Coronado resident Dr. Gina Casian will be opening the doors to Choose Healthy on July 5, 2025. The practice will be open on Saturdays and Sundays by appointment only. Choose Healthy will focus on the benefits of integrative lifestyle medicine with internal medicine. Dr. Gina founded her practice on an approach to wellness that eliminates the deficiencies burdening the current healthcare system. “Patient care should once again become the main priority of the healthcare system, and I intend to provide that with Choose Healthy,” Dr. Gina says.
What led Dr. Gina to pursue the medical field
Dr. Gina was born in Romania and came from a family of medical providers. She describes her childhood as a fairytale. She was the only girl in her family and grew up in a small village, enjoying a simple life with everything she needed. However, when she lost her dad to lung cancer, everything changed.
“When I was fifteen, I lost my father,” Dr. Gina begins. “It was a very shocking experience. Looking back, it was a very important stage in life, especially for a girl. It affected me emotionally very much. I could not understand. I come from a religious family, and I hold certain beliefs. My father was my role model, and it was very hard for me. I asked many questions to the universe at that time. I remember hiding around the house to understand what that disease was and knowing that there is no cure, which opened my interest. I said, ‘No, there has to be a cure.’ This is impossible.”
Dr. Gina let tragedy guide her bright future. She started researching and pursuing her education, eventually enrolling in medical school. She completed her training in Internal Medicine in Michigan and later moved to San Diego.
Dr. Gina’s pregnancy led her to lifestyle medicine
Dr. Gina’s journey to become a mom inspired her focus on lifestyle medicine. “I had a very difficult experience with fertility and becoming a mother,” Dr. Gina says, explaining that she experienced three miscarriages. “Losing my father was one of the most traumatic experiences. I learned a lot about my strengths and weaknesses. But when you really want something and you believe it, you do your best. I am very grateful that I have one son, and he’s happy and healthy.”
Part of Dr. Gina’s effort to have a healthy pregnancy was reviewing her lifestyle. “I was living downtown, I was not exercising. I was eating mostly fast food, not sleeping well, and not prioritizing stress management. I was under pressure to improve my metabolic health and my hormonal health.” Dr. Gina was considered of advanced maternal age as she was close to 40, and so she made changes in her lifestyle. “I was introduced to hot yoga for the first time, and since then, I can’t imagine living without yoga.”
The road was still difficult. “The entire pregnancy was abnormal. I was told many times that abortion was an option, and I just listened to my gut. Sometimes, medicine and science cannot explain things. My mother heart and my gut told me I would have a healthy baby.”
These challenges marked the beginning of her path to lifestyle medicine. “I learned a lot about how to change your lifestyle before you turn to medications. I want to share that with other people.”
Inspiring Those Around Her
After a tough pregnancy, COVID hit. “It was a very stressful situation,” Dr. Gina recalls. “I had a toddler in my house as well as my husband and my mother from Romania. It was a very stressful household. I had to go to work. I was the only one leaving the house. We were essential workers at that time, and I was very stressed. Then, gyms and yoga centers closed. I started running, which I never did before, and from running three miles, I ended up running about eight marathons.” She continues, “It was one of those situations when I said, ‘I can do this. How can I do it?’ And then, when I did it, I asked myself, ‘What else can I do?’ That’s the point I said,
‘I don’t want to live my life and die with my dreams.’
There are some amazing things that I could have done in my life, and I didn’t even give myself a chance to do them. That inspired my husband as well. He started running. Now he’s doing ultramarathons. It was beautiful to see. He would say, ‘I see my wife running, how can I sleep?’ He was inspired. We inspire people around us.”
Lifestyle Medicine
Lifestyle medicine consists of six pillars: nutrition, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, toxin avoidance, and cognitive connections. “This is what I am looking to explore with my patients.” Dr. Gina says, “I am getting certifications and qualifications in as many areas as I can. I am doing a course right now on mindfulness meditation, and I’m also doing a dialectical behavior therapy course. It’s for counseling. Then I am doing a couple of nutrition courses as well.”
Choosing Coronado
Choosing Coronado for her practice was an easy decision. “I have a family: my husband and my son. We’ve lived in Coronado for the last five, six years. This is home for us. We love being here. I call it ‘the island of harmony.’ I used to live in downtown and it was a different environment. [In Coronado], I feel like we have a bit more privacy and more substance. It’s sunny all year long, even in the days when it is raining and there are clouds, I tell my son, there is still summer. You just have to see it.”
Looking Back
From a village in Romania to Coronado island, Dr. Gina’s heart is full. “I had only two hours a day with a black and white television. So, from where I started, to where I am right now, I’m very grateful. I can’t say it enough. I am thankful for living in this country. If my parents gave me the most precious gift, which is my life, America gave me the second precious gift, which is my family.”
She continues, “I have a career, and I appreciate my blessings right now. My life has been a continuous uphill battle. Looking back, I see the little village back in my childhood, but I’m still looking up at the mountain. I know it’s a good view. I listen to my heart, and now, as I get older, I think I do listen to my gut as well. It’s just from living and having life experience. It directs me on the right path. I’m taking it one day at a time, and I’m looking for growth.”
The Patient Experience at Choose Healthy
With twenty years of experience in internal medicine, Dr. Gina has an interesting perspective. “I believe that before we get ill, we are healthy. We need to protect our health. I tell my patients that they are all little universes in one big universe.”
At Choose Healthy, patients will start with a 20-minute complimentary visit. Dr. Gina will use this time to establish a relationship and see what issues the patient is looking to address and what their medical concerns are.
The next step is a two-hour comprehensive evaluation. Dr. Gina feels confident that opening up the time frame will help her and her patients.
Health Advice
Dr. Gina has a few important health advisories that she finds herself giving. “The most common advice I give to my patients is that sleep is non-negotiable. Your day starts the day before. It starts at 9 pm. That’s from my own experience. As we get older, we see the effects and the impact of a lack of sleep on how we function.” She says, “Some people say, ‘I sleep good,’ but do they actually get quality sleep? Sleep is very important because it comes with all the hormonal balances in our body. It also helps regulate our appetite, mood, and how we interact with other people.”
Another tip is to stop eating ultra-processed food like hot dogs and candy with food dyes and coloring.
Her last tip is to take care of yourself first. “I had complications [during pregnancy], and there were some nights I was on a hospital bed waiting for some important test results. I would question if I would be able to see my son graduating from high school. That’s when all these ideas of changing my lifestyle and taking important measures in my life began. It shouldn’t be like that. We should be more health-conscious and responsible before we become parents. But when you have a child, it’s something so natural you want to enjoy that little human being that pushes you.”
Personal Values
Dr. Gina shares that she has a set of personal values that guide her. “My health is my number one priority, and my family comes second. Not because I’m selfish and I put myself first, but it’s because if I’m not healthy, I cannot take care of my family. My third value is growth — professional and personal.”
Lastly, the idea of home. “Then I have another value that I cherish so much, and that’s the idea of home being all over the world. In my 50 years, there were many times when I said, ‘What is home?’ It is really in your heart. It doesn’t have to be a place. It’s where you feel comfortable. It has to do with the loved ones. If you have your child, your husband, those few people that you love, with you at home, it can be anywhere. Coronado enhances that emotion of being where I’m supposed to be.”
Get Started at Choose Healthy
Choose Healthy will open on July 5, 2025. The website is ginacasianmd.com. Dr. Gina has also started Walk with a Doc, Coronado Chapter, which takes place every other Saturday. These ongoing events allow participants to safely walk (or roll), learn about current health topics, and meet new people.
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