Our services · Hopkins, Minnesota
Functional Medicine in Hopkins, MN,
With Time to Find the Why
You've seen one doctor for fatigue, another for your gut, and a third for your hormones, and nobody has asked how it all connects. Each visit is short, and you still don't feel like yourself. At Panka Natural Health in downtown Hopkins, Drs. Haley and Jacob Panka start with a two-hour first visit, and you see the same two doctors every time.
Functional medicine is a root-cause approach to health. Instead of treating each symptom on its own, it asks why symptoms are happening and how your hormones, digestion, blood sugar, sleep, stress, and nutrition affect one another. At Panka Natural Health in Hopkins, MN, Drs. Haley and Jacob Panka practice it as naturopathic doctors, starting with a two-hour first visit, in person or by telehealth in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
How we approach functional medicine in Hopkins, MN
An adult first visit runs two full hours with Dr. Haley or Dr. Jacob Panka. Share your records ahead of time, and your doctor reads them before you sit down. We go through your history, symptoms, diet, sleep, stress, medications, supplements, and any prior labs, with a physical exam at in-person visits, then map how your concerns connect. Dr. Haley focuses on women's health and hormones, pediatrics, holistic diabetes care, and healthy aging. Dr. Jacob focuses on brain health (fatigue, focus, and stress), heart and metabolic health, the gut–brain connection, men's health, and athletic performance and recovery. Every first visit ends with a written plan that explains what we recommend and why: nutrition, lifestyle changes, and, when they fit, targeted supplements or botanicals. After an in-person visit, you'll often have it in hand before you leave. Adult follow-ups run 60 minutes.
What functional medicine is, and what it isn't
Functional medicine starts from a simple idea: symptoms that look separate, like fatigue, bloating, poor sleep, and irregular cycles, may share a cause. Rather than give each one its own label, we look for how they connect. The model looks at how your diet, lifestyle, environment, and genes interact over time rather than one organ at a time. Functional medicine is an approach to care, not a license or a single test, so it's fair to ask who provides it. At Panka, that means time to hear your whole story and a plan built first on food, movement, sleep, and stress.
Functional and naturopathic medicine: same roots, different credentials
Naturopathic and functional medicine share the same roots: look for the cause, treat the whole person, and build on food and lifestyle. The difference is the credential. Functional medicine is an approach that clinicians from many backgrounds use. In Minnesota and Wisconsin, "naturopathic doctor" is a regulated title. It requires a four-year doctoral program at an accredited naturopathic medical school and national board exams. That training covers core medical sciences, such as anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology, plus clinical nutrition, botanical medicine, and lifestyle counseling. Drs. Haley and Jacob Panka trained at the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. Both are registered in Minnesota and licensed in Wisconsin. One honest limit: in Minnesota, naturopathic doctors don't prescribe medications such as prescription hormone therapy, thyroid hormone, statins, or GLP-1 drugs. For medication questions, we work with your prescribing clinician.
How we read your labs
Lab reference ranges come from the results of large groups of healthy people, and they vary from lab to lab. A result inside the range tells you you're close to most people, not that you're functioning at your best. Normal and optimal aren't the same thing. We read your results through a functional lens: marker by marker, in the context of your symptoms and history, and as patterns over time. For example, a value that has crept up at each yearly check while still flagged normal may deserve a closer look, especially next to ongoing symptoms. Your other providers may be able to order some tests through insurance, or you can pay cash for testing through us. Reviewing labs you already have is built into your visit.
Working alongside your care team
We coordinate with your primary care clinician and specialists rather than replace them. Your primary care clinician stays your go-to for screenings and urgent problems. We never ask you to stop or change a medication on your own, and we screen every supplement and botanical we suggest for interactions with what you already take. Between visits, secure messaging with your doctor through the Charm portal is included, with no extra fee and no membership. Messages that turn into clinical work, like reviewing new labs or changing your plan, are billed according to our messaging policy. Optional discounted 3- and 6-visit follow-up packages are available.
This visit may fit if…
You have several symptoms, such as fatigue, digestive trouble, hormone changes, or poor sleep, and want someone to look at how they connect.
Your labs keep coming back "normal" and you want them read in context.
You want food, lifestyle, and evidence-informed natural therapies as the foundation, coordinated with your current medications.
You want the same two doctors at every visit, in Hopkins or by telehealth in Minnesota or Wisconsin.
See someone else first if…
Chest pain, trouble breathing, sudden weakness, facial drooping, new confusion, a sudden severe headache, or severe abdominal pain: call 911.
Thoughts of harming yourself: call or text 988, or 911 if you are in immediate danger.
Vomiting blood, black or bloody stools, unexplained weight loss, or a new lump: see your primary care clinician or urgent care promptly.
If you need a prescription started, stopped, or changed, start with your prescribing clinician.
Bring a clearer picture to your visit
Recent lab results, imaging reports, and visit notes, uploaded to the Charm portal or faxed to our clinic ahead of time if you can.
Fax number: 612-568-9020
A list of every medication, supplement, and herbal product you take, with doses.
A short timeline of when your main symptoms started and what has helped or made them worse.
Your top two or three goals for care.
Common questions
Is a naturopathic doctor the same as a functional medicine doctor?
They overlap closely. "Functional medicine" names an approach that clinicians with different training use. "Naturopathic doctor" is a regulated credential in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and Drs. Haley and Jacob Panka practice functional medicine as naturopathic doctors.
Does insurance cover functional medicine at Panka?
We're a direct-pay practice and out-of-network with all insurers. We provide a superbill for possible out-of-network reimbursement, and we accept HSA and FSA cards. Medicare and Medicaid don't reimburse naturopathic services in Minnesota. Current fees are always on our scheduling page. Labs and supplements are billed separately.
Can I do functional medicine by telehealth?
Yes, if you're physically located in Minnesota or Wisconsin at the time of the visit. Our Hopkins office is up four steps with handrails plus a small step and isn't wheelchair accessible, so virtual visits are also an option if stairs are a barrier.
Do you see children and families?
Yes, from infants to grandparents. Children are seen through age 21 at reduced pricing, in visits that are shorter but can be extended when needed.
Where are you, and how do I start?
We're at 901 1st Street North, Suite 901A, in downtown Hopkins, with parking in front and behind. Patients from Minneapolis and across the west metro are welcome. Book a free 10-minute intro call, a conversation rather than a medical visit, or schedule your first appointment directly.
Real doctors. Real time with you.
Panka Natural Health is a family-owned clinic in downtown Hopkins, led by Drs. Haley and Jacob Panka since 2018. You see the same doctor at every visit.
Your first visit
1. Book a visit or a free 10-minute intro call. The intro call is a short conversation about fit, not a medical visit.
2. Time for your whole story. Adult first visits run two full hours; children's visits are shorter. Bring prior labs and the bottles or photos of what you take.
3. A written plan. What to try, what to test if anything, and when to reassess. We coordinate with your other clinicians.
4. Support between visits. Messaging with your doctor is included between visits, with no membership. If a message turns into clinical work, like reviewing new labs or changing your plan, it's billed according to our messaging policy.
Direct-pay practice: out-of-network with all insurers, superbills for possible reimbursement, HSA and FSA accepted. Medicare and Medicaid do not reimburse naturopathic services in Minnesota. Current fees are on our scheduling page. Telehealth for patients located in Minnesota or Wisconsin at the time of the visit (virtual only in Wisconsin). Ample parking in front of and behind the building; the entrance is up four steps with handrails; the office is not wheelchair accessible, and virtual visits are an alternative.
Dr. Haley Panka, ND: Women's health and hormones, pediatrics, holistic diabetes care, and supportive care for breast cancer patients and survivors.
Dr. Jacob Panka, ND, MS: Brain and neuroendocrine health, cardiovascular and metabolic health, gut–brain physiology, and men's health.
Sources and further reading
General education, not a diagnosis. We work alongside your primary care clinician and specialists, not instead of them. Care and testing depend on your history and clinical needs.
Your questions are a good place to start.
Book a visit, or begin with a free 10-minute call to see whether we're the right fit.