by Sheila Julson

While growing up in the Middle East, functional medicine doctor Lida Aghdam, M.D., of Natural Balance Clinic, had never taken pharmaceuticals such as antibiotics to treat ailments. Her mother had used remedies like lemons, garlic and eucalyptus leaves to treat colds, and her grandmother made herbal teas to ease menstrual discomfort.

Aghdam aspired to be an architect, but became interested in a career as a doctor after she shadowed her aunt, a radiologist. Aghdam studied midwifery at Guillan University, in Iran, and moved to America when she was 25. She attended East Tennessee University, where she majored in chemistry and biology, and graduated summa cum laude.

While studying at Quillen College of Medicine, she was shocked by American medical practices that automatically treated patients with medication. “All of the training in the medical school program matched a symptom with a medicine, with no questions asked about why symptoms happened,” she recalls. “When I studied midwifery in Iran, we learned that medicine is a last resort.”

While at Quillen, Aghdam came to Dallas for an internal medicine residency. She did a fellowship in gynecology and women's health at the Mayo Clinic, where she was mentored by Dr. Michael Born and learned about hormone replacement therapy and breast cancer. She also studied Traditional Chinese Medicine in China before moving back to Dallas to be near family. She sought to practice a functional medicine style truer to the natural remedies of her childhood and opened Natural Balance Clinic in 2007.

Aghdam believes that the body has an incredible ability to heal itself when properly balanced, so she will ask questions and get to the root cause of a patient’s ailment. It’s not unusual for her to spend more than an hour with each patient as she talks with them about diet, medications and other lifestyle factors. 

“It’s about filling in the gaps,” she emphasizes. “And today, with processed and chemical-laden foods and excessive antibiotics, there are more gaps than ever before, causing leaky gut, constipation and thyroid issues.”

Before giving medication to a patient, Aghdam will recommend dietary changes, vitamins and supplements to restore the body’s alkalinity, thus improving immune health. While she’s not anti-medication, she uses pharmaceuticals as a last resort, only after the patient has tried her natural food and herbal remedies first. Aghdam only prescribes medication that she personally has tried.

Aghdam notes that many women’s health issues can also be resolved by nutrition. “For heavy periods, a conventional doctor gives birth control pills, but I’ll ask about the thyroid, hormone imbalances or if a woman is eating too much meat, eggs, fish, butter or dairy, which increases the estrogen load and heavy periods,” she explains. She will check hormone levels and check for polyps or fibroids. 

Mood swings are often caused by a vitamin deficiency, she explains, or by genetic issues which cause toxins to get to the brain. Aghdam will advise on dietary changes and herbal remedies. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Aghdam suggests that people use food to boost their immune system and rebalance their body to fight infections and viruses. She recommends adding raw garlic and fresh lemon juice to soups and packing the diet with alkaline-rich foods like vegetables, fruits, fiber and greens. Supplements such as vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc, good-quality fish oil and curcumin can all boost good bacteria in the colon and gut.

“Seventy-five percent of the immune system is in the hands of good bacteria in the colon,” she advises. “In countries where they don’t eat junk food, they are surviving this pandemic better. The healthier the gut is, the stronger the immune system will be.” 

Natural Balance Clinic is located at 4819 State Hwy. 121, Ste. 14, in The Colony. For more information, call 817-488-7878 or visit NaturalBalanceClinic.com .