Dr. Maria Cayelli, MD, is Board Certified in Family Medicine and trained in Integrative Medicine. She's part of The After Cancer Care Team and assists patients in exploring the best of modern medicine as well as evidence-based complementary therapies to empower them with individualized medicine.
The desire to become a doctor
Ever since I can remember I wanted to be a doctor.
As I learned and experienced the different specialties in medical school, I enjoyed all of them. I liked treating the whole person and body instead of focusing on just one part. This led me to a career in family medicine where I did it all, delivering babies to visiting patients in the nursing home.
Discovering the allure of family medicine
However, after a few years, I was drawn to pursue further studies in Integrative Medicine.
I felt that I was missing a critical piece in helping my patients. It seemed the current medical system was too disease-focused, so I completed a fellowship in integrative medicine to learn other ways for my patients to achieve wellness.
A shift towards integrative medicine
This new information came in handy when I was unfortunately diagnosed with breast cancer. I not only sought treatment from my surgeon, oncologist and primary care doctors but also from a variety of practitioners that ranged from massage therapists, acupuncturists, Traditional Chinese Medicine doctors, naturopaths, counselors and chiropractors.
My experience receiving medical care helped me to understand even deeper the issues and concerns of my patients. It was so important to me to feel comfortable and safe to speak with my doctors about my treatments and how I wanted to achieve wellness again.
This is why now I take an integrative approach and consider lifestyle, fitness goals, and current state of health when I come up with a treatment plan for my patient.
I blend together traditional and non-traditional medicine to care for them in a way that is individualized and that addresses their unique concerns and health goals.