Introducing "The Doctor is in"

Welcome to my new blog, "The Doctor is in"! I am Dr. Zainab Mahmoud, and I started Vitalis Wellness in Sherman Oaks to change the way doctors and patients interact.

In this blog we'll be covering everything from recipes and tips about nutrition, to mental health, to the things you can do to advocate for yourself in your medical care, and more! Our goal is to keep you informed on important issues, even when you're not scheduled for an appointment. (Although you should make sure you're up to date on your physicals - prevention is more effective than treatment!)

Subscribe to get alerts when new posts are published, and read on to learn more about the philosophy behind my Los Angeles practice, Vitalis Wellness.

Why "Vitalis Wellness"?

I see wellness as a state of balance.

One of the first concepts you learn in human physiology is “homeostasis” which is latin for “Balance”. It is the natural state of balance aka health that our bodies are programmed for. Parameters like blood pressure, blood pH, etc. are carefully regulated through this mechanism. And when our bodies encounter disease, they repeatedly attempt to self correct to return to a state of homeostasis by making internal adjustments—things like retaining water or releasing sugar into the bloodstream. Only sometimes our bodies need a little help getting back to balance.

Taking good care of your health, physically and mentally, leads to overall wellness in your body. As a family physician, I look at the overall balance of my patients. When my patients come in, I don't just address their single concern and then push them out the door. I take the time to check in and have a conversation. What's their balance between work and family/personal lives? What's the balance in their mental health? Their diets? Their activity level? BALANCE!!

And "Vitalis" is Latin for "life giving". Our goal at Vitalis Wellness is to set up patients up with life-giving balance.

Picture this: you wake up in the morning feeling well-rested after a good night's sleep. As you get up out of bed, your body feels good, with enough energy to tackle your day—no aches or pains!—and you make your way to have a nice shower before preparing a healthy but delicious breakfast...hmmm, maybe an egg white omelet, some greens, a few tomato slices, and with it your morning coffee. You start your commute to work, feeling good, hunger satiated, and ready to tackle the day! Imagine the energy, optimism, confidence and overall positivity you would feel on such mornings. THIS is the live-giving balance of Vitalis Wellness!!