About Integrative Medicine

Integrative medicine combines traditional medical practices with holistic approaches. It offers a balanced path to health and healing. In Century City, Los Angeles, California, an integrative medicine doctor addresses various health needs by blending the best of conventional and alternative therapies. This means looking beyond symptoms alone and focusing on the whole person, including lifestyle, stress, and emotional well-being. Integrative medicine is an approach that includes a variety of treatments, such as nutritional counseling, stress management, or even acupuncture, along with regular medical care. It gives a combination of short-term relief and long-term wellness. An integrative medicine doctor provides various personalized options that are backed by a deeper understanding of how different aspects of your life can impact your health. Integrative Medicine gives a way to create a health plan that’s as unique as you are, helping you feel more in control of your well-being.

From Struggle to Synergy: My Personal Path to Integrative Medicine

Our bodies are designed with a divine foundation meant to last a lifetime at peak performance, typically until our thirties. After that, our hormonal “fuel” depletes at 1-2% annually. How we experience this decline—whether we glide gracefully or tumble chaotically—depends on how we’ve cared for ourselves. At 35, I hit that cliff. I was newly married with two young children and a burgeoning private practice, so I lived full throttle. As a first-generation immigrant, I felt compelled to work ten times harder—through college, medical school, board exams, and training—while balancing a demanding career and family life. I was driving at top speed without ever stopping for refueling or maintenance. When I finally went over the edge, the landing was rough.

Imagine driving down the highway of life at full speed. The engine hums smoothly, the speedometer reads 200 miles per hour, and the road ahead seems endless. You feel invincible and unstoppable—until, without warning, the road disappears, and you find yourself plunging off a cliff, desperately trying to steer and hoping to land safely below.

This was my experience with menopause at the age of 37—a jarring, unexpected descent that left me feeling as if I had lost control of my life, hurtling towards an uncertain future.

My body seemed to betray me ultimately. My hair fell out, my sexuality vanished, and I spiraled into a thyroid storm and uncontrollable diabetes. Specialists offered conflicting diagnoses, some even suggesting it was “all in my head.” Yet, none of them addressed the root cause: I was hitting menopause prematurely, and my hormones were in freefall.

This crisis, though terrifying, became a pivotal turning point in my life. It compelled me to seek a new path beyond the traditional sick-care model that often waits until a condition is severe enough to be classified and treated. Instead, I embraced a regenerative and integrative approach, salvaging my hormones and extending my pre-menopausal years by a decade. I fought hard to keep my mind and body intact, striving to avoid a total breakdown.

Navigating that chaotic journey without a GPS, I gracefully landed in the valley of menopause by age 47. By 57, I had traversed through menopause and emerged on the other side, carrying with me a decade of post-menopausal experience. This journey taught me invaluable lessons I wish I had known before hitting that cliff. It instilled in me a deep appreciation for the process of aging and longevity, a sense of humility, and the wisdom gained from my struggles.

Reflecting on this journey, I’ve learned that life isn’t measured by the number of years but by how we live them. The mileage I put on my body influenced how I navigated menopause and other critical aging milestones. While going through all this experience and as an integrative medicine, I’ve come to appreciate the importance of regeneration and healing, including the critical role of restorative sleep—something I once neglected in favor of productivity.

Though my body bears some dents and scratches from the journey, I stand here wiser and ready to share what I’ve learned from my experience and the over 100,000 patients I’ve encountered over 26 years of practice. 

There is hope and healing in embracing a mindset of rest and self-care. Integrative practices—combining meditation, mindful rest, appropriate herbs, nutrients, and lifestyle changes—can significantly affect our well-being. But perhaps most importantly, our mindset shapes our ability to navigate these changes. If you want to live in a relaxing environment with a great mindset, you can contact an integrative medicine doctor in Century City, Los Angeles, California.

Menopause and aging are natural, complex, and beautifully intricate processes. They offer opportunities for growth, reflection, and transformation. Aging isn’t about decline but about reaching a higher level of understanding and appreciation. It teaches us to embrace the present moment with humility and gratitude.

So, today, being an integrative medicine doctor, let’s focus on our mindset. Each day is a gift—a chance to live fully, to celebrate our blessings, and to reconnect with what truly matters.

As Max Lucado reminds us, “Today, I will live. Yesterday has passed. Tomorrow is not yet. We are left with today. And so, today, I will live. Relive yesterday? No. I will learn from it. I will seek mercy for it. I will take joy in it. But I won’t live in it. It deserves a glance, nothing more. I can’t change tomorrow until tomorrow. Today, I will face today’s challenges with today’s strength. I will celebrate today’s opportunities with today’s hope.”

With this, I remind myself that each moment is a gift—an opportunity to learn, laugh, remember, and love. And if tomorrow comes, may I do so again. I remind myself that waking up next to a loved person in the morning with a breath is a dream come true for many.  Let us choose wisely, embracing the grace accompanying our life journey and finding joy in each new day.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is integrative medicine?

Integrative medicine is a holistic approach to healthcare that combines conventional medical treatments with complementary therapies to address the whole person—mind, body, and spirit.

What is the difference between integrative and functional medicine?

While both integrative and functional medicine emphasize a holistic approach to patient care, they differ in their methods:

Integrative Medicine combines conventional treatments with complementary therapies. It addresses the whole person and focuses on wellness and disease prevention.

Functional Medicine is more focused on identifying and addressing the root causes of disease. It often uses detailed laboratory tests to understand the body's unique biochemical processes. It treats the body as an interconnected system rather than focusing on separate organs or conditions.

What is an integrative medicine physician?

An integrative medicine physician is a licensed medical doctor who uses conventional and complementary therapies to treat patients. They take a personalized approach to healthcare, considering factors such as lifestyle, diet, stress, and environmental influences.

How to find an integrative medicine doctor?

To find an integrative medicine doctor, you can:

• Ask for referrals from your primary care physician or specialists.
• Use online directories, such as those offered by the American Board of Integrative Medicine (ABOIM) or the Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine & Health.
• Search within local hospitals or health systems that offer integrative medicine departments or centers.
• Verify credentials, ensuring the physician is board-certified and trained in integrative medicine techniques.