The Road to Health Is Paved with Good Intentions, with Dr. Chiti Parikh

When Dr. Chiti Parikh meets a new patient, the first question she asks is “What is your health intention?” In the Integrative Health and Wellbeing program at NewYork-Presbyterian, Dr. Parikh treats each patient as a whole person, not just a collection of symptoms – a philosophy the Benefit Funds have long embraced. In this episode, Dr. Parikh explains how setting a health intention and focusing on four basics of well-being – nutrition, sleep, exercise and stress management – can support you on your health journey.

The Takeaway

• Start your health journey by making an appointment with your primary care physician. Don’t have one? Find one at our Provider Directory: www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/find-a-provider.
• Visit the Healthy Living Resource Center for wellness tips, information and resources; www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/healthyliving.
• Join WeightWatchers at a discounted rate of just $8 a month; $0 if you are living with diabetes or prediabetes: www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/ww.
• If you are living with type 2 diabetes, find out more about our partner Virta’s diabetes reversal program: www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/news/virta.
• Get inspired by fellow members through our Members’ Voices series: www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/healthyliving/membervoices.
• Stop by our Benefits Channel to view webinars on managing stress, building healthy meals and more: www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/videos.
• Visit our YouTube channel to view a wide collection of healthy living videos: youtube.com/@1199SEIUBenefitFunds/playlists
• Sample our wellness classes to exercise body and mind: www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/wellnessevents.
• For more information about the Integrative Health and Wellbeing program, visit www.nyp.org/integrative-health-program
• To find Dr. Parikh’s book, visit www.intentionalhealth.io.

Guest Bio
Chiti Parikh, MD, is the Executive Director of Integrative Health and Wellbeing at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medicine. She is board certified in Internal Medicine and Integrative Medicine, with additional training in Functional Medicine, Medical Acupuncture and Ayurveda. 

To provide the highest level of compassionate and individualized care, Dr. Parikh combines cutting-edge Western medicine with Eastern traditions into a truly holistic approach. She has co-founded the Integrative Health and Wellbeing Program, the leading integrative center in the country, which offers modalities such as acupuncture, meditation, yoga, nutrition and psychotherapy.

Dr. Parikh’s focus on prevention helps her address not just the physical but also psychological, social and environmental influences on health and healing. She recently published her first book, Intentional Health. Dr. Parikh has been featured on NBC News and Vice news, and in Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Women’s Health and The Wall Street Journal.