What to Expect on Your Free Naturopathic Discovery Call

Reviewed by Dr. Peter Wannigman, ND. Reviewed September 2026.

You have read enough to be curious. Maybe you have read a few articles on this site, or you have been dealing with symptoms your regular doctor could not fully explain, and you are close to booking a call. What is actually stopping you is a fair question: what does this call actually involve, how long does it take, and does it commit you to anything? Here is a plain answer to all three.

What to Expect on a Naturopathic Discovery Call

The discovery call on this site is free and runs about fifteen minutes. It is explicitly informational: booking it does not establish a doctor-patient relationship, and it is not a full clinical evaluation. Think of it as a short, low-pressure conversation to figure out whether a deeper root-cause conversation makes sense for your specific situation, before either of you commits to more.

This format exists because a first full appointment is a real time investment, for you and for the practice, and it is reasonable to want a shorter, lower-stakes conversation first. A discovery call lets you ask questions and describe your situation before deciding whether that longer investment makes sense.

What Happens on the Call

You will talk briefly about what brought you here: your main symptoms or concerns, roughly how long you have been dealing with them, and what you have already tried or already had tested. This is a chance to ask direct questions too. What does a first full visit actually involve? What kinds of things does this practice typically look at? Does a virtual format work for what you need? The call is a two-way conversation, not a sales pitch, and it is reasonable to come with your own questions ready.

Because the call is short, it is not the time for a full symptom history or a detailed review of prior labs. It is meant to establish the broad shape of your situation, whether a root-cause approach seems relevant to it, and whether the practice's virtual, root-cause model is a fit for what you are looking for. If it is not a fit, for any reason, that is useful information too, and you will not be pushed toward booking anyway.

By the end, you should have a clear sense of whether moving forward to a full appointment makes sense, with no pressure to decide on the spot. You can read more about our approach to naturopathic medicine beforehand if it helps.

What a Discovery Call Is Not

It is not a diagnosis, and it is not a treatment plan. Fifteen minutes is not enough time for either, and no one should expect one from a call this short. Nothing said on the call replaces a conversation with your current doctor about an existing diagnosis or prescribed medication, and nothing on the call is meant to suggest changing either. It also is not a commitment. If, after the call, this approach does not seem like the right fit, there is no obligation to continue, and no pressure to explain why.

It is also not a sales call in the sense of a scripted pitch toward a specific program. The goal is an honest conversation about whether this approach fits your situation, which sometimes means the honest answer is that it does not, at least not right now.

If You Decide to Move Forward

A fuller first appointment goes deeper than the discovery call: a more complete conversation about your health history, current symptoms, prior testing, sleep, stress, and diet, generally with more time set aside than the initial call allows. From there, additional lab work may be recommended based specifically on that conversation, not as a default panel run on every patient. Because the practice operates as a virtual root-cause practice, this full appointment happens over video, from wherever you already are, whether that is San Diego, Chula Vista, Coronado, Del Mar, Temecula, or anywhere else in Southern California.

Nothing about the discovery call obligates you to schedule this fuller appointment on any particular timeline. Some people book it the same week. Others take time to think it over first, and that is a perfectly reasonable way to approach a health decision that is not urgent. Learn more about how a virtual visit removes the usual barriers.

How to Prepare

You do not need to prepare much, but a few things make the call more useful. Jot down your main symptoms and roughly when they started. Note any lab work you have already had done, even if you do not have the exact numbers in front of you. Write down two or three questions you actually want answered, whether those are about the process, the cost, or whether a virtual format actually works for something you have always pictured happening in person. None of this needs to be polished. The goal of this call is clarity, for both of you, not a performance.

If you are currently working with a doctor or specialist on an existing diagnosis or medication, it is worth mentioning that briefly too. It helps frame the conversation honestly from the start, since a root-cause approach here is meant to work alongside that care, not around it.

If You're Skeptical About a Virtual Format

It is a fair hesitation. Plenty of people picture a doctor's visit as something that happens in an exam room, and a fifteen-minute video call can feel like a downgrade before you have actually tried it. In practice, a video conversation works well for exactly what a discovery call is meant to do: talk through your situation, ask questions, and figure out fit, none of which requires being in the same room. The fuller appointment that follows, if you choose to book one, uses the same format for the same reason: the value is in the conversation and the thinking behind it, not in a physical exam room.

If you are the kind of person who wants to test the format before committing to anything longer, the discovery call is a low-stakes way to do exactly that. You can also read about what a broader lab workup can add to get a sense of where a full appointment can lead.

Curious whether this is worth fifteen minutes of your time? Book your free discovery call and see for yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions

Discovery calls are for informational purposes and do not establish a doctor-patient relationship. Information on this website is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. A practitioner-patient relationship is not established until formally accepted by the practice.