Straight Answers,No Sales Pitch
The questions people actually ask before they call, answered the way we would answer them on the phone.
The Practice
What is functional medicine?
Functional medicine looks for the cause of a symptom rather than managing the symptom itself. In practice that means broader testing, longer appointments and a plan that may combine prescriptions, nutrition, hormone support and lifestyle change rather than relying on any one of them.
Who is the provider at Zen Medicine Okeechobee?
Casey Thompson, APRN, is the founder and provider. She is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse practising functional and root-cause medicine since 2021, and she sees every patient herself.
Where is Zen Medicine located?
The clinic is at 808 N Parrott Ave, Okeechobee, FL 34972, on the north side of town. Office hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Booking & Cost
Do you take insurance?
Zen Medicine is a cash-pay practice. Cash, credit card, HSA and FSA are accepted, and direct primary care membership is available for patients who want ongoing primary care at a set monthly rate. You may still use insurance for outside labs, imaging, specialists and hospital care.
How do I book my first appointment?
Call (888) 570-4325 during office hours and the clinic will book you directly. New patients start with a complimentary consultation so you can decide whether this approach fits before committing to testing or treatment.
What happens at the first visit?
The first visit is a conversation. You walk through your history, your symptoms and what you want to change, and Casey recommends which testing would actually answer the question. Nothing is ordered before you understand why.
Are you accepting new patients?
Yes. Zen Medicine is accepting new patients, and the complimentary consultation is the starting point for all of them.
How long does an appointment take?
Consultations are scheduled for real time rather than a fifteen-minute slot, because a full history cannot be taken in fifteen minutes. Follow-ups are shorter once your plan is running.
Testing & Treatment
Is blood work done at the clinic?
Yes. Blood draws are done in-house by appointment, so one trip covers your consultation and your labs. Your results are reviewed with you at a dedicated follow-up appointment.
How is your blood work different from what my doctor orders?
Two ways: coverage and interpretation. The panels measure considerably more markers, including full thyroid function, hormones, nutrients and inflammation, and results are read against optimal ranges rather than the wide statistical ranges that can call a struggling thyroid normal.
My labs came back normal but I still feel awful. Can you help?
That is one of the most common reasons patients come here. A standard panel is designed to rule out disease, so it can look entirely unremarkable while you sit at the bottom of a healthy range and feel every bit of it. Broader testing and optimal-range interpretation usually explain the gap.
Do you treat men as well as women?
Yes. Hormone care at Zen Medicine covers perimenopause, menopause and thyroid-adjacent imbalance in women, and low testosterone, fatigue and muscle loss in men.
Getting Here
What areas does Zen Medicine serve?
The clinic serves Okeechobee County and the surrounding lake region, and regularly sees patients from Highlands, Glades, Hendry, Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties, including Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce, Stuart, Clewiston, Moore Haven, Sebring, Lake Placid and Vero Beach.
Is it worth driving from out of town?
Most treatment plans need only a handful of in-person visits a year once initial testing is complete, and dose adjustments and check-ins for established patients are frequently handled by phone. Visits are sequenced to keep the number of trips down.
Still Have A Question?
Call and ask. We would rather answer it now than have you guess.