Nutrition Guidance
Let us help you feel what it’s like to be well.
How It Works
At Shakthi, we work closely with you to help restore good nutrition and diet in your life. We won't just give you a list of things to do and send you on your way. Through careful testing and study, we'll identify the best nutrition plan for your individualized needs and desired outcome.
We teach our patients what good nutrition is and how it can affect their lives for the better. We'll help you establish a healthy eating pattern and keep track of your body's progress. Our goal is to help you achieve long-term success, with the guidance and support from our integrative medicine specialists.
Let Food be Thy Medicine
Good nutrition is the foundation for a healthy body and mind. Nutrition is how the body uses food for growth and maintenance. Chronic illness, type 2 diabetes, acid reflux, inflammation, heart disease and some cancers are directly influenced by nutritional habits. It all starts with food.
The positive impact of eating a whole food diet high in nutrients can directly influence your quality of life. When you begin to look at making changes in your nutritional intake, whole foods are favored over processed, refined foods.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why would someone seek a nutrition consultation?
People seek nutrition consultations for a variety of reasons, including weight management, addressing medical conditions, improving athletic performance, and general wellness.
What can I expect during a nutrition consultation?
During a nutrition consultation, the specialist will ask about your dietary habits, medical history, and lifestyle, and may also conduct body composition analysis or blood work to assess nutrient levels.
Can a nutrition consultation help with weight loss?
Yes, a nutrition consultation can provide guidance on healthy eating habits and weight management strategies, and help people reach their weight loss goals.
What types of nutritional concerns can a specialist address during a consultation?
A nutrition specialist can address a wide range of concerns, including nutrient deficiencies, food allergies, digestive issues, weight management, and chronic health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
Can a nutrition consultation help with athletic performance?
Yes, a nutrition consultation can help athletes optimize their nutrient intake to support performance, endurance, and recovery.
How often should I schedule a nutrition consultation?
The frequency of nutrition consultations can vary depending on individual needs, but most people benefit from at least a few sessions per year to monitor progress and make adjustments to their nutrition plan.
What medical tests do you run?
After your consult, we will order your testing. Depending on your specific needs a number of tests will be administered. Testing is tailored to each individual. Some of the tests that may apply to you during your first visit are: • Evoke Cognitive Test • Body Impedance Analysis • Cambridge Brain Sciences Cognitive Assessment • EKG/ECG • Heart Rate Variability • Digital Pulse Analysis
Integrative medicine combines conventional medicine and alternative therapies to enhance a patient’s vitality, focusing on whole body wellness. An Integrative Medicine physician will address the root cause of your illness and not just treat the symptoms. By determining what the root is, you and your practitioner can devise a health plan to successfully treat the disease. At Shakthi, we take into account other factors in your life that may be preventing the root cause of your illness or disease from fully healing. We work closely with our patients to address their immediate health needs while developing a personalized wellness plan that encourages whole body wellness. You can learn more here.
Integrative medicine’s biggest benefit is the fact it looks at the patient as a whole individual and addresses the root causes of illnesses by doing so. I went along with this though integrative medicine promotes a symbiotic and collaborative relationship between the doctor and the patient. This means that there is better communication. Another great benefit is that it utilizes every therapy possible to ensure that the patient gets the treatment that is perfect for them.
Over the past decade or so, integrative medicine has been becoming more and more popular. Because of this popularity, there has been an increase in doctors that practice it. But even with all this popularity unfortunately insurance does not cover integrative health care. The lack of coverage from insurance companies is solely because integrative medicine often encompasses treatments that these health insurance companies degenerative treatments. Because these treatments like acupuncture, massage therapy, infrared sauna, and many others are all deemed alternative they are not covered.
We offer two options:
• Yearly Membership
• A La Carte
There are many different types of alternative medicines but many of them can fall under one of the five main alternative categories. These categories are homeopathy, eastern medicine, naturopathy, and Ayurveda. Within these five types so there are many variations and so choosing one that works for you all relies on what exactly you're looking to gain from choosing alternative medicines.
Shakthi Digital Guide
At Shakthi Health and Wellness we offer a la carte and yearly plans that are more comprehensive and often cheaper than traditional insurance plans.
What To Expect
Nutrition Specialists
Meet Our Doctors
Our team is composed of board certified medical doctors who are highly knowledgeable in the practice of holistic integrative therapies. Our Specialized Health Care model provides patients with in depth consults with each appointment without the restrictions of time limits and jumping through insurance hoops.
Jyothi Rao
MD, ABAAHP, FAARFM
Dr. Jyothi Rao has been practicing medicine for over 20 years. She received her Doctorate of Medicine (MD) from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and completed her internship and residency at the prestigious New England Medical Center (Tufts) in Boston. Before opening Shakthi Health & Wellness Center, Dr. Rao practiced medicine in New York and Maryland.
Sudhir Rao
MD, ABAAHP
Dr. Sudhir Rao obtained his Medical Doctorate from St. George's University School of Medicine, and is the founder of Pain and Spine Specialists. Despite Dr. Rao's years of training focusing on traditional medicine, he developed a strong interest in Functional and Integrative Medicine to treat chronic illness with alternative methods after a personal experience with limitations in traditional medicine.
Importance of Diet for Whole Body Health
The nutrients and vitamins found in the food we eat are crucial for proper functioning of every single system in our body. If we don't eat the proper food not only will those systems suffer but so too will our metabolism and eventually all of that will correlate in a deterioration of our health.
This can lead to things like undernourishment or even excess weight gain and leave us open to potential risks for a wide range of diseases and conditions. The food that we eat as well as the quantity can be instrumental in either sending the right messages or the wrong messages to our brain and our body systems.
That is why a balanced diet that contains nutrient-dense foods from every category is so important when looking at whole-body health. This is the exact reason why our doctors at Shakthi Health and Wellness partner with nutritionists to ensure that a comprehensive dietary plan is included in your integrative medical treatments.
These plans are centered around finding the right diet to answer your needs. That is why Dr. Rao is so versed in a wide range of different diets. but even with her years of experience and knowledge she still feels that it is necessary as we said to consult with experienced and licensed nutritionists. Together they can build a balanced diet that addresses your needs and encompasses nutritious foods that help with a wide range of conditions.
When looking at this dietary plan, nutritionists and doctors at Shakthi Health and Wellness will look at the entire person as an individual and craft a dietary plan that not only answers the physical and nutritional needs but the emotional needs as well.
We will partner with you and discuss what goals you have and what you're looking to achieve. The final assessment will utilize these notes along with your medical and dietary history and current medications to build a guided nutritional plan that will work in unison with the rest of the integrative medical treatments to address the root causes of your core health concerns.
Low carb diet. Healthy eating concept. Front view with copy space
How Diet Contributes to Integrative Preventative Medicine
Diet plays a vital role as we said above because our bodies need the vitamins and nutrients from that food to maintain a healthy and properly functioning body. Food can address a lot of issues including helping to build stronger bones, boosting your immune system, enhancing your heart health, and having an effect on your overall mental health as well.
In order to really understand how diet contributes to integrative and preventive medicine we want to take a look at some of the issues that can be addressed with a combination of both traditional, alternative, and nutritional treatments.
There are many people that suffer from heart conditions like hypertension and more severe situations like heart attacks. There are many studies that show that an increase in physical activity as well as a healthy diet can prevent these more serious aspects of heart disease.
The right diet can boost your immune system by including antioxidant-rich foods. These foods help protect you from damage from toxins and external forces which could potentially help not only boost your immune system but protect you from illnesses like cancer. This is thanks to the antioxidant's ability to combat free radicals and eliminate them. By including antioxidant-rich foods into a diet you can also help combat obesity and other issues like gastrointestinal tract problems.
There are some dietary and nutritional plans that are centered around a low glycemic load which could potentially help with mental health issues as well as fatigue. Focusing on a low glycemic index diet looks like more whole fruit and whole grains and tons of vegetables. This in turn could potentially reduce the side effects of depression as well as give you a whole host of other benefits.
Over the past several years there's been more of a focus put on gut health. It has been found that paying attention to your gut health could potentially help reduce your risk of certain types of cancer and other illnesses. A healthy gut can be easily addressed by an adjustment in your nutritional intake. Including probiotics and other high-fiber sources could potentially turn your gut microbiome around in no time.
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About Us
We believe in practicing medicine that focuses on whole body health. As integrative medicine doctors we focus our on root cause of your condition with comprehensive treatments that actually heal the body rather than just masking the symptoms of your illness.
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A comprehensive guide to our services, providers, and locations.
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Shakthi Digital Guide
At Shakthi Health and Wellness we offer a la carte and yearly plans that are more comprehensive and often cheaper than traditional insurance plans.
What To Expect
How Treatment Works
Our doctors and staff take time to get invested in your health and well-being. We've taken a step back from mainstream medicine and are challenging the norm. Everyone's healthcare needs are different. You are different. We believe patients shouldn't settle. Our practice is not a revolving door. We listen, and most importantly, we hear you.
Appointments
Appointments are conducted on an as-needed basis. Patients can expect appointments to be more thorough and focused on their needs. As Integrative speciality care doctors, we see a limited number of patients which means each of our patients receives dedicated care without the concern of being “rushed” our of an appointment.
Diagnostic Testing
We offer patients scientifically backed health assessments to better understand the root causes of their health conditions. We evaluate any disruptions to your health and body to develop effective wellness plans to optimize your vitality. To learn more about the specific tests we offer visit this page here.
Costs Involved
Patients receive personalized and tailored care in exchange for a flat fee. Overall cost will be discussed during your initial consultation. Each subsequent appointment will not need to be individually paid for. All patients receive unlimited access to their physicians which leads to better overall health and wellness.
