Ridgway, Colorado

Functional & Integrative Medicine in Ridgway, Colorado

Arete Women's Integrative Medicine is a women's practice right here in town, at 160 S Amelia St, suite 3, Ridgway, CO 81432. I'm Michelle Mullins, a dual board-certified nurse practitioner (AGACNP-BC, FNP-BC), and I opened this office so women in Ridgway would not have to drive to Grand Junction or Denver for thoughtful, unhurried care. You can reach the office at 970-318-4874.

What functional and integrative care looks like here

Functional medicine asks why a symptom is happening, not only what to prescribe for it. Integrative medicine keeps the full conventional toolkit (exams, diagnostic testing, prescriptions) and adds nutrition, sleep, movement, and stress physiology when the evidence supports them. At Arete, those two ideas work together. Some visits are a deep dive into a tangle of symptoms. Others are simply good conventional care, done carefully. You don't have to choose a philosophy before you walk in the door.

Practically, that means longer appointments, a real review of your history, and a plan that connects the dots between systems instead of handing you a separate fix for each complaint. You can read more about the method on the functional and integrative medicine page.

Concerns I see most often

• Perimenopause and menopause: hot flashes, night sweats, cycle changes, mood shifts, and brain fog.
• Hormone balance, including hormone replacement therapy when it fits your history.
• Thyroid questions, especially when TSH looks fine but you still feel off.
• Gut health: bloating, irregularity, food reactions, and how digestion ties into energy and mood.
• Metabolic health and weight, with attention to protecting muscle.
• Sleep and insomnia, including CBT-I.
• Fatigue and the frustrating experience of being told your labs are "normal."
• Performance and recovery for women who ski, climb, run, and ride around the Uncompahgre Valley.

Your first visit and labs

Your first visit is a comprehensive evaluation. We go through your symptoms, past records, medications, supplements, sleep, training, and what you have already tried. I'll do a physical exam when it's useful, and together we decide which labs actually make sense for you. Not every patient needs every test.

Because the office draws labs in house, Ridgway patients can often have blood drawn before they leave. If a different day works better, you can return to the office or use a Quest location. Once results are in, we review them together and turn them into a plan you can follow, with follow up visits to adjust as things change.

How membership works

Arete is a cash-pay membership practice. Your monthly membership covers visits, secure messaging, lab ordering and review, and a foundational lab panel when clinically appropriate, so you are not watching the clock or counting copays. Sleep and insomnia care, including CBT-I, is part of membership too. Full details and pricing are on the membership page. Arete does not accept Medicare or Medicaid at this time.

In person or online, your choice

Living in Ridgway means the office is only minutes away, so in person visits are easy. On busy weeks, or when a lab review does not need an exam, telehealth works just as well. Many patients switch between the two depending on what each visit calls for. Looking for hormone and menopause care specifically? See women's health and menopause care in Ridgway.

Ridgway questions