Dr. Shala Salem, MD
Integrative Fertility Specialist
Dr. Salem holds a Bachelors of Science from University of California, Los Angeles in Psychobiology and Bachelors of Science in Neuroscience. She graduated from St. George’s School of Medicine and completed Clinical Rotations at Long Island College Hospital and Lutheran Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. She went on to complete a Fellowship at the University of Arizona, under the guidance of Dr. Andrew Weil who is an internationally recognized expert in integrative medicine. She recently began her study with the Institute of Functional Medicine to learn more about addressing the root cause of disease, rather than just treating the disease.
My philosophy…
Dr. Salem is an integrative women’s health clinician with over 15 years experience. She’s had the privilege of helping thousands of women in the field of Gynecology and Reproductive Health. As a woman, a mother, and a physician, it became very clear to her that women were not truly cared for with traditional medicine alone and this propelled her to study integrative medicine and functional medicine.
Her own experiences with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome helped her to realize the power of lifestyle changes in creating health. During her 20’s PCOS symptoms slowly started to emerge, seemingly out of nowhere, and it felt as though it was taking over her life. Symptoms of PCOS, such as severe acne, weight gain, hair loss and mood changes can be very disruptive for a young woman. She saw several doctors and was only offered birth control pills. None of her doctors asked questions about her lifestyle. If they had, they would have learned that late night takeout food, pulling all nighters to study for exams, and skipped workouts were becoming a norm. Over the next decade, she realized that food, sleep and stress had an impact on her symptoms. In her 30’s a physician told her she would need a form of Assisted Reproductive Technology to conceive. She tried different conventional treatments to conceive but ended up focusing on natural methods, such as yoga, acupuncture and healing foods, which ultimately allowed her to conceive three children (even at an advanced maternal age).
After experiencing the power of lifestyle medicine in her own healing, Dr. Salem had an “aha” moment when thinking about why she hadn’t previously focused on this. Medical training for most physicians is almost completely void of any information about nutrition, mind body techniques, toxic exposures and how all of these things affect body functions. So in order to fill these gaps in her medical training and to become versed in these areas for patient care, she began her integrative medicine fellowship. Through this program, her belief in the power of the body to heal itself grew exponentially and changed her as a physician.
The Integrative Fertility MD website was born out of Dr. Salem’s passion for caring for women, but more specifically wanting to guide women to optimal wellness, through integrative practices. Wellness is achieved by healing the mind, body, and spirit; because the power to heal yourself lies within. Dr. Salem and her team look forward to meeting you and helping you to create a plan to uncover your best life. The first step on your journey to health is the most important one.
When Dr. Salem isn’t practicing medicine, you can find her painting and creating with her children, sipping on kombucha and indulging in dark chocolate.
To schedule a visit with Dr. Shala, contact us here.