I grew up in Baghdad, Iraq in a home full of warmth. I experienced a full family around the dinner table, with love so rich it was tangible. Early on, I learned that safety was not handed to you. As a child, after the invasion of Iraq, I experienced hardships no child should, and I came out of it vigilant, self-reliant, and protective of the people and things that matter most. I also came out of it with a quiet, stubborn belief that there's always a way through. Till this day that has never left me.
My life since has been a series of rebuilds. New countries. A new language. Earning my place again, more than once. I chose medicine, and I pushed through a system that too often rewards the wrong things. Somewhere in there I decided I had no interest in being "successful" if it meant being cruel, dishonest, or hollow.
I also became my own experiment. I was the chubby kid who had to learn how to change his body. Later I became an athlete, not for the look, but because the discipline steadied me. I learned, in my own body long before any textbook, how sleep, stress, nutrition, training, and hormones actually run the show.
The first was me. During residency training I pushed my body to its limit, and it pushed back. Exhausted, unfocused, my drive gone. I did everything you're supposed to do. I saw doctors, ran the tests, and got the same answer every time: everything looks normal. A shrug, and "you're fine" but I was not fine.
The second was the woman who is now my wife. I watched her go through the same exhaustion and the same dead ends. Referral after referral. Every test came back normal, but how she felt was anything but.
It was at this moment that everything clicked. The gap between "your labs are normal" and how a person actually feels is real. That gap, between the lab report and the human experience, is where I decided to focus my life's work.
I began to study the process rigorously. I trained in obesity medicine and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, and kept going into nutrition and performance. I tested what I learned on myself first, and held it to the same standard of evidence I use for my patients.
From this endeavor came my true calling, Prime Life Wellness Institute. Many people are told they're lazy or undisciplined when, in reality, they're running on fumes. Sometimes the cause is physical, sometimes it's psychological, and often it's both. My job is to find out what's driving how you feel and treat it, with the goal of getting your energy, focus, and metabolic health back on track.
I keep my patient pool small but intentional, genuine and personal. I practice evidence-based medicine, built on years of study and application to remain true to my calling as a servant and protector. This title and honor does not only include my friends and family, but also, every patient that trusts me with their health.
If you have felt like your body can't keep up with your life, I understand that on a personal level.