My Journey - how did I get here?

My journey into longevity medicine began after completing my third OBGYN residency in 2008, following prior training in India and the UK. Eager to establish my practice in New York, I quickly built a patient base, finding that compassion and a non-judgmental approach fostered trust, a quality I deeply appreciated in the US healthcare landscape.

Initially, my practice mirrored conventional OBGYN, addressing pregnancy care alongside common gynecological issues like irregular periods and infections. I followed standard protocols: diagnostic tests, blood work, and traditional treatment options.

However, a recurring theme emerged. Patients, just as our consultations concluded, would often voice a deeper concern: a loss of libido, a profound lack of desire. This wasn't a simple question with a single answer, and frankly, at the time, I didn't have one. Like many OBGYNs, I might have suggested a glass of wine, but I knew this wasn't a real solution. This recurring question ignited a quest for deeper understanding.

My initial search led me to medical sex therapy certification, a two-year endeavor that provided valuable insights. Yet, it soon became clear that sexual health issues were often intertwined with a broader array of concerns: weight gain, hair loss, chronic pain, recurrent infections, and even the shadow of breast and uterine cancers. While I initially tried to categorize these into conventional gynecological diagnoses like PCOS or endometriosis, patients would experience temporary relief only to have symptoms resurface.

For instance, a straightforward case of bacterial vaginosis (BV) would clear with Metronidazole, only to return weeks later. Repeated treatments, as per guidelines, led to frustration for both patient and physician. I began to question: Why weren't they truly getting better? This curiosity led me to research practices from my time in India, where probiotics were routinely used. While some patients benefited from my recommendation of probiotics, many did not, signaling that a more fundamental issue was at play.

I grew increasingly disillusioned with the common practice of prescribing antidepressants for PMS or birth control pills for PCOS, often observing adverse effects like weight gain, worsened depression, hair loss, or further diminished libido. This propelled me to delve deeper into research, seeking answers beyond the scope of traditional training. I began incorporating lifestyle changes and basic nutritional support, such as probiotics, chasteberry, and glucosamine. To my delight, many patients, after dedicated counseling, started to show significant and lasting improvement.

This nascent "integrative" approach resonated deeply. I soon discovered a growing community of like-minded physicians who were also seeking alternative, root-cause-focused solutions rather than just applying "band-aids" to symptoms. It's been 18 years since I embarked on this path, and my passion for learning, especially about foundational aspects of health, remains undiminished.

Understanding health at a cellular level, delving into fundamental physiology and biochemistry, and then applying this knowledge to develop personalized treatment plans — this, I realized, is how we should be addressing ailments. This is the very essence of longevity medicine and foundational medicine.

Recently, a colleague questioned if my license covered "this kind of practice." I was momentarily amused, as this approach isn't "alternative" but rather a return to fundamental medical principles. While I am a double board-certified OBGYN and deeply value Western medicine for its life-saving interventions in critical conditions and cancer treatment, conventional gynecological training often falls short in addressing chronic, interconnected health issues. Simply removing a fibroid or endometriosis doesn't guarantee a permanent cure; these conditions often recur because underlying causes like inflammation, hormone imbalance, and the gut-brain-vagina axis are left unaddressed. The human body is an intricately designed, interconnected system; to treat its parts in isolation is to fundamentally misunderstand its design.

I once believed I was alone in thinking "alternatively," but attending conferences like A4M and other integrative seminars revealed thousands of physicians sharing this same quest for holistic patient care. In our fast-paced world of quick fixes, we've often overlooked what true wellness entails, seeking pills or surgery to "get on with our lives." However, this often means merely sweeping problems under the rug until they resurface with greater intensity, leading to frustration and a cycle of blame.