Dr Meena Malhotra (Medical Director) - Heal n Cure Medical Wellness Center
Founder of Heal n Cure, in Glenview, Dr. Meena T. Malhotra is Double Board Certified, ABOM and ABIM (American Board of Obesity Medicine, American Board of Internal Medicine) and is committed to healing disease at the root cause through an Integrative Functional Medicine approach. This principle mission is Dr. Meena’s guiding light toward a change in healthcare to a true path of wellness and vitality for each practice member.
Dr. Meena believes an increasing amount of the population is becoming dependent on chronic disease management programs. These are often lifelong medication regimens for illnesses which, in some instances, fail to provide relief or can even lead to harmful side effects. With her structured, comprehensive approach, Dr. Meena helps wean patients from such regimens, focusing on reversal rather than management of common conditions such as obesity, autoimmune diseases, hormonal imbalances, menopause, thyroid, diabetes, sleep apnea, mental health and ED. Dr. Meena expertly works with her patients to determine how and why illnesses occur and restore health by addressing the root causes for each individual. She uses her detailed knowledge of each patient’s genetic, biochemical and lifestyle factors to develop a personalized treatment plan for optimal outcomes.
“My training in Western medicine helps me understand practices from unconventional medicine modalities objectively,” shares Dr. Meena. “As a novice medical doctor, after more than a decade of school, I was ready; ready to heal the world. I was, energetic, compassionate, and eager to make a difference.
“I was part of the system which was supposed to make patients feel better, so I was ready to make them better with the knowledge of more than 1000 drugs in my armamentarium.”
“My schedule was full, with a new person every fifteen minutes. I soon realized that there was no time to exchange pleasantries, I needed to get to the point faster. The point of controlling their blood pressure, sugar, etc. After all, I was their doctor, not a friend. I recognized that most of the illnesses my patients were facing could be resolved by therapeutic lifestyle change. If you have ever tried to change a habit, you know what it takes.”
“My patients were overloaded with information and were seeking my help to sort the information for them but those darn fifteen minutes. I found myself speed talking but felt that I was losing the gist of the subject. The challenges my patients were facing in following the therapeutic lifestyle, I was not able to guide them through that journey. I gave them the destination without showing them the path to get there. No wonder they were lost and so was I. I didn’t know the path any better myself. I knew they had to eat better, lose weight, and exercise but there is a huge amount of conflicting information available on these topics. The stress was piling up. It was easier to prescribe a pharmaceutical for pain, sleep, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.”
“This professional pressure was rubbing into my personal life as well. I was gaining weight, not sleeping well, and becoming irritable. Certainly, I was not the best version of who I could be. However, that was my dream to be the best version of who I can be and help others achieve the same. That is why I went into medicine.”
“After lots of self-reflection, I realized that the path I was on was not going to the destination I wished to reach. I dove into Functional medicine which showed me the path to my destination. As I felt better and looked better, my effect changed. My patients were inspired by the change in me and were eager to learn the “secrets” which I was glad to share. I have reclaimed my health and my life using the tools of functional medicine and my mission is to spread this message that you have a choice when it comes to your health.”
Dr. Meena encourages women to pay attention to their own health right now and take all symptoms seriously. Women are naturally giving in nature, she says, and can sometimes forget to take care of themselves while taking care of families and businesses. She suggests that families can lead a healthier lifestyle by getting kids involved in grocery shopping and cooking from an early age, and emphasizing eating whole foods in their closest, natural form in a family setting. “We cannot change the consequences of our choices, but we can change our choices,” says Dr. Meena.
