Dr. Marlene Roberts Combining the Best of Traditional Medicine, Mind/Body Awareness and Anti-Aging Practice
I think it’s fair to say that we’re living in a transformative era of modern medicine. As pharmaceutical companies produce increasingly more effective solutions to medical maladies, so too are many medical professionals embracing non-traditional therapies and treatments that are designed to promote wellness and prevent diseases before they get started.
Marlene Roberts, an extraordinary doctor with compassion and kindness, has developed a robust practice as a nurse practitioner in Los Angeles. Her combined training as a doctor of clinical psychology and anti-aging medicine gives her the tools to view a patient’s health from all angles.
“Early in my career, I was working in the cancer ward. A lot of young people were being treated for leukemia and other cancers. I knew then, I would need to acquire more knowledge to appropriately deal with both patient and family,” Roberts explains. “I knew my nursing education wasn’t going to be enough, so I went back to school and took classes in psychology and that’s where my career evolution began.”
As Roberts was working on her master’s degree in clinical psychology at Pepperdine University, she continued taking advanced nursing classes at UCLA. At UCLA, she worked with and studied under some of the brightest minds, world-renowned surgeons and physicians. With ten years of nursing experience under her belt, Dr. Roberts decided the best way to help her patients was for her to provide hope and faith in an outcome of getting better. “At the clinic in Westwood where I practice family medicine and integrated healthcare, the physicians I work with refer patients to me who have complex histories compounded by psychological problems. Many medical diagnoses carry with them a psychological component. I manage both the analysis of their physical symptoms and psychological issues to get them back in balance. As an anti-aging and functional medicine practitioner, I understand the importance of the hormone balance as well as the mind/body connection. If people believe they will recover, they usually do better – hence the mind/body connection.”
Roberts decided the best way to be able to reach people was through a wellness program and went back to school once again to become a licensed family nurse practitioner. As she completed her training at Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science, she also learned about the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) and became very enamored with its programs. “A4M physicians were providing the kind of wellness care that I had always believed in” I began a fellowship with them. I’ve studied endocrinology and how the body changes, becomes deficient and lets us down as we age if we don’t know specific hormones and vitamins to prescribe” Roberts says. “We have new ways of dealing with hormone imbalances, for instance, using an insertable pellet that provides continuous medication and helps bring the body into balance. For people who are chronically tired, depressed, can’t sleep, have night sweats or are gaining weight – issues particularly affecting post-menopausal women – these can be taken care of with implanted medicinal pellets. As men age, testosterone levels decrease. We address this as well with hormone pellet therapy. Energy, muscle mass, feelings of well-being and libido all contribute to a healthier individual and better lifestyle. Once a patient feels the benefits of hormone balance, they don’t want to be without the treatments which are usually performed three to four times per year.”
From Roberts’ point of view, science-based medicine is the best place to start with anti-aging medicines and therapies. Since people are living longer, it becomes increasingly important that people feel healthy and good about themselves as they age. “So how do we do that?” Roberts asks. “There are a lot of things that people can do to look and feel better as they grow older. And as a medical professional, I look at the internal components that reflect our physical health. There are simple tests one can use during a physical exam, like checking vitamin D levels that play a direct role in blood pressure, blood sugar and insulin metabolism. Ordering the right blood tests is important and helps direct the modalities that can contribute to a patient’s overall feeling of wellness, such as hormone replacement therapy, proper diet and a healthy lifestyle. All symptoms, such as being tired, stressed or overweight, are correctable with proper nutrition and exercise and, in more serious cases, the correct medication. Dr. Roberts is a blessing to all of us, but particularly to those who just do not want to give in or give up.
“The population is aging globally and one of the greatest fears I hear people describe is that of losing cognitive function which can lead to long term challenges and financial issues for a family,” Roberts explains. “Having a doctorate in clinical psychology, every time I see a patient I’m able to do a quick mini-mental status evaluation. That gives me insight into memory function, cognitive functions and overall well-being. That and a comprehensive look at how the hormones are functioning provide a good road map as to what modalities will be most helpful.”
Her studies in anti-aging have also led Roberts into the study of nutrition and the benefits of fasting, the process of cleansing the body of toxic build-up, improving gut health and bringing the body back into balance. “We see now how inflammation can be a determinate in the development of a disease – and even cancer – and how sugar drives inflammation to cause serious diseases. I also support the modalities of things like yoga, acupuncture and meditation to help reduce stress and keep one flexible and young.”
Marlene Roberts approach to ongoing wellness is more cutting edge and comprehensive than most traditional practitioners, starting with her emphasis on the psychological profile. “I’m passionate about the mind/body connection and have spent a lot of time training in anti-aging and metabolic functional medicine. Wellness starts in the head,” Roberts explains. “I look at everything through a psychological prism and then also factor in the science of the lab values. That allows me to prescribe both pharmaceuticals to help physically and also work on promoting emotional wellness. I’ve come to believe that the solution to complete, comprehensive health includes developing a mind/body awareness and the modalities that promote anti-aging.”
Having raised her family in Santa Barbara, Roberts now has a goal of returning to her home turf one day bringing her unique medical skills to that part of the west coast. “There are a lot of doctors switching to integrated medicine, as they have become burned out on dealing with the epidemic systems we’re seeing in patients now,” she explains. “But there’s not a practitioner in Santa Barbara that I’m aware of doing with I do now. I have a daughter who is an herbalist in Vermont. I depend on her knowledge with my patients who want exclusively a holistic approach. One of my sons is an elite personal trainer married to a physical therapist. My other two sons are in business and wealth management. I’ve dreamed of a wellness clinic where we could all work together in the area, offering healthy, preventative mind/body modalities with the goal of preventing disease before it gets started. I think we’re on the right path now, and in the next ten years I believe we’ll see a whole new approach to medicine, one less based on eradicating symptoms and more focused on combining medical science and the mind/body connection. I’d call it ‘preventative wellness.’”
To contact Dr. Roberts:
Dr. Marlene Roberts is 424 285 5188 cell. Anti.agingphys@gmail.com
Westwood office: 310-441-2000 1752 Westwood Blvd #110 Los Angeles, CA 90024
Redondo Beach: 310-214-8000 2850 Artesia Blvd #105 Redondo Beach, CA 90278
About the Author of This Article: Adrienne Papp is a recognized journalist, economist and feature writer, who has written for many publications including Savoir; The Westside Today Publications ; such as Beverly Hills 90210; Malibu Beach; Santa Monica Sun; The Beverly Hills Times; Brentwood News; Bel-Air View ; Celebrity Society ; Celeb Staff ; It Magazine; Chic Today; LA2DAY; West Side Today among many others. She is the President and CEO of Los Angeles / New York-based publicity company, Atlantic Publicity and publishing house, Atlantic Publisher. Adrienne writes about world trends, Quantum Physics, entertainment and interviews celebrities, world leaders, inventors, philanthropists and entrepreneurs. She also owns Atlantic United Films that produces and finances true stories made for theatrical release or the silver screen. Spotlight News Magazine is owned by Atlantic Publicity that just opened a new extension to it : PublicityLosAngeles. Adrienn
About the Author of This Article: Adrienne Papp is a recognized journalist, economist and feature writer, who has written for many publications including Savoir; The Westside Today Publications ; such as Beverly Hills 90210; Malibu Beach; Santa Monica Sun; The Beverly Hills Times; Brentwood News; Bel-Air View ; Celebrity Society ; Celeb Staff ; It Magazine; Chic Today; LA2DAY; West Side Today among many others. She is the President and CEO of Los Angeles / New York-based publicity company, Atlantic Publicity and publishing house, Atlantic Publisher. Adrienne writes about world trends, Quantum Physics, entertainment and interviews celebrities, world leaders, inventors, philanthropists and entrepreneurs. She also owns Atlantic United Films that produces and finances true stories made for theatrical release or the silver screen. Spotlight News Magazine is owned by Atlantic Publicity that just opened a new extension to it : PublicityLosAngeles. Adrienne Papp is a member of the International Press Academy.She is the Founder, CEO and President of Youthful & Ageless ™, Bringing Information to Billions™, An Honorable Cause™ www.LatestAgeless.com. www.OurMediaVenuesAndCompanies.com, Atlantic Publicity Articles, Latest Ageless, Events Photo Collection, Linked In Profile, Movie Data Base Profile, Twitter, Instagram, Youthful and Ageless Google+, Atlantic Publicity Google+, Atlantic Publisher Google+, Adrienne Papp Google+, Adrienne Papp Personal Google+, Spotlight News Magazine, Atlantic Publicity Productions, Atlantic Altitude, Altitude Pacific, Atlantic Publicity Photography and Filming, About Adrienne Papp What Others Say AtlanticPublicitySEO, BrilliantMarketing365, An Honorable Cause, Academic Research, Knighthood Today, Youthful and Ageless™. She was knighted and became a Dame in 2010. Her official name is Lady Adrienne Papp and Dame Adrienne Papp. Voting Member of The International Press Academy and The Oscars: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She is the Managing Editorial Director of The Beverly Hills Times Magazine, and Hollywood Weekly. She has a Master of Science in Economics majoring Logistics; an MBA Degree; An International Law, Trade and Finance Postgraduate: Marketing and Advertising Postgraduate from NYU and UCLA. Guest Professor at Oxford University; Director and Producer of TV and Airline On Camera Editorials; Adrienne Papp Enterprises
