At Vital Root Health (VRH) we understand what patients are going through as they attempt to heal from complex health problems while trying to navigate through a broken healthcare system that at times creates more problems than it fixes.
Today’s patient requires hope, optimism, and a clear path as they work to recover their health and return to normal function.
We can’t be our best self and maximize our impact on the world when we are experiencing ill-health and disease.
Therefore, our health should be our #1 priority.
For someone who is experiencing the challenges that come with being sick, this can feel like an overwhelming ideal. However, in our experience moving yourself and your health to the top of your to-do-list is very powerful and is often the catalyst to creating a transformational life-experience.
At VRH we believe that each human being is intrinsically valuable, but we also understand that not every patient who applies for care will be a good fit for our approach. We utilize a very deliberate and systematic admissions process, which allows us to select candidates that have the best opportunity to experience a positive outcome.
This admissions process is first focused on whether the prospective patient has a condition we can successfully treat. Next, we focus on whether they possess qualities that would make them a good overall fit. Some of those qualities include health being the #1 priority, being motivated to get better, having a great support system, and a pleasant and optimistic attitude.
Discover if You’re a Good Candidate
Dr. Phillip Redd DO
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine
Born, raised, and loving living in Idaho, I am Dr. Phillip Redd, DO. For those who may not know, as a DO (Doctor of Osteopathy) I am trained in all things in which MD’s are trained, although the basic philosophy is unique. That is, DO’s believe there is an innate connection between the body, mind and spirit. This boils down to a realization that our bodies have an inherent ability to heal.
As a DO I have worked in military and traditional healthcare/hospital settings where I have witnessed the pain, frustration and suffering of many individuals with chronic disease conditions. I also have experienced first-hand the devastation that individuals and their families go through with Alzheimer’s and dementia.
I am constantly approached by individuals who are discouraged and frustrated with “health care” and not being listened to. People have told me they have been scolded and laughed out of doctor’s offices. Others are told it’s just a psychological problem and are given a pill. I call this “sick-care.” It comes down to this – most “health care” providers are ill-equipped to help patients actually find health. They don’t know how to help or empower them.
Unlike most DO’s and other providers in practice, I take a ‘functional’ approach to medicine. This means that through my diagnostics, root-cause analysis, and treatments, my patients actually get results. I successfully treat early-stage Alzheimer’s Disease and cognitive decline, thyroid and Hashimoto’s Disease, type II diabetes, parasite and other intestinal disorders, as well as many other difficult to treat conditions.
At Vital Root Health, my team and I utilize this functional and integrated medicine approach to customize treatment for each individual’s case. We recognize the necessity to get the right tests in order to find and remove the root causes and irritants from the body. My multi-therapeutic approach is key to my patients restoring their cellular vitality and metabolic balance.
My training in functional medicine and neurology has helped me emerge from that “sick-care” or “pill for an ill” model to develop a process to successfully treat Alzheimer’s disease; autoimmune disease; thyroid conditions; type 2 diabetes; chronic fatigue and Insomnia; parasites, candida, and leaky gut; hypertension; mental health disorders; and chronic back and joint pain and arthritis. Think about it. When people can return to reading, working, driving because their cognitive function improves, they get their blood sugars down to pre-diabetic levels and have more energy, get rid of neuropathy, and have restorative sleep again. This is what functional medicine is all about.
My success in treating these conditions happens because I choose the right patients. My process is proven to help because those who are admitted to my practice have communicated to me that their health is actually their number-one priority. However, all too often they have already met with so much frustration at not being listened to, not taken seriously when telling their doctors the symptoms from which they suffer, that they are ready for something else. Many have almost given up hope of recovering their health. Many don’t even realize these conditions don’t have to be lifelong. Some desperately need my help to realize their health should be top-priority above everything else, and when people reach this turning point in their life, they will do everything it takes to get well. My process offers new hope for a better life and a bright future. I look forward to serving you.
Amanda L. Zimcosky, PA-C, AFMCP
Certified Physician Assistant, and ADAPT Functional Medicine Practitioner
Amanda grew up in western Pennsylvania where she practiced traditional hunter-gathering techniques with her father and family. She quickly found a love for nature and the outdoors while archery hunting and wild food gathering with her father. She always had a passion for sports and nutrition and studied Natural Sciences in undergraduate school at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
She pursued her Master’s in Physician Assistant Studies at the University of Mount Union in Northeast Ohio where she met her husband. She moved to Northeast Ohio and started her career in Emergency Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. Despite early successes in her career she realized conventional medicine was not addressing the fundamentals for optimal health and healing. She needed a field of medicine that better aligned with her values. She completed formal functional medicine training through IFM (Institute for Functional Medicine) and completed the ADAPT Functional Medicine Practitioner training course before beginning her career as an integrative/functional medicine practitioner.
Amanda understands first hand how stressors, both internal and external, affect one's whole health and has successfully applied proper nutrition, activity, mindfulness, and natural medicines to realign her body’s natural vital state. Amanda shares a deep passion for educating patients on functional medicine techniques and how to embrace a lifestyle that will propagate vital healthy living for oneself and their families.
In her free time Amanda enjoys exercising, hiking, hunting, fly fishing, gardening, reading with her husband and two pups (Lola and Chuck), and nurturing time with family and friends.
Catherine (Cate) Cummings, FNP, DC, LAc, IFMCP, ReCODE 2.0 CP
Family Nurse Practitioner, Chiropractor, Licensed Acupuncturist, Functional Medicine Practitioner, and ReCODE 2.0 Practitioner
Throughout her life Cate has been very interested in nature and has always been a lifelong animal lover with a long history of raising and caring for animals including goats, sheep, pigs, cows, chickens, dogs, and cats. While in Texas, she began a family farm business raising grassfed lamb, beef, and pork for the local community. She holds a special place in her heart for her two horses who were born on her Texas ranch, and who are now enjoying their Idaho life with mountain views. She and Ron currently raise Nubian goats, and she is very proud and thankful for their courageous Akbash livestock guardian dogs who fearlessly protect everyone on their Idaho ranch.
While living in Virginia, Cate became a serious gardener (veggies, flowers, and a small orchard) which became another great love of hers. Texas also proved to be a fantastic year-round gardening experience, and now in Idaho, she is learning how to garden at a much higher elevation. Her first Idaho garden was this year and it turned out very well due to the naturally fertile soil, clean air, and abundant clean water.
Cate has always been interested in learning how to help all living things stay healthy (the soil, plants, animals, and people). She was an avid student of human health from an early age and was very fortunate to study human health from multiple perspectives (traditional western medicine, oriental medicine, and chiropractic). When living on her Texas ranch, she learned first-hand the interconnectedness of all living things – from the soil microbes to the health of the plants, the animals and people, and how to support the entire ecosystem.
Cate is honored to be a part of Vital Root Health because she knows that Dr. Redd and his team are devoted to empowering people through very personalized functional medicine care, to discover the fundamental reasons for their health situation, and also provide a clear supportive path forward to make the needed changes, so that they can indeed live the life of optimal health that they are hoping to achieve.