At Dr. Leila, Quality of Life Medicine, our goal is to support each patient nutritionally and hormonally with metabolic and functional medicine practices that are grounded in science. We provide education about health and wellness, advice on appropriate lifestyle changes, and recommend supplements that are carefully selected for each person. Dr. Leila and her staff understand each patient is different, with their own unique set of characteristics that affect their health, and that the mind and body must be treated as a unified whole. Dr. Leila seeks to help each patient not merely survive but thrive, living their very best life, happy and healthy!
Do you ever find yourself thinking, “I just don’t feel as good as I think I should. My life feels really hard. I try to be healthy but it feels like an uphill battle all of the time. I eat right, I exercise, but I feel tired and stressed. Why doesn’t my body work like it should?” What’s the solution so you can finally feel normal again?
The body needs hormones to produce all the neurotransmitters we need to feel good. When hormone levels decline, we may become irritable, anxious, and depressed, and we may even lose our short-term memory. Because hormones help keep bones and muscles strong and healthy, we may suffer osteoporosis, poor muscle tone, and increased frailty. You know if your hormones are declining when you feel aches and pains more acutely, since hormones are one of the body’s biggest anti-inflammatories. Your energy decreases along with your libido. Basically, you feel like you’re falling apart!
Do you feel exhausted? Burned out? Do you often ask yourself, “Why am I so tired all the time?” Do you crave sugar and caffeine? Do you get frequent cold and upper respiratory symptoms? Gaining weight despite diet and exercise? Do you have muscle and joint pain? Do you feel irritable or anxious and less able to handle stress? You could be suffering from Adrenal Fatigue!
What’s Wrong With My Gut? The human gastrointestinal tract is not only the largest organ in the body, but also one of the most complex, and central to the healthy functioning of the rest of the body. Until recently, most people assumed the intestines were a long, passive tube that carries food in and carries waste out. Today we understand more about the vibrant and dynamic environment of the intestinal lining, the intricate relationship between the gut and the brain, and how the health of the gut affects both autoimmunity and overall levels of inflammation in the body.
Are you concerned about being overweight? Do you crave sugar and carbs? Does diabetes run in your family? Do you frequently feel stressed? Can’t seem to lose weight despite exercise? If you can relate to any of these questions, you could be heading towards diabetes.
What Is Fibromyalgia? Traditional doctors define fibromyalgia as a “syndrome,” meaning patients suffer from a collection of symptoms and that all other diagnoses have been excluded. Fibromyalgia is a condition characterized by severe muscle pain.
Heart Disease: Inflammation of the Blood Vessels Currently in America, heart disease is the number one cause of death, accounting for one out of every four deaths. Of course, we know that diet and exercise help to prevent heart disease, but many people place an emphasis on cholesterol as the root cause for heart disease. However, it’s much more complicated than elevated cholesterol levels. Contrary to popular opinion, cholesterol does not cause heart disease. Although cholesterol can be found at “the scene of the crime” (a cholesterol plaque), the true source is inflammation.
Not many people know inflammation can be reversed. Scientists project that for the first time, the current generation will live shorter lives than their parents. The number of patients struggling with various diseases continues to increase. Inflammation is at the root of many of these diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, arthritis, and even cancer. Inflammation damages arteries and dysregulates our metabolism, causing obesity and increased blood sugar. It also alters our immune system, making it harder for us to fight off illness and cancer.
Low testosterone levels have serious implications for men’s health. Testosterone helps build muscle, burn sugar, and reduce inflammation. Studies have shown a definite link between low testosterone and an increased risk of heart disease, including heart attacks and congestive heart failure. Testosterone helps the heart function well and dilates the arteries that feed blood to the heart, which reduces cholesterol plaque formation in the carotid arteries that feed the brain.
The thyroid is a gland that sits at the base of our necks and controls the metabolic rate of our entire bodies. Thyroid hormones control how fast our cells work, how much work our cells do, and how many molecules of energy our cells produce. Without an optimally working thyroid gland, we feel sluggish, have trouble losing weight, and find thinking difficult. We slow down. Cells, including the brain and heart, need the thyroid hormone to function properly. Low thyroid has been implicated in heart disease, especially congestive heart failure.
