DR. MONA EZZAT VELINOV, MD, ABFM, ABHIM, IFMCP

Medicine has always been my passion, and family medicine in particular provides an opportunity to develop meaningful, long-term relationships with patients.

As a young medical student, I was fascinated with the work of Dr. Andrew Weil, and the idea of helping the body to achieve balance naturally. As I went through my own health issues, including treatment for thyroid cancer, I started searching for answers as to why and how I developed illness. I wanted to know what I could do to heal and how to stay healthy throughout my life.

This led me to Functional Medicine. I felt the earth move with this knowledge! It was the first time I could see the deep connections of my health and wellbeing, how to think of the body as an intimate conversation with many different systems working together. I began to realize that gut health was critical. After years of issues with digestion I started to closely examine my diet, focusing on vegetables, healthy proteins and fats, and cooking more at home. I started to do diagnostic testing to find my systemic imbalances. I cut down on coffee, and prioritized getting more sleep to help heal my adrenal system from the stress of years of medical training and practice. The results have been amazing. I was able to go on to have healthy twins, and to pursue this area of medicine fully.