Integrative & Lifestyle Medicine: A Salutogenic Way to Care

Why this lens (and how I arrived here)

The single biggest turning point in my training came during a rotation at Weill Cornell’s pediatric endocrinology service. In a center for pediatric obesity, I watched children and families change—not because of one prescription, but because their whole context was addressed: food and sleep, movement and family systems, school and culture, even faith and community. When those elements lined up, outcomes were remarkable.

I decided to dedicate my career to making that kind of care practical. I completed a two-year Integrative Medicine fellowship at the University of Arizona, mentored by Andrew Weil, a pioneer in integrative medicine, and a circle of teacher-healers who model whole-person care. Along the way I studied salutogenesis—a framework for creating health—and found my community of clinicians who share these values. Since then I’ve advocated for this view of health locally and internationally, and I continue to teach and mentor younger clinicians so they can bring whole-person, lifestyle-centered care into everyday practice.

“Integrative medicine is just good medicine.” — Andrew Weil, MD

What “integrative” means in my practice

Integrative medicine is a healing-oriented, prevention-focused approach that considers the whole person—body, mind, and spirit. It uses all appropriate therapies, conventional and complementary, guided by evidence and by the person’s goals. In real life, that can mean pairing standard treatments with:

• personalized nutrition planning, movement prescriptions, and sleep strategies

• mind–body skills such as mindfulness, breathwork, or meditation

• complementary modalities like acupuncture/bodywork, and targeted botanicals or supplements when there’s a clear benefit

  
  

It isn’t anti-medicine. It’s a return to medicine’s healing roots—relationship-based, person-centered care that favors the least invasive, most effective options and aims to address root causes while improving wellbeing.

“The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.” — Thomas Edison

The salutogenic frame

Where conventional care often asks “What’s wrong?”, salutogenesis asks “What creates health here?”  It strengthens a person’s Sense of Coherence:

• Comprehensibility — making sense of what’s happening in your body

• Manageability — having tools that fit your life and resources

• Meaningfulness — aligning care with what you value, so you want to sustain it

When care builds these three, resilience grows and habits stick—whether you’re recovering from illness or working to age well.

The everyday domains we that matter

I use the following eight domains to orient care. These are powerful levers to address in the journey to health and wellbeing.

• Balanced nutrition — food as medicine; color and timing; nutrients and phytonutrients

• Movement & recovery — daily steps, strength/mobility, rest and recovery

• Sleep & quiet mind — a consistent window, light cues, and wind-down rituals

• Emotional resilience — habits that help you adapt and manage stress

• Healthy environment — light, air, noise, and detox habits at home/work

• Social connection — relationships and community that are nourishing

• Purpose & growth — goals and learning that define meaning and mission

• Faith/spirituality — sources of anchor and compassion amidst life changes

Why this model improves care

• Personalized & whole-person — Biology, upbringing, culture, preferences, all matter in a wellbeing plan.

• Root-cause & preventive — We investigate drivers, adjust and monitor what matters.

• Therapeutic partnership — Decisions are shared; the plan aligns with your values.

• Collaborative when needed — Different clinicians contribute their strengths so care is complete.

My path—from an early immersion in comprehensive, integrative care at Weill Cornell, to fellowship training with Andrew Weil, to mentoring the next generation—taught me that health isn’t only the absence of disease; it’s something we can create. Integrative & lifestyle medicine give us the tools to do that—uniting clinical science with the daily practices that build coherence, resilience, and wellbeing. If this perspective resonates, let’s start where it matters most to you and design a plan that is personal, practical, and sustainable.