Frequently Asked Questions

Every patient begins with a Foundational Assessment. This gives us the time and information to understand your health comprehensively before deciding what kind of care makes sense from there.

If you have questions before getting started, you’re welcome to schedule a complimentary Discovery Call.

No. The Discovery Call is completely optional.

If you already feel that ARÉVIDA is the right fit, you can begin directly with your Foundational Assessment. If you have questions about our approach, services, or whether we may be a good fit, the complimentary Discovery Call gives you a chance to ask before getting started.

The Discovery Call is a brief conversation to understand what you’re looking for, answer questions about ARÉVIDA, and help you determine whether our approach feels right for you.

It is not a medical visit and does not include diagnosis, medical advice, or treatment recommendations.

The Foundational Assessment is the starting point for every ARÉVIDA patient and is designed to give us a comprehensive view of your health.

After you enroll, you’ll complete a detailed intake. We review your health history, symptoms, concerns, goals, and relevant prior testing before your visit. Personalized laboratory testing may also be recommended based on what we need to understand more clearly.

During your assessment, we connect those pieces to understand the larger picture of your health, identify what deserves your attention, and create an individualized plan for what comes next.

We’ll recommend the level of care that makes sense based on what we uncover, your goals, and the kind of support your health requires.

For some women, that may mean implementing a focused plan largely on their own. For others, it may mean Six-Month Care so we have time to investigate further, implement treatment, reassess your response, and refine your plan.

You don’t have to know what you need before you begin. That is part of what the assessment is designed to determine.

ARÉVIDA is designed to give us the time and context to understand your health as a whole rather than addressing one concern at a time.

We begin with your biology and also consider the beliefs, behaviors, and life circumstances that may be influencing it. Your care may involve labs, nutrition, lifestyle, supplements, hormone therapy, prescription medication, or deeper work around the patterns affecting your health.

Not every woman needs the same things. The goal is to understand what matters for you.

ARÉVIDA is for women who want to understand their health more deeply and take an active role in what comes next.

You may have persistent symptoms despite doing many of the right things, be navigating a hormonal or metabolic transition, want a more comprehensive understanding of your health, or simply want a physician who has the time to look beyond one concern at a time.

You don’t have to be unwell to benefit from a deeper understanding of your health.

No. The four dimensions give us a way to understand your health more fully, not a checklist every patient has to work through.

For some women, the work is primarily biological. For others, beliefs, behaviors, or the life they’re building are meaningfully affecting their health.

We go where the information leads us.

Yes, when clinically appropriate.

ARÉVIDA uses both conventional and functional medicine tools. Your care may include nutrition, lifestyle strategies, supplementation, hormone therapy, GLP-1 management, or prescription medication depending on your individual needs and goals.

No. Supplements are recommended only when they are clinically appropriate and serve a clear purpose in your plan.

We do not believe that more supplements automatically mean better care.

No. ARÉVIDA is not a replacement for primary care, urgent care, or emergency care.

We encourage you to maintain a relationship with a primary care physician for routine preventive care, acute concerns, screenings, and needs outside the scope of our practice. With your permission, we can collaborate with your other physicians when appropriate.

Not necessarily.

Some women need a focused plan they can implement largely on their own. Others benefit from ongoing physician guidance as we work through more complex concerns, assess their response to treatment, and make adjustments over time.

Your recommendation will be based on what we uncover during your assessment rather than assuming every woman needs the same level of care.

Six-Month Care is designed for women who need more than an assessment and recommendations alone.

Over six months, we have time to investigate further when needed, implement a personalized treatment plan, see how your body responds, refine what isn’t working, and reassess meaningful markers.

The goal is not simply to give you more information. It is to have enough time to act on what we uncover and determine what actually changes your health.

Ongoing care is designed for women whose health would benefit from continued physician oversight, implementation support, and refinement over time.

Depending on your needs, this may include physician follow-ups, implementation sessions, direct messaging, review of labs and progress, treatment adjustments, educational resources, and coordination with your existing healthcare team.

Patients receiving ongoing care have access to support between visits through implementation sessions, physician messaging, and our education library.

This gives us space to answer questions, clarify recommendations, address barriers, and adjust your plan as your health and life change.

At the end of your six-month period, we reassess where you are and what your health needs next.

Some women are ready to graduate from more intensive care. Others may benefit from lighter-touch maintenance or Continued Care as we refine progress, address another layer, or support evolving goals.

Continued Care is recommended only when it continues to add meaningful value.

Yes. If you do not need ongoing care after your Foundational Assessment, you can return when you want another comprehensive review or when something meaningful changes in your health.

Yes. Foundational laboratory testing is included in your $845 assessment. Your panel gives us a broad look at metabolic health, thyroid function, blood sugar and insulin, inflammation, nutrient status, iron stores, cardiovascular markers, and other foundational measures that help us understand your biology more fully. If your history or symptoms suggest that additional or specialty testing would be valuable, we’ll discuss what I recommend, why it matters, and any additional cost before you proceed.

Testing is individualized rather than based on one standard panel for every patient.

Depending on your concerns, we may evaluate areas such as metabolic health, hormones, thyroid function, nutrient status, inflammation, cardiovascular risk, or other systems relevant to your health.

Specialty functional testing may also be considered when it is clinically useful.

Yes. We’re happy to review recent testing and incorporate it into your assessment when appropriate.

We do not repeat testing simply for the sake of having our own results. If additional labs are needed, we recommend them thoughtfully and only when they would meaningfully improve our understanding or change your plan.

Yes, when the results are likely to meaningfully inform your care.

Depending on your history and concerns, specialty testing may be considered alongside conventional laboratory evaluation. We do not order advanced testing simply because it is available.

Functional medicine is a personalized approach to health that looks at how different systems in the body interact rather than viewing every symptom in isolation.

Depending on the person, this may include evaluating patterns across hormones, metabolism, nutrition, sleep, digestion, stress physiology, inflammation, movement, medications, and lifestyle.

At ARÉVIDA, functional medicine is one part of physician-led care, not a substitute for conventional medicine and not simply a collection of advanced tests, supplements, or protocols.

We begin by understanding your biology and then consider whether beliefs, behaviors, or the life you’re building are also influencing your health.

The goal is not to collect more information. It is to understand which information matters for you and what to do with it.

No. Some women seek functional medicine because they have persistent symptoms or unanswered health concerns. Others feel well and want a more comprehensive understanding of their health, risk factors, and what deserves their attention over time.

You do not have to wait until something feels wrong to take a deeper look at your health.

Yes, when clinically appropriate.

Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy may be considered for women navigating perimenopause, menopause, or other hormone-related concerns. Treatment decisions are individualized based on your symptoms, health history, risk factors, labs when indicated, goals, and preferences.

Hormones are considered within the context of your overall health rather than treated in isolation.

Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, often called BHRT, uses hormones that are chemically identical to hormones produced by the human body.

For women, treatment may include estradiol, progesterone, and, in select cases, testosterone. The appropriate hormone, dose, formulation, and route depend on your individual medical history, symptoms, goals, and risk profile.

Hormone therapy may be appropriate for some women experiencing symptoms related to perimenopause or menopause, including hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disruption, vaginal or urinary symptoms, changes in mood, or other symptoms that may be influenced by hormonal change.

Candidacy is individualized and depends on your symptoms, health history, risk factors, treatment goals, and personal preferences.

It depends.

Hormone therapy is not based on a single lab value, and testing needs vary depending on your age, symptoms, menstrual status, health history, and the hormones being considered.

We’ll determine what testing is appropriate for you before making treatment recommendations.

Yes, in select cases when clinically appropriate.

Testosterone therapy requires individualized assessment, discussion of potential benefits and risks, appropriate monitoring, and ongoing physician oversight.

Hormone therapy is individualized, and its risks and benefits depend on factors including the specific hormone, dose, route of administration, timing, medical history, and individual risk profile.

At ARÉVIDA, hormone therapy is considered within your broader medical picture and monitored over time when prescribed.

Hormones are one part of a larger physiological picture. Sleep, nutrition, metabolic health, stress physiology, body composition, medications, movement, and other health factors may influence both how you feel and how you respond to treatment.

Hormone therapy can be valuable for the right patient, but the goal is to understand what deserves attention across your health rather than assuming every symptom begins and ends with hormones.

No. ARÉVIDA does not use hormone pellets.

We prefer therapies that allow treatment to be adjusted or discontinued more easily as your needs and response change.

Yes. ARÉVIDA offers a dedicated hormone therapy pathway for women who are primarily seeking hormone evaluation and management.

Your initial hormone assessment is separate from the general Foundational Assessment pathway, and follow-up care is recommended based on your treatment and monitoring needs.

ARÉVIDA is a cash-pay practice and does not bill insurance. This model gives us the freedom to make decisions based on your health, not the limitations of an insurance plan.

Laboratory coverage also varies depending on the laboratory and your insurance plan.

Yes. ARÉVIDA is a physician-led virtual functional medicine practice serving women in Florida and California.

Visits are conducted securely by telehealth, allowing us to provide comprehensive care without requiring you to travel to an office.

ARÉVIDA is primarily a virtual medical practice. Visits are conducted securely by telehealth so that care can take place wherever you are located within a state where Dr. Ibrahim is licensed to practice.

Dr. Ibrahim is licensed to provide medical care to patients in Florida and California.

To receive medical care or prescriptions through ARÉVIDA, you must be physically located in Florida or California at the time of your appointment.

Yes. ARÉVIDA provides physician-led functional medicine care by telehealth to women located in Florida and California.

Your care may include comprehensive medical assessment, personalized laboratory evaluation, lifestyle and nutrition recommendations, hormone management when appropriate, prescription medication, supplementation, and ongoing physician support based on your needs.

Yes. When appropriate and with your permission, we are happy to collaborate with your primary care physician, gynecologist, specialist, therapist, or other members of your healthcare team.