Ilona Samara, MD Functional Medicine Specialist
Ilona Samara, M.D. obtained her medical degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. Three years later, she graduated from Family Medicine and Preventive Health Residency at Health Sciences Center at the University of Oklahoma. She joined St. Anthony’s and has worked as a primary care physician for 9 years. It was during these years that she has experienced the frustration of not being able to provide the necessary tools for her patients’ road to wellness and understanding of their disease process.
She did not want to settle into this system and give in simply because “that’s just the way it is”. She embarked on a journey to find an effective medical approach to reversing chronic disease and doing something more than “just prescribing pills”. She wanted to be able to talk with patients about their lives, their obstacles, stress, sleep, and lifestyle habits, to truly understand their problems they are facing without the crippling time constraints in a conventional medicine model. She discovered through years of learning that the Functional Medicine approach is a way to provide medical care that is individualized, patient-centered, and effective! Functional medicine is emerging as a medical approach defining a state of health that is on a continuum with wellness on one end, and disease on the other.
Dr. Samara understands your needs at a personal level. A few years ago, she started having some health issues herself. She knew that there was a reason why she was struggling with her health. She found out her health issues were caused by the toxic environment. Through her knowledge and training in Functional Medicine, she knew how to address the underlying cause. Dr. Samara knew then that she had to become an expert in Environmental Illness, using her knowledge of Functional Medicine in order to treat her patients. Patients come to Dr. Samara with diagnoses they have been given. And most believe that these diagnoses will last forever! But, Dr. Samara works on addressing the patients’ imbalances while paying attention to their physiological processes, genetic predispositions, and surrounding environmental influences. She identifies the dysfunction, or chronic disease, and its cause, which may be different for each person. However, she asks the question, “why?” that is often not asked. Instead of settling for the disease, she works towards reversing it and providing the means towards a functional body, mind, and spirit – and thus a road to wellness.
Pam Spurr, BSN, RN, Functional Nutrition Coach
Pam Spurr is a Functional Nutrition Coach and registered nurse, with over 30 years of nursing experience. She has always had a passion for helping people, and this passion took a new turn when she discovered the concepts of Functional Medicine and the powerful potential of nutrition and lifestyle changes to improve health and applied them to herself. Her own health journey helped her discover the power we all have over our own health and recovery and the importance of education, support, and compassion to help others learn how to thrive as well. Pam knew that she had found a way to make a real difference in the lives of those struggling with their health. Through her unique background in acute care nursing, she has witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of chronic illness on people’s lives and vitality, as well as the ineffectiveness of the current health care model in the successful treatment of these conditions. For acute illness and injury, our current approach is working. Chronic illness, however, is on the rise in devastating numbers for all age ranges, and our approach of trying to manage these conditions with more prescriptions without getting to the root cause is clearly not working. People are getting sicker and the reality is that many of these chronic conditions are the result of the negative impacts of our lifestyle, nutritional choices, and other environmental factors. Pam's goal for every client is to educate, inspire, and empower them to engage and fully participate in their own healing to create the life they deserve.
Michelle Woll, LPC, LADC Reiki Master
Michelle Woll is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor, and Reiki Master. She practices mental/behavioral health and substance abuse counseling, energy healing, is multi-lingual, and employs a variety of techniques and approaches, including Energy Psychology and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. Michelle graduated cum laude from Mississippi College’s CACREP accredited Counseling Psychology masters program in 2003, and relocated to Oklahoma shortly thereafter. Michelle has lived in Mississippi, Tennessee, and a few other states, but was raised primarily on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. It was there that she was immersed in Puerto-Rican culture, and became fluent in Spanish. She was raised speaking Portuguese and English at home and spent summers visiting family in São Paulo, Brazil.
In addition to being a licensed therapist, she is also a certified Reiki Master and an avid student of alternative healing methods. Michelle balances her work helping others with raising three beautiful daughters, and caring for her Golden Retriever and two fat cats. Michelle is a firm believer in alternative methods to healing, holistic approaches to treatment, and living an active and healthy lifestyle as the foundation to good physical, mental, and emotional health. She is also a supporter of clean and healthy living, animal rights, sustainability, and preserving the environment.
Wendy Vermillion, CHC, HeartMath Coach
Wendy Vermillion is a Certified Toxicity & Detox Specialist, and a HeartMath Coach. She has a passion for health and wellness and being a mom! As a parent of a son with autism and multiple health issues that have required many surgeries, she has made it her lifelong passion to become his best advocate. She fulfilled the role of “health coach and/or nurse” early on changing g-tubes, traches, and managing supplements and medications along with implementing a dietary intervention.
After her own life-altering illness and an environmental illness, she had to then be her own best advocate! After improving her own health with nutrition and guidance with functional medicine, this fueled her to return to school to become a Certified Health Coach and later added, Certified Detox & Toxicity Specialist, and HeartMath® to her training. HeartMath® is a scientific tool that allows you to tune into and align the mind, body, and soul. Wendy knows firsthand what it is like to feel stressed and all alone with a chronic illness. She loves having the opportunity to walk alongside clients, collaborating with them in their journey toward healing.
Wendy is also our Patient Coordinator, guiding patients in their decision of becoming a patient at NewLife Medicine. In her free time, you will find her spending time with her family and/or curled up with a health and wellness book.
Kristy Gravitt, RN, Electrotherapy Technician
From an early age I knew I wanted to be a nurse. God blessed me with many years caring for others in the hospital setting. After 21+ years and the loss of both of my parents to cancer, I sought out other means of bringing health and wellness to others. Our bodies were created with the amazing ability to heal themselves, given the right tools! I began to search out those tools when I was introduced to the Electro-Equiscope by a dear friend. My husband and son both experienced great relief after work and sports injuries and from that moment on, I knew this was the direction I was to take. My passion for bringing hope, healing and vitality to others continues through the amazing therapy with the Equiscope. I am so grateful for this opportunity!