WILL HELP ME RESOLVE MY HEALTH ISSUES?

While we are confident in the effectiveness of our approach, no one can predict how your body will respond. Nor can anyone control how well you adhere to or how much effort you put into your own healing.

We also cannot predict what ailments or challenges may arise in the process of working to restore your health. The body is extremely complex as are the mechanisms behind chronic health challenges. No practitioner can guarantee the efficacy of any healing protocol.

What we can assure you is that we will do everything in our power to guide you towards greater health and restored vitality. How each client applies the information presented to them and how their body responds to protocols is simply outside of our control

What we can also tell you is that with 100% commitment to your healing program, trust in the process, patience, and faith in the body’s innate ability to heal, that it is very reasonable to expect to experience steady improvement in your health challenges.

The approach to healing implemented in this practice is what helped Bob to eventually overcome complex, chronic health challenges. It has also helped many clients do the same.

To read Bob’s personal health story click HERE

+ I DON’T CURRENTLY HAVE A DOCTOR. DO I NEED ONE IF I AM GOING TO BE WORKING WITH YOU?

We encourage and prefer that all clients have a medical doctor as part of their team. The services we provide are not a substitute for medical intervention.

Disclaimer: The information on this website is for informational and entertainment purposes only. This information is not intended as medical advice nor is it intended to replace the relationship with a licensed physician or mental health care professional. Bob and The Gut Cause, LLC encourage you to make your own health care decisions based on your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. The entire contents of this website are based on the opinions of Bob and The Gut Cause, LLC, unless otherwise noted. By using this website, you agree to the Terms of Use found here, and the Privacy Policy found here.

+ IF I ENROLL IN ONE OF THE PROGAMS OR PACKAGES, AM I LOCKED IN AND DO YOU OFFER REFUNDS IF I NEED OR WANT TO WITHDRAW FOR ANY REASON?

Each client is given 7 days from the date the Jump Start Plan is booked/paid for to cancel it and request a full refund for all fees paid.If the Strategy Session is cancelled after this grace period, there will be a 50% refund given. No refunds will be granted for Strategy Sessions that are cancelled without a minimum of a 1-week notice of the date of the scheduled Strategy session.

If a client withdraws from a program or subscription plan, all funds for unused services will be returned minus the initial payment or a portion of it; depending on the plan. The initial payment varies from plan to plan. Refund policies are explained in detail in all client contract agreements.

Will this being said, we do not believe in locking clients into anything and therefore a client can usually withdraw at any time after the first month. We reserve the right to change this policy at any time.

+ WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS FOR WORKING WITH BOB AND WHAT ARE THE COSTS/RATES?

Click HERE on how the process works related to Functional Health and Lifestyle Coaching services.

+ ARE THESE SERVICES AND/OR FUNCTIONAL LAB TESTING COVERED BY INSURANCE?

Unfortunately, the answer to this question is "No". Functional Health and Lifestyle Coaching along with functional lab workups are considered elective care.

Sadly, none of us can rely on health insurance to cover what we need to regain our health; especially when it comes to chronic illness and conditions that are poorly understood by the current medical paradigm.

If one does rely on health insurance for all their health care needs, they will be limited to what type of care they receive. The standard of care often involves medications, some type of therapy, and/or surgery.

The healthcare system was designed to manage acute medical emergencies and conditions. It is not well-suited to helping people learn and sustain new health-promoting habits and behaviors. The focus on prescriptive and expert approaches to help people adopt health-promoting lifestyles has shown very limited success (Frates and Moore, 2013).

Although wellness care and a functional approach to healthcare is an invaluable and often necessary component for optimal health, insurance companies do not offer much, if any, coverage for these types of services.

Functional Health and Lifestyle Coaching helps you to address the root causes of ongoing health challenges, empowers you to take control of your own health and wellbeing, and be responsible for the type of care and testing that you want and need. Relying on a healthcare system that is not designed to help people achieve sustainable wellness is setting yourself to stay unwell and stuck in rut.

Some lab testing may be reimbursable in your country, if ordered through your personal medical doctor.

+ WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A FUNCTIONAL HEALTH PRACTITIONER AND A MEDICAL DOCTOR?

Functional Health Practitioners are trained to use only natural products, dietary interventions and lifestyle changes (what we call the D.R.E.S.S. framework) to bring balance to the systems of the body.

Additionally, they are trained in functional lab testing and functional and nutritional interpretation of that lab testing. They implement minimally invasive, holistic based healing protocols geared towards helping clients create sustainable wellness.

Functional Health Practitioners offer very different services and work with clients in a very different way than Medical Doctors do. Functional Health Practitioners do not replace the role of a medical doctor.

The role of a Functional Health and Lifestyle coach is to bridge the gap between conventional medicine and the client that is experiencing escalating chronic health challenges. Functional Health and Lifestyle Coaching serves to provide clients with a road map, support, and collaboration through a step by step process of health restoration.

+ WHAT ARE BOB’S QUALIFICATIONS/CREDENTIALS?

Click HERE to read a detailed description of Bob’s qualifications, education, and background.

Bob is NOT a licensed medical doctor or mental health provider. He does not diagnosis, treat, or manage medical conditions.

The services provided by Bob and The Gut Cause, LLC are not intended to replace an established, one to one relationship with a licensed medical or mental health professional.

+ HOW DOES AN ONLINE ONLY FUNCTIONAL HEALTH PRACTICE WORK?

The Gut Cause is a virtual based practice only. All consultations are done via Zoom Video conferencing. Each time you schedule a consultation, you will be provided with a ZOOM meeting link that you will use to access the online consultation.

You will need to have access to a computer with high speed internet for each consultation. It is not advisable to use cell phones or tablets.

During your consultation, resources and visual aids will be made available to you via screen sharing in real time.

An internet only based practice comes with many benefits:

Clients who relocate or travel can still maintain their momentum and a consistent approach to healing without having to find a new practitioner.
It also allows clients who aren’t feeling their best, to have their consultation in the comfort of their own home, without having to travel and wait in a clinic.
And, if you aren’t feeling up to it, you don’t even need to turn on the video function.
It also means that the money saved on real estate premises can be passed on to you to ensure the costs of consultations are as affordable as possible.

+ DO YOU WORK WITH OVERSEAS CLIENTS?

Yes. All consultations are done by internet video conferencing. This is the way Bob communicates with clients living throughout the U.S. and Internationally.

+ CAN WE WORK TOGETHER IF I AM CURRENTLY UNDERGOING OTHER MEDICAL TREATMENT?

Yes. The benefit of most natural therapies, when implemented correctly by a qualified practitioner, is that they provide a safe and complementary addition to conventional medicine. In our experience, the two can work synergistically to enhance the effectiveness of conventional treatments.

We will ask that you detail your current medications on your intake forms to ensure there are no contraindications between the nutritional and herbal supplements we suggest and your current medication.

We may also request consent to communicate with your other Medical Practitioners. In our experience, working together as a part of a multi-disciplinary team ensures the best outcomes for my clients when they are seeing multiple practitioners.

+ HOW ARE FUNCTIONAL HEALTH COACHING SESSIONS STRUCTURED?

Foundational Sessions: The first several sessions are often used to help clients create a solid foundation for healing in all area of DRESS: Diet, Rest, Exercise, Stress Reduction, and Supplementation.

Results and Recommendations Consultation: This consultation will be focused on providing you with feedback on your functional lab test results and education about what these mean for you.

During a results session, you will be presented with a customized D.R.E.S.S. Healing Protocol. This protocol will address diet, rest, exercise, stress reduction and supplementation.

Recommendations will be focused on addressing both your short-term and long-term health goals, as well as any symptomatic relief recommendations, if necessary.

During this consult, Bob may make suggestions for nutritional and/or herbal supplements you may need to purchase, either through her or other suppliers.

Subsequent Coaching Sessions: These consultations will be a chance to review your protocol, ensure your health is progressing, address any other symptoms or concerns as well as any challenges you face implementing your D.R.E.S.S. Protocol – e.g. meal planning, supplement titration, stress reductions, etc.

These consultations can be booked as you feel they are necessary. Some clients, based on the plan they signed up for and their unique needs, will check in weekly, some biweekly, and others will only check in once a month.

The content of these sessions is decided based on what I need to cover with you (lab results, protocols, etc.) and input you provide in a short intake when you schedule the session. Coaching sessions are meant to address your needs and support you with any challenges you are experiencing in your healing journey.

+ WHAT TYPE OF HEALING MODALITIES DO YOU USE?

We use a multi-therapeutic approach that addresses all pillars of health: diet, rest, exercise, stress reduction and supplementation (D.R.E.S.S.). These include but are not limited to: Nutrition recommendations and dietary plans to address imbalances

Natural supplements
Antimicrobial and herbal protocols
SIBO anti-microbial gut protocols
Anti-candida, anti-bacterial and anti-parasitic protocols
Comprehensive detoxification protocols that support methylation and serve to remove molds, metals, and other toxins.
Therapeutic diet plans such as low-FODMAP, AIP, Paleo, SCD, GAPS and others
Diet suggestions for specific food sensitivities, including gluten, dairy, egg, etc.
Personalized comprehensive gut healing protocols
Exercise recommendations
Sleep hygiene recommendations
Stress reduction techniques
Emotion and Body Code technique
Bio-Feedback Analysis using AO Scan Technology
Coaching that implement: positive psychology, appreciate inquiry, and non-violent communication techniques

+ WHAT TYPE OF LAB TESTING DO YOU USE?

We use a wide variety of lab tests that include but are not limited to the following:

DUTCH (Dried Urine Total Comprehensive Hormone) Panel
GI-MAP Stool Pathogen Test
Comprehensive Blood Panels
ParaWellness Stool Pathogen Test
SIBO Breath Test
Organic Acids Urine Test
Nagalase Viral Load Test
Microbiology DX Nasal Swab Test
Intestinal Permeability Test
Bio-Energetic Analysis of Hair and Saliva
Spectracell Mineral Status Testing
And much more!

+ CAN ALL LABS THAT YOU THINK I WILL NEED BE DETERMINED IN THE FREE CONSULT, ORDERED, AND COMPLETED BEFORE THE SESSIONJUMP START PLAN? I WOULD PREFER TO GET STARTED ON A HEALING PROTOCOL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

No, all labs can’t be ordered prior to the Jump Start Plan. The Jump Start Plan has been carefully thought out and it is used as a starting point to determine the best plan for moving forward. Prior to the Jump Start Plan, you will complete functional health questionnaires and a simple, and possibly an at home urine test to assess toxic burden.

You will also supply recent and basic blood work that you may already have or you can also order it direct for additional fees when you schedule the Jump Start Plan. All recommended lab work will be discuseed. We will do an in-depth functional assessment of this preliminary blood work to help determine which functional labs will be the most useful in helping to further identify your underlying stressors.

We can surely understand your eagerness to identify root causes and get started on a healing protocol but we cannot and will not rush the process. Everything needs to be done in a logical and systematic sequence.

At the end of the Jump Start Plan you will be presented with some action steps that you can implement right away to get started on the healing path. And, if you decide to come on board with one of our healing programs, there will also be coaching sessions dedicated to helping you create a foundation for health in the areas of diet, rest, exercise, stress reduction, and targeted supplementation while we wait for lab results to come in.

+ HOW OFTEN DO I NEED TO HAVECONSULTS/COACHING SESSIONS?

This varies from client to client, plan to plan, and is dependent on things such as: how acute or chronic your symptoms or condition are, the healing protocols that you need, test results, etc. We will assess this on an individual basis and ensure that it suits your needs.

If the mental/emotional aspect of healing, stress reduction, and cultivating the mindset for healing is something that you need extra support with, then we suggest weekly coaching sessions in the beginning.

+ HOW LONG DO HEALING PROTOCOLS LAST?

Every client and every condition is different. However, for most clients, their healing protocols fall into three distinct phases.

The first is creating a solid foundation by optimizing nutrition, sleep/rest, daily movement, and stress reduction. The second is removing or addressing any internal and external stressors that are keeping your body out of balance – i.e. lifestyle barriers, dietary stressors, parasites, yeast and bacterial overgrowths, food sensitivities, dysbiosis, mold toxins, heavy metals, etc. The third involves healing and sealing the gut and restoring balance to the hormone, immune, digestion, detoxification and intestinal barrier systems.

There is no way to say how long each phase will take as everyone is so different and the body heals at its own pace. For longer term, chronic issues, healing the gut and restoring balance to the systems of the body can take anywhere from 12 months to 2 years; sometimes longer. For extremely complex and long standing health challenges, the general rule of thumb is 1-3 months of healing for every year that one has been unwell.

I work with clients in a way that offers new perspectives on microbiome and gut health, circadian rhythm, and sleep optimization, pathogen eradication, detoxification, and much more. I also, however, offer a wide array of knowledge, tools, and strategies that takes them beyond the biochemical, deep into the realms of mindset, mitochondrial health, nervous system regulation, neural rewiring, psychoneuroimmunology, trauma healing, habit change, and energy testing.

Once again, however, there is no way to predict with any certainty how long the healing process will take you. The healing process is also largely contingent on the amount of commitment and effort that you invest. It also depends on your willingness to address the stressful aspects of your life that may have contributed to your current health challenges.

+ DO YOU IMPLEMENT THE SHOEMAKER PROTOCOL FOR MOLD ILLNESS IN YOUR PRACTICE?

While we are very familiar with the Shoemaker Biotoxin lab panels and often use them as guides to help create custom healing protocols, we do not implement the Shoemaker protocol. Dr. Shoemaker is medical doctor that utilizes a specific Rx drugs as part of his protocols to address CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome).

Bob is not a medical doctor nor trained in the Shoemaker protocol and therefore is not able to recommend or use Rx drugs. Bob is a Functional Health Practitioner that relies on all natural and holistic interventions for CIRS/mold related illnesses.

If Bob feels that a client needs the support of Rx drugs or medical intervention, he will recommend a consult with a licensed medical professional.

See answer to previous question: WHAT TYPE OF HEALING MODALITIES DO YOU USE?

And question #1. WHAT IS A FUNCTIONAL APPROACH AND HOW CAN IT HELP ME TO RESTORE MY HEALTH?

OR this one

DISCLAIMER: The products and the claims made about specific products on or through this site have not been evaluated by the United States Food and Drug Administration and are not approved to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Individual results may vary. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment.