What are your hours?
Charm City Natural Health is open for patient visits from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM on Monday through Friday. Appointments are required.
How long are visits?
Initial naturopathic visits are 75-90 minutes, which permits your naturopathic doctor to conduct a complete intake, assess your health habits, make any recommendations and spend plenty of time explaining the course of treatment and answering any questions you have. Subsequent visits may last 45-60 minutes.
Initial and follow up integrative psychology visits are 45-60 minutes in length.
Parking Tips
Plentiful free parking is available in our parking lot, on Roland Avenue, and on Upland Road.
Can you be my PCP?
Naturopathic Doctors are not licensed to be primary care providers by the state of Maryland. However, if you are seeking a primary care provider, we are happy to help you find one who meets your needs.
Do you see children?
Yes! Children respond very well to natural medicine approaches, and parents often prefer our approaches because of the lack of side effects. Pediatric visit lengths and fees are slightly different than adult visits, so please refer to our Visits and Fees page for more information. Drs. Runde and Paddock are not pediatricians, and cannot take the place of your pediatrician.
Dr. Apel primarily sees adults, but may see teenagers on a case-by-case basis. Adult and pediatric integrative psychology visits are the same length.
Do you take my insurance for naturopathic medicine?
Our naturopathic doctors are not currently enrolled as in-network providers in Maryland, and so cannot directly bill insurance for services. However, you can self-submit claims to your insurance company for reimbursement or application to your deductible - we will supply you with the necessary paperwork.
Do you take my insurance for integrative psychology
Dr. Apel is considered an “out-of-network” provider, and a substantial proportion of her fee is often reimbursed through your insurance plan provided that you have out-of-network coverage. CCNH will provide you with an invoice (superbill) that contains all of the necessary information to apply for reimbursement, and Dr. Apel's fees are generally considered to be within the acceptable range (UCR) by most insurance companies. Prior to beginning therapy, it will be useful for you to contact your insurance company to get specific details about your mental health benefits, number of sessions covered per year, and percent of cost covered for out of network providers.
What about FSAs or HSAs?
We are happy to accept payment from Flexible Spending Accounts or Healthcare Savings Accounts, which are features of some insurance plans. Please call the clinic if you have further questions.
How much do visits cost?
Please visit this page for updated information on visit fees.
Are there any additional costs?
Visit fees do not include any additional costs for supplements, herbs, or vitamins recommended by Dr. Paddock or Dr. Runde. Some supplements are available for purchase at Charm City Natural Health, but others are available through an online fulfillment service. While these are often essential to restoration of health, Drs. Runde and Paddock always work within their patients’ budgets. All supplements available for sale at Charm City Natural Health or through our online dispensary are available for 20% off retail prices.
What about testing?
Dr. Runde and Dr. Paddock order a variety of types of testing, both conventional and functional. Some tests can be billed to insurance, while others cannot. All costs associated with testing will be discussed at your appointment.
How many visits will I need?
At the first naturopathic medicine visit (75-90 min) the goal is to gather information through history, physical exam, and review of past medical records. After that first visit, your doctor is usually ordering labs based through your in-network lab and potentially ordering specialty labs if they are needed. Three to four weeks later these results are discussed in a naturopathic standard follow up visit (45-60min) and an initial treatment plan is given for the patient to follow for the next 2-4 months depending on the case. At that time, follow up visits are determined by individual need, but typically happen every 3-4 months to monitor treatment efficacy.
The frequency of psychology talk therapy visits are determined by the patient and Dr Apel and may range from weekly, to once a month, to as needed. You will discuss this with Dr Apel during your first visit.
How will an ND fit into my healthcare team?
Naturopathic doctors are trained to work with your other healthcare providers. With your permission, they can communicate with your other healthcare providers, so that you get maximal health outcomes.