Is your office accessible?

Dr. Akers strives to make her office as accessible as possible. The office is located in an office complex with free parking without time limitations.  There are ADA accessible parking spaces available near the office, and the office is wheelchair accessible, on the ground floor.  There is an ADA accessible single-occupancy bathroom.  The treatment table and seating accommodate people of a range of sizes. Service animals are welcome, however emotional-support animals and pets are not permitted. 

There are HEPA air filters in the waiting room and treatment room.  The clinic has a fragrance-free policy to protect chemically-sensitive patients, and I maintain a low-lighting/no fluorescent light environment.  The clinic is located near a frontage road and the local Sutter hospital, with occasional ambulance traffic audible from the treatment room.  A white noise machine is available by request. Se habla español.

Dr. Akers continues to wear a KN95/N95 mask for visits to help protect her patients and the community, and asks that my adult patients continue to wear surgical or higher masks during appointments. 

If you have other specific access concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the office to let us know.

What makes Osteopathy different from chiropractic, massage, cranio-sacral therapy or other forms of bodywork?

These are all forms of hands-on care, and ultimately the best answer can come from experiencing different treatment modalities to answer that question uniquely for you. However, there are clear distinctions in the approaches and training of the practitioners. Osteopathic treatment is performed by a physician (DO) who has completed formal medical training, as well as post-graduate medical training (totaling a minimum of 7 years of medical training). DOs have also learned Osteopathy hand-over hand with direct mentorship, and have also cared for patients at times of severe illness and hospitalization, as well as through life transitions of birth and dying. Some of the other modalities, such as cranio-sacral therapy and lymphatic drainage techniques, started from Osteopathic concepts and were then simplified into therapeutic approaches for body-workers. Many of my patients say their experience with OMT is hard to describe, because it is unlike anything they have experienced before; however they often feel “lighter” or “more integrated” after treatment.

What conditions can Osteopathic Treatment help with?

The goal of Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is to support your body’s potential to optimize growth and healing. This approach can be applied to most situations, complaints or disease processes, as well as to patients of all ages.

Examples of conditions which can benefit from OMT are:

• Migraine and other headaches

• TMJ and jaw pain

• TBI/Post-concussive syndrome

• Long COVID

• Difficulty breastfeeding

• Pregnancy-related back pain

• Sleep apnea and other sleep disorders

• Acid reflux

• Irritable bowel syndrome & SIBO

• ADD/ADHD

• Autism spectrum disorder

• Functional neurologic disorder

• Post-stroke mobility issues

• Low back pain and sciatica

• And many more

If you want to learn more about whether OMT might be appropriate for you, feel free to book a complimentary Q&A call with Dr. Akers.

You can read more about Dr. Akers areas of specialty & also about OMT for children.

Can Dr. Akers be my Neurologist?

Dr. Akers is not providing Neurology services at this time. She is focusing on providing Traditional Osteopathic care, including for patients with neurologic conditions. Please note that our office is not set up to order labs, imaging studies or prescription medications. Please address these issues with your primary care physician or other members of your health care team, and results can be sent or brought to your visit here.

Do you take insurance?

Unfortunately, for-profit private insurance companies make it nearly impossible for small private medical practices to be adequately reimbursed for their services. Accordingly, Dr. Akers does not accept any medical insurance or other third-party payments. If patients have PPO insurance, they can request an invoice for each treatment (Superbill) which can be submitted to their insurance companies for reimbursement, credit toward a deductible, or use of FSA/HSA funds. Please visit the “Getting Started” page for prices. Dr. Akers offers a sliding scale to make osteopathic treatment more accessible; read more here (coming soon; for now please contact the office for information regarding sliding scale pricing).

Dr. Akers has opted out of Medicare starting in August 2024, and therefore Medicare will NOT provide reimbursement, and claims should not be submitted to Medicare for reimbursement. All patients with Medicare will be asked to sign a Medicare Opt-Out form which acknowledges that you understand that Dr. Akers has opted out and does not accept Medicare payment. If you have a secondary insurance, you can submit the Superbill and copy of your signed Medicare Opt-Out form to the secondary insurance, and they may be able to reimburse you for a portion of the fees, depending on your coverage.