Frequently Asked Questions

Functional medicine is a systems-based, root-cause approach to health. Instead of asking "what drug matches this symptom," we ask "why is this person's body doing this, and what needs to change?" 

That means we spend time on your full history — your diet, sleep, stress, environment, and genetics — and use advanced testing to find patterns that standard medicine often misses. Conventional medicine is excellent for acute illness and emergencies. Functional medicine is built for the chronic, the complex, and the "my labs are normal but I still feel terrible." 

No — and this distinction matters. We are a direct-pay functional and integrative medicine practice. We do not bill insurance, handle acute sick visits, refill chronic medications from other doctors, or function as your general practitioner. If you need primary care, you should maintain that relationship. What we do is go deeper — investigating root causes, advanced testing, nutrition, hormones, metabolism, and lifestyle medicine. Many of our patients keep a primary care physician for routine and urgent needs while working with Dr. Pestana for their functional and integrative care. 

No. Pestana Comprehensive Wellness is a direct-pay practice, meaning you pay us directly without involving insurance. This model allows Dr. Pestana to spend the time your care actually requires — rather than seeing 25 patients a day to meet insurance reimbursement demands. Many patients find the out-of-pocket investment is comparable to what they were spending on co-pays, specialist visits, and medications that were never getting to the root of their problem. Some lab tests and medications may still be billable to your insurance separately; we will help you navigate that where possible. 

It is a one-time, 60-minute physician consultation with Dr. Pestana focused on reviewing your existing lab results and connecting the dots between your symptoms and your data. If you have been told your labs are "normal" but you still feel off — or if you have a stack of results from various doctors that no one has ever explained to you — this session is designed for you. The cost is $300, which applies in full toward any comprehensive program if you enroll within 14 days. 

A Discovery Call is a free 15-minute phone or video call where you and Dr. Pestana's team get to ask each other the right questions. You share what you have been dealing with, what you have already tried, and what you are hoping for. We share what our programs look like and whether we are a good fit for each other. There is no pressure and no obligation. It is simply the best way to start. 

Yes — but not the way most weight loss clinics do it. Our Metabolic Momentum™ program is a physician-supervised weight optimization program designed to address the root causes of weight resistance, not just suppress appetite. Dr. Pestana does prescribe GLP-1 medications including semaglutide and tirzepatide when clinically appropriate — but medication is one tool in a broader plan that includes advanced metabolic testing, personalized nutrition, hormone evaluation, and accountability coaching. We do not just hand out prescriptions at the first visit. We take the time to understand why your body is holding onto weight — whether that is insulin resistance, thyroid dysfunction, cortisol dysregulation, hormonal imbalance, or something else entirely — and we build your plan around that. If you have tried GLP-1 therapy elsewhere and stalled, or if you want to do it right the first time with real medical supervision, the Metabolic Momentum program was built for you. 

The DUTCH test (Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones) measures sex hormones, adrenal hormones, and their metabolites in a way that a standard blood panel cannot. It shows not just your hormone levels but how your body is processing and clearing those hormones — which is often where the problem is hiding. We use it for women navigating perimenopause, menopause, PMS, fatigue, and mood changes, as well as for evaluating cortisol patterns related to stress and sleep. It is one of the most clinically useful tools we have. 

We work with women, men, and families. Our most common patient is a woman between 35 and 60 who is dealing with fatigue, hormonal changes, weight that won't respond to her efforts, sleep disruption, brain fog, or a gut issue she has been told to "just live with."

We also work with men seeking to optimize energy, cardiometabolic health, and performance — and with families looking for functional pediatric nutrition and wellness support. If you are ready to participate actively in your own health, we are ready to work with you. 

Our office is located at 3100 Coral Hills Drive, Suite 201, in Coral Springs, Florida. We serve patients throughout South Florida including Parkland, Boca Raton, Coconut Creek, Pompano Beach, Margate, Tamarac, and surrounding areas. 

We also offer virtual visits, allowing us to support patients throughout Florida. 

Programs are time-limited, intensive, physician-led journeys — typically three to six months, although we do offer a 1 year option — designed to uncover root causes, run advanced testing, and build your personalized plan. They are where transformation happens. 

Memberships are ongoing, lower-touch relationships for patients who have already established their foundation and want to maintain their progress with regular physician check-ins, lab reviews, and coaching support. 

Many new patients start with a program or higher touch membership and transition to a membership fo their choice when their goals shift from transformation to maintenance. 

If you have been managing symptoms without ever feeling truly well — if you feel dismissed in 15-minute appointments — if your labs are "normal" but your body is telling you something different — functional medicine may be exactly what you have been looking for. The best next step is a Discovery Call. It costs nothing and takes 15 minutes. If it is not the right fit, we will tell you honestly. 

 A free 15-minute Discovery Call is the easiest way to find out if we're the right fit.  Or send us an email at assistance@pestanawellness.com