Before coming to Valeo, Liz experienced an all-too-common problem of western medicine: being repeatedly prescribed medications for a health issue that wouldn’t go away.
“I was getting so frustrated, because I kept being given a prescription and nobody seemed interested in solving it and figuring out why,” shares Liz, referring to her 4-year battle with recurring UTIs. “I knew I had to get serious about figuring something out”
It didn’t take Liz long to land on the decision to turn to Valeo for help.
“I had known about Valeo for years,” says Liz. “My friend used to work at the front desk, and always spoke so highly of the doctors there and the care they provided, plus I saw positive changes in her and her family’s health, so Valeo had always been in the back of my mind.”
Liz had been wanting to explore functional medicine for a while, but it wasn’t until her persistent UTIs that she took the leap. “I went on to Valeo’s website and started learning more. I saw that Dr. Kassie had recently joined the team and was focusing on women’s health. The timing seemed perfect, especially as I had wanted to establish care with a female functional medicine provider before entering perimenopause, since I knew I’d want help navigating those changes.”
Care Exceeding Expectations
Liz’s experience with functional medicine is drastically different than the care that led her to Valeo.
“Seeing Dr. Kassie has been wonderful. I first met with her in December 2021, and it has far exceeded my expectations,” Liz says, beginning to fight back tears. “I felt so cared for by a person I had never met or known. Dr. Kassie spoke with tenderness, kindness, care, and compassion. I was blown away with how much time she took to talk to me, asking me questions about my entire health history. It was like… WOW. I went from a 4-year period of ‘take this’ and nobody caring why it was happening, to now there’s someone truly digging into the root cause,” explains Liz.
Despite the in-depth conversation and deep dive into her health history, Liz shares that she never felt rushed. “I always felt super comfortable. I found myself at many points feeling emotional, not because talking with her was sad or difficult but because I felt such a deep relief and finally was feeling encouraged again,” says Liz. “I had hope. I felt at ease and felt confident that there was going to be a plan for my health… which I hadn’t felt in a long time. Those emotions solidified that I made the right decision in seeing Dr. Kassie.”
Not only did Dr. Kassie blow Liz away with her compassion and listening, but also with her vast knowledge.
“After my first appointment, Dr. Kassie ordered some blood labs. When I met with her again several weeks later, she took the results that were way over my head and managed to bring it down to my level and explain it in a way that I could understand it,” Liz shares. “I love the way she described everything. I learned so much about what my body was doing and why… and she assured me we could make changes and get it to work properly again.”
Following the Plan at Her Own Pace
After reviewing lab results, Dr. Kassie worked with Liz to develop a plan to move forward. The plan included dietary changes, supplements, and incorporating new habits for managing stress. Even though the plan easily could have been overwhelming, Dr. Kassie managed to make it doable.
“The plan she created was one that I could follow at my own pace. She did such a wonderful job at providing the information without pressure or judgement,” says Liz. “And she went above and beyond, checking in with me several weeks later, which no other doctor has ever done for me. She wanted to touch base with how I was feeling, what changes I had seen, etc. I was happy to share that I hadn’t had another UTI (and, three years later, still haven’t!).”
Now that Liz’s acute health issue has been resolved, her plan is to focus on hormonal care while entering perimenopause.
“I just had a second round of blood work done and am repeating the process of learning where my body is now and following updated recommendations. I feel like Dr. Kassie adds value to everything. She has such great ideas, tricks, recipes, etc. and gives me a wealth of resources”
Dr. Kassie’s intentionality at providing value is greatly recognized by her patients, especially as many of them, much like Liz, are navigating the financial commitment of functional medicine. “I’m very deliberate and work on a budget” explains Liz, “so as I can budget things, I add them. I’m taking baby steps… and love having Dr. Kassie’s guidance and reassurance along the way! She’s been able to bring my awareness to the everyday low-to-no-cost things I need to be doing for my health. Working with her has helped me make myself a priority, and my health is better because of it.”
If you are interested in learning whether Dr. Kassie would be the right fit for you, schedule a free phone consultation at 952-949-0676.
