Meet Nicole Syed, MD

Hi — I’m Dr. Syed. I’m glad you’re here.

Even as a physician, my own health journey changed the way I practice. During my third pregnancy, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes — and what surprised me most wasn’t the diagnosis, but the lack of guidance that followed. I was told to “watch my diet,” handed a few general rules, and left to figure the rest out on my own.

That experience made something very clear to me: women are often expected to manage complex metabolic and hormonal changes without real explanation or support — even when they’re doing everything “right.”

It’s what pushed me to look deeper at physiology, patterns, and root causes — and ultimately to practice functional medicine differently. Not as a collection of protocols, but as a way to help women actually understand what their body is responding to and why.

Outside of work, I’m a mom to three kids, fueled by good mold- free coffee or matcha, and always learning — whether that’s through podcasts, reading, or continuing education. I genuinely believe the body makes sense. Most women just haven’t been given the time, context, or tools to see the full picture.

It All Started When

I began noticing how often women in my clinic were brushed off.

They came in exhausted, inflamed, struggling with cravings, weight changes, or brain fog, saying, “I just don’t feel like myself.” And time after time, their labs came back “normal,” and they were told everything was fine.

I saw myself in them — because I had felt that way too.

I’ve always been drawn to understanding how the body actually works. In medical school, we studied physiology in incredible detail. But once I entered everyday clinical practice, care often became distilled down to a familiar pattern:

symptom → diagnosis → prescription.

What was missing was context. Patterns. Explanation.

Understanding why the body was struggling wasn’t prioritized.

And over time, that gap between what I knew the body was capable of and what women were being offered started to feel deeply wrong.

But Then Everything Changed...

My third pregnancy became a turning point.

I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, and the guidance I received was minimal: “You don’t need insulin — just work on diet and exercise.” There was no real explanation of what was happening physiologically, no structured plan, and no discussion of why blood sugar regulation can be so complex — especially for women.

At the time, I was already deeply immersed in functional medicine training. I understood how interconnected blood sugar, stress hormones, sleep, inflammation, and metabolism truly are. I knew that for many women, vague advice and a few surface-level changes aren’t enough to create lasting stability.

What struck me most was this: if I felt unsupported and left to piece things together — even with medical training — how many other women were being expected to do the same without context, guidance, or clarity?

That realization changed how I viewed medicine — and how I wanted to practice it.

I knew that if I was going to help women in a meaningful way, I couldn’t stay inside a model that addressed symptoms without explanation. I needed to practice differently — with time, context, and a deeper understanding of how the body actually adapts and responds.

So I did.