That was when I discovered Dr. Andrew Weil and his integrative medicine center at the University of Arizona. Having been trained quite conservatively as a doctor, I was a bit of a skeptic about this more holistic approach to medicine; however, with some careful prodding from my wife (it’s always a good idea to listen to your partner, I’ve learned), I started to read more about some of the lifestyle changes I could make to optimize my wellness and get my health back on track. Within the first few months, I learned about tai chi, yoga, mindfulness, meditation, nutrition, exercise, and a number of other things in a way that I had never known before. I also learned about nutritional supplements and natural therapies for common things like heartburn. As it turned out, taking an antacid every day wasn’t my only option for my heartburn—DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice) could do the trick for me whenever I had a flare-up. I became very motivated by these personal health improvements and started doing my own research outside my training program as well. I started meditating every day and continually tried to focus on the positive aspects of life. Although our family was always aware of avoiding toxins, we re-examined the toxins we were being exposed to and made some changes. I got on a regular routine of being more physically active and spending more time outdoors. All of these changes allowed me to get a more restful sleep at night. When I got more sleep, my cravings for carbs went down. And that meant no more bagels and cream cheese for breakfast. Now, I’m the author of Dr. Weil’s book on integrative environmental medicine and the editor of his book Integrative Gastroenterology. I’ve made it my life mission to bring this message to everyone. I changed the way I practice medicine and reinvented myself as a physician, and I’ve never looked back. I’ve helped so many people improve their health and their lives the way I improved mine. The most important lesson I learned? Our bodies are pretty amazing. If we give them the ingredients they need to do the job they were born to do, they will take care of us in return. Want to hear from more doctors who have embraced alternative medicine? Singh is currently the Director of Integrative Gastroenterology at the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute at UC Irvine. He is also currently a voluntary Assistant Clinical Professor at UCSD in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health; prior to this, he has been a Clinical Assistant Professor at UCLA and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University. Singh is a member of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, American College of Lifestyle Medicine, and many other societies. He is actively involved in the American Gastroenterological Association. He is one of the editors of the textbook of Integrative Gastroenterology, 2nd edition (a Weil Series text) and has written several book chapters and articles. He is dedicated to guiding his clients toward optimal wellness every step of the way, using the most cutting edge technologies to design highly personalized precision based protocols. Towards this end, he founded Precisione Clinic and wrote the book Rescue Your Health to bring the best in preventive medicine to his clients.
