‘Compassion is my guiding light’: Dr. Danielle Douglas hopes to empower patients through functional medicine

Dr. Danielle Douglas opened her functional medicine practice in La Jolla a year ago after decades as a physician.

The practice at 7723 Fay Ave. takes a personal approach to comprehensive health support. Its website is drdaniellemd.com.

To learn more, the La Jolla Light posed the following questions to Douglas:

Q. When did your business start? What is its mission?

A. I love medicine and have been a practicing physician for 20-plus years. A few years ago, I realized I needed to learn more about preventive and holistic medical care.

After completing intensive specialized training at the Institute of Functional Medicine and the Dan Kalish Institute, I established my present practice devoted to functional medicine. My mission focuses on creating an environment empowering patients to embody a lifestyle that optimizes their emotional, cognitive and physical health.

Dr. Danielle Douglas says healthy, organic farm-to-table food is available at many restaurants in La Jolla and the Sunday farmers market.

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Q. What services do you offer?

A. I offer physician-guided, lab-based therapies to treat the root cause of illness and create personalized optimum health.

Q. What makes you and/or your company unique compared with similar businesses?

A. Patients work closely with me in a concierge type of medical practice. This model of physician-patient relationship enhances patient knowledge and involvement in their health care. In addition, the close relationship with my patients allows me to adapt treatment plans as needed and to respond quickly to patient questions as they arise. Research and clinical experience suggest this model provides the most effective path to realizing long-term health goals.

Q. What is one thing about your business that you would like everyone to know about?

A. Having a rapport with your provider is essential to obtaining positive outcomes. Twenty years as an emergency medicine physician, raising three children and having a twin sister that is severely intellectually and physically disabled requires physical, intellectual and emotional stamina. These experiences serve to make me not only sympathetic but empathetic to my clients at a level that is often unsurpassed by other providers. While I strive to keep up with the latest advances in medical science, including alternative healing modalities, compassion is my guiding light.

Q. What are the advantages of working in La Jolla?

A. La Jolla embodies health. My clients experience the healing power of nature just walking on the beach or along coastal paths. Beyond obvious physical beauty, La Jolla possesses several venues where one can experience world-class art, music and theater — all good for the soul. Our little town is home to some of the finest medical research institutions in the world, such as UCSD, Salk Institute and Scripps Research. Organic farm-to-table food is readily available at many diverse restaurants and the Sunday farmers market.

Importantly, the unique beauty and special atmosphere of La Jolla attracts individuals from across the globe, and many remain forever. The social networks that develop allow us to have a sense of belonging to a supportive community. This is profoundly healing. I know of no better place to practice the art and science of healing.

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