Telluride & Mountain Village

Functional & Integrative Medicine for Women in Telluride

Living in a box canyon at nearly 9,000 feet is a gift, but it can make thoughtful medical care hard to find. I'm Michelle Mullins, a dual board-certified nurse practitioner, and I care for Telluride and Mountain Village women two ways: by secure telehealth from wherever you are, and in person at my office in Ridgway, which is under an hour from town.

How care works from Telluride

Most of the relationship can happen online. Initial evaluations, lab reviews, and follow up visits all work well by video, so you don't lose a powder day or a shift to sit in a car. When an exam would help, the Ridgway office at 160 S Amelia St, suite 3, is an easy drive over Dallas Divide, and many patients pair the trip with errands in the valley.

Labs can be drawn at the Ridgway office, or at a Quest location that fits your route. I'll order the right tests either way, and we go through the results together so they turn into decisions, not just numbers in a portal.

Built for active mountain women

Telluride women tend to train hard and play hard. Skiing all winter, then riding, running, and hiking all summer, adds up. Layer midlife hormone changes on top and things that used to be easy, like recovering from a big day, sleeping through the night, or keeping weight steady, can start to slip.

I look at that whole picture. Altitude affects sleep quality, breathing at night, iron needs, and hydration. Training load interacts with hormones, thyroid, and appetite. Seasonal swings, from the busy ski season to off season, change stress and routines. Instead of a single prescription, you get a plan that respects how you actually live. More on that approach is on the performance and recovery page.

What I commonly help with

• Perimenopause and menopause symptoms, including sleep disruption and mood shifts.
• Hormone therapy, evaluated against your personal and family history.
• Thyroid and energy problems that persist despite "normal" labs.
• Gut and digestive symptoms that affect training and daily life.
• Metabolic health and body composition, with lean mass protection.
• Sleep and insomnia at altitude, including CBT-I and at-home WatchPAT sleep testing.
• Recovery, injury patterns, and bone health for women who want to keep moving for decades.

Root cause, with the full toolkit

Functional medicine is about asking why. Integrative medicine is about using every tool that works, conventional medication included. I practice both. That means you can get a careful root-cause workup when symptoms overlap, and straightforward conventional treatment when that is all a visit needs. Read more on the functional and integrative medicine page, or see menopause and hormone care for Telluride if hormones are your main focus.

Membership, plainly

Arete is a cash-pay membership practice. Membership includes visits, messaging, lab ordering and review, and sleep care including CBT-I. Details are on the membership page. Arete is unable to accept Medicare or Medicaid at this time.

Telluride questions