Out of illness, frustration and disappointment, Toni Colton built something healing.
In 2023, Colton opened Ascend Functional Medicine, a comprehensive functional medicine practice offering holistic healthcare through a variety of treatments. The practice sprouted from Colton’s own health issues and her ultimate fatigue from working in the American healthcare system.
“I have been in medicine for 25 years, working in various fields such as emergency medicine, urgent care, primary care and psychiatry,” Colton says. “None of these allowed me to focus on the cause of illness and disease. I was expected to treat symptoms with prescription medications and refer specialists when needed. I had very little time to focus on preventative care and education. I realized that the current healthcare system did not match the standard of care I wanted to provide to my patients.”
Ascend Functional Medicine offers visits that are approximately one hour and 45 minutes long. Visits cover a patient’s entire health history from birth to current health status. After covering health history, Colton creates a care plan which includes specialty testing recommendations, medications or supplements and a food plan specific to treating symptoms. Other treatment offerings include IV and intramuscular nutrition therapy, heavy metal testing for military or service members, injections with dietitian referral for long-term success, reiki and rife frequency therapy.
“Ascend services are unique in that they are all offered with patient education by a provider who truly cares and listens to what is being said,” Colton says. Treatment modalities are tailored to individual needs combining traditional Western medicine, Eastern energy healing and frequency healing. In recent years, functional medicine has grown in popularity.
“Patients are continually disappointed by the care they receive through the standard health care system,” Colton says. “They feel dismissed, unheard and frustrated, being tossed to multiple providers for individual health issues.”
Colton was initially drawn to functional medicine after a mystery illness affected her head, heart, nerves and body temperature regulations. She was led through seven different medical specialists. Time and again, she was told that her tests showed she was not sick, despite her feeling so. She was disappointed by the healthcare system, the same in which she built her career.
Because of her symptoms, she quit her job and was soon cooped up due to pandemic shutdowns. So, she sought answers for herself. “I stumbled across an article that mentioned the Institute for Functional Medicine, about which I knew very little,” she says. “The more I learned, the more I got excited. This was exactly how I had been wanting to care for my patients from the beginning of my career, by treating the root cause of illness. It really sparked a passion.”
Colton’s patient care philosophy is rooted in a comprehensive approach, including a patient’s physical, social and environmental concerns. Prioritizing patient dignity, she promotes emotional, psychological wellbeing and physical healing. “I have a deep caring relationship with my patients,” she says. “Many providers see their patients as just another name on the schedule. I’ve built a great reputation and rapport with my patients, and most of them have become friends. I am looking forward to being a part of rebuilding the currently imploding healthcare system and gearing treatment through health promotion, communication and treating illness from a root-cause approach.”
When Colton is not caring for her patients, she loves to get outside to run, boat, kayak or paddleboard. She lives with her husband of almost 25 years and her daughter. She spends a lot of time with her twin sister, who recently moved to Virginia. She loves spending time with family, friends, her dog and her six Pekin ducks.
