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Women In Wellness: Dr Mara Raden On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Make balance a priority. Remember: you own the business. The business doesn’t own you.

In order to be successful, you have to be passionate about it & put yourself out there — you have to be willing to embrace criticism.

Don’t try to do it all yourself — ask for help when you need it.

Focus on you/your business and know what you do best compared to your competitors.

Don’t be afraid to go against the grain.

As a part of my series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Mara Raden.

Years of experience working in an ER and ICU helped Dr. Mara Raden come to the understanding that Western medicine as we know it is wonderful at providing acute care, but not so great at treating diseases at their root causes. Her search for solutions to chronic illness led to study environmental medicine, ozone therapy, and integrative approaches to health. Today, she specializes in innovative IV therapies and longevity medicine — empowering her patients to live happier, healthier, and more energetic lives. From working with corporate executives to create healthier work environments to guiding individuals along their unique wellness journeys. Dr. Mara is disrupting the status quo and ushering in the future of medicine.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?

Growing up in South Florida, I always had a strong interest in health and wellness. With a family full of healthcare providers, I always knew I would one day work in the industry in some capacity. After completing a rigorous 9 years of education, I graduated with a PharmD (Doctor of Pharmacy) degree and went straight into a clinical role in a large hospital setting.

While I greatly enjoyed the one-on-one care I was able to provide patients, I became increasingly frustrated with the conventional model of matching “the ill to the pill.” Preventative care and lifestyle solutions were rarely ever discussed with patients. I began to use my lengthy commute each day to further my education and understanding of integrative medical approaches. During those 2 hour drives I would listen to lectures through an integrative fellowship in precision medicine, peptides, ozone therapy, and other innovative approaches to health. I knew there was a better way to patient care. Today, I empower my patients to live happier, healthier, longer, and more energetic lives through nutritional IV therapies, regenerative medicine, and other preventative health protocols.

In 2017 I, along with my husband, Dr. Donald Raden, MD, FAAOT, founded Raden Wellness, a progressive integrative medical practice. At Raden Wellness, we provide what traditional medicine often misses: a clear and complete picture of a patient’s health down to the cellular level. Through thoughtful investigation, comprehensive medical testing, and 100% personalized protocols, we guide our patients along their journey to true healing and optimal health.

While other medical practices utilize “standard lab panels” for every patient, we believe that because each individual is unique, so should each set of lab tests. This allows the team to look at the bigger picture and assess everything from imbalances in hormones, nutrient levels, and toxic loads to immune dysregulation and mitochondrial health, any of which may be causing your symptoms.

Since the practice’s inception, we have grown the practice to include over a dozen full-time practitioners ranging from Physicians and Naturopaths to Psychologists, Nutritionists and Integrative Physicians that specialize in Oncology, Psychiatry, Cellular Medicine and Hormone and Gut Health. Over the last year, we’ve expanded our practice beyond our physical location, including building a thriving corporate wellness program, providing at home services, and keeping consistent communication with patients wherever they are via telehealth.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?

When I was 16 years old I was diagnosed with Mononucleosis, an infection caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (or Mono, as most people know it.) I was very sick and being treated with conventional medicine. I was told that, even though I was so sick and my spleen was enlarged, that, with time, I would “be fine.” I recovered but, fast forward to 10 years later I was still having bouts of horrible fatigue and brain fog. I once again turned to conventional medicine for help and was told I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and was prescribed a pharmaceutical stimulant. Through my personal research, I learned that I had Reactivated Epstein-Barr. I then started a regimen of peptides and IV therapy to modulate my immune system. These, including other lifestyle changes, are protocols I continue to do today. The experience proved to me the undeniable power of integrative medicine and strengthened my belief that everyone should have access to it.

Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

When I first began to plan for Raden Wellness, my initial instinct was to handle everything myself. I was taking on too much responsibility, including aspects of the business that weren’t my specialty. I handled the build out of our first location, marketing, staffing, patient care — the list goes on and on. From this, I’ve learned that medical training does not incorporate the necessary tools to thrive in the business world or start your own practice. I’m strong in science, but I lack in operations and administration — hiring the right team of experts, gathering support from business advisors, and embracing change, allows the business to continue to flourish.

Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?

At Raden, we empower our patients to invest in their health. We guide our patients in their journey, giving them a wealth of science-based knowledge regarding their health. We’re allowing everyday humans to make small to large changes in their lives — not waiting for illness to happen. Primary prevention is key.

Our patients come from all walks of life: currently healthy adults, children and seniors who want to optimize their overall health, individuals battling chronic pain or fighting disease, and elite athletes looking to reach the next level. No matter where you are in life, restoration and prevention are of paramount importance when it comes to your health.

Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.

1. Making Integrative Medicine a Part of Your Life: working with a practice that takes a full-body approach — surrounding yourself with a wellness team that is curious & getting down to the WHY.

2. Consider Peptides: Peptides are short-chained amino acids that have many functions in the body. Some act like neurotransmitters, while others act like hormones. Many control and influence how our bodies react to diet and physical exercise. As we age, production of essential amino acids and peptides decreases. As a result, our bodies begin to show signs of aging, and cease to perform at an optimal level.

3. Live By The Motto — Everything In Moderation

4. Focus on Nutrients: IV Therapy is a great way to accomplish this. One of the most unique elements of the practice is their on-site IV Center. Raden features a full-service infusion center staffed with highly qualified Registered Nurses who administer high-grade non-GMO vitamins, nutrients, amino acids and minerals as patients relax in a sleek and comfortable loft-like environment. Only about 20% of nutrients taken orally are absorbed by the body. IV therapy provides 100% absorption and ensures your system is receiving the ideal levels of vitamins, minerals and amino acids needed to look, feel and perform at your best.”

5. Make Movement Part Of Your Everyday Routine

If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?

Adjusting people’s everyday eating habits to include time restricted feeding. This can reduce inflammation, brain fog, and insulin resistance. When we fast, we activate autophagy, which is the process of cleaning out damaged cells, reducing the aging process. The food we eat has an amazing ability to heal, but the timing of when we abstain from eating can have a major impact on our health and lifespan. The bottom line: time restricted feeding can slow the progression of diseases and aging and also improve long term health.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?

  1. Make balance a priority. Remember: you own the business. The business doesn’t own you.
  2. In order to be successful, you have to be passionate about it & put yourself out there — you have to be willing to embrace criticism.
  3. Don’t try to do it all yourself — ask for help when you need it.
  4. Focus on you/your business and know what you do best compared to your competitors.
  5. Don’t be afraid to go against the grain.

Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?

Mental Health.

As a medical professional — and a human being — I’m so happy that mental health is becoming part of day-to-day discourse in our culture. Mental health is so much more than “how you feel” — it encompasses your emotional, psychological and social well-being and helps to determine everything from how we handle stress and relate to other people to the choices we make. Mental health is important in every stage of life.

At Raden, we are thrilled to provide a variety of services and therapies geared towards mental health. In addition to traditional talk therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy, we also offer cutting edge treatments such as IV Ketamine Therapy. Therapist guided ketamine sessions are an exciting, new modality in the field of psychiatry, disrupting everything we know about treating depression, anxiety and trauma.

Over the last few years, we have seen groundbreaking results from Ketamine therapy. Administered through an IV, Ketamine targets NMDA receptors in the brain. Ketamine binds to these receptors, thus increasing the amount of a select neurotransmitter called glutamate in the space between neurons. Glutamate activates connections in another receptor called the AMPA receptor. Working together, these NMDA and activated AMPA receptors release additional molecules that help neurons communicate along new pathways. This complex process is called synaptogenesis, and it affects mood, cognition, and thought patterns.

Ketamine influences depression in other ways as well. For instance, it appears to reduce signals that trigger inflammation (i.e. Il-6), which is linked to mood disorders. It also appears to facilitate communication across specific areas within the brain.

What is the best way our readers can follow you online?

Thank you for these fantastic insights!

Women In Wellness: Dr Mara Raden On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.