The new locally-owned Wave Wellness clinic has opened in Encinitas, hoping to fill a gap of what is missing from the current healthcare system. With a focus on integrative and functional medicine, the patient-centered and holistic clinic aims to target root causes and set people on the right path in their health and wellness journeys.
The clinic, located in the medical complex across from Harvest Ranch Market, was founded by Stanford, UC San Francisco and UC San Diego-educated cardiologist Dr. Katherine Ludington. The Carmel Valley resident started North Coast Cardiology in Encinitas in 2007 and expanded to a second office in Oceanside. As a specialist, her focus is taking care of people’s hearts but her priority as a physician has always been taking into the whole person with a broader and more preventative outlook. After practicing for nearly two decades, she realized that her work wasn’t serving her patients well enough.
“This new clinic is my baby. I’ve wanted to create something like this in our community for many, many years,” Ludington said. “I’m excited to have this more global view of approaching people’s wellness versus a patchwork of Band-Aids.”
With Wave Wellness, Ludington partnered with Del Mar resident Dr. Pooja Gajare, a doctor of internal medicine who has an extensive background in integrative and functional medicine. Gajare is a member of the Institute for Functional Medicine and was educated at the world-renowned University of Arizona Weil Center for Integrative Medicine.
“She’s very unique in that she’s been able to take the traditional medicine that all of us learned and complement that with the functional and holistic training that she’s very, very interested in,” Ludington said. “She’s extremely well-trained and lives and breathes this holistic approach to medical care. It’s been a great match for both us.”
For the last three years, Ludington worked to find the right people for Wave, those who believe strongly in her mission and in devoting the required time and energy to clients. The on-site team includes a clinical counselor, a professional artist who does art therapy, and a nurse practitioner that specializes in women’s wellness, prevention and nutrition.
For new patients the first assessment is an hour, sitting down with Dr. Gajare and going over a comprehensive questionnaire that delves deeper into the patient’s overall wellness versus just making a list of medical problems. Patients discuss their whole body wellness goals and Wave creates a program to set them on the path to accomplish those goals, pulling together all of the resources available all on-site.
An ideal type of Wave Wellness client is interested in taking a proactive and collaborative approach to prevent future illnesses like a genetic predisposition for heart disease, cancer or diabetes. Another type of client is someone already dealing with an illness or condition and seeking a better approach, taking the time to look at the bigger picture and trying to minimize the use of medications if possible.
Wave focuses on root causes and patient education, using advanced diagnostic tools not available through the current standard of care, such as testing in-depth laboratory testing and VitalHealth biomonitoring.
The new office, located right down the street from Ludington’s North Coast Cardiology, has a very different and homey feel to it.
“We’ve gotten rid of exam tables and put in couches,” Ludington said. “The decor is more soothing and relaxing so you can really sit and have conversations and not feel like you’re in a doctor’s office.”
Wave Wellness has already started seeing patients and celebrated with an open house on Dec. 5: There were treats like heart-healthy cookies, Dr. Gajare gave an informative talk on the mind-gut connection and the local band The FM Conspiracy performed.
Ludington was incredibly excited to open her doors and provide this kind of care to her community.
“To finally see it come to fruition is fantastic, I’m thrilled,” Ludington said. “It’s just a wonderful thing to see this build and to have the from people that this is exactly what they need and have been looking for. It’s wonderfully rewarding.”
Wave Wellness is located at 4407 Manchester Avenue, Suite 101 in Encinitas. Visit wavewellnesssd.com
