Daily Inspiration: Meet Dr. Kyle O’Brien

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Kyle O’Brien.

Hi Dr. O’Brien, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
My journey into the healthcare field started way back in middle school. Growing up as an overweight, self-proclaimed couch potato, I was not always in the picture of healthy living. It’s hard to say what changed in me that provoked such a dramatic lifestyle change, but one day I decided I was tired of being sick and tired. I was done being the overweight kid that never felt comfortable in his skin. It was the start of summer before 7th grade; I picked up a book called, “Body for Life” by Bill Philips. It was probably the first book I ever read cover to cover. I followed every recommendation in that book for the next 3 months before school started. From asking my mom to bring me to the grocery store because her foods were no longer “healthy enough for me” (I don’t recommend talking to your mom this way) to cooking my meals and exercising daily for the first time in my life, I quickly shed weight and transformed who I was. I vividly remember my first day of 7th grade. After losing nearly 40 pounds, most people did not recognize me.

Fast forward several years, and my dream was to become a personal trainer and, ultimately, a physical therapist to help others achieve their fitness goals just like I had. I discovered CrossFit in 2010, and in 2012 I began coaching to support myself through college. While I enjoyed my college education, I became enthralled with learning about other subjects such as nutrition, chronic disease, hormonal health, and longevity. I realized that creating wellness was so much more than just fitness. This left me wondering if physical therapy was the right future for me. In 2014, I interviewed a practicing physical therapist. When I asked him if he would do anything differently if he could return, he said he would have become an Osteopathic physician. This was my first time hearing of this, but it sparked my interest. I later learned that an Osteopathic physician, or “D.O.,” was a medically trained and fully licensed physician, like an MD, with additional training in body biomechanics. DOs embrace the body’s capacity for self-healing and emphasize holistic healthcare. Immediately, I knew this was what I had been searching for.

In 2016, I attended Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Bradenton, Florida. Here, I learned about a subspecialty of medicine called Integrative and Functional medicine, which seeks to uncover why illness occurs and how to restore health by addressing the root causes of disease. This felt like the missing piece in modern medicine, and I wanted to bring this approach into primary care. Thankfully, I had done quite well in medical school and was matched at the Cleveland Clinic for further training in Family Medicine. While at the Cleveland Clinic, I learned from world-renowned physicians from many specialties, including Functional and Integrative Medicine. The Cleveland Clinic was the first major health system to embrace Functional Medicine, and I was lucky enough to spend time learning from the physicians at the Center for Functional Medicine.

As I reached the final stages of my training, I set out to find a position that would allow me to practice full-spectrum primary care with integrative, functional, and anti-aging medicine. Let me tell you, this combination is challenging to find. After months of searching nationwide, I came across Essential Health, a direct primary care practice in Raleigh, North Carolina. Not only is this practice on the cutting edge of health optimization and longevity medicine, but it is made up of some of the kindest individuals I have ever met. Joining this group was one of the easiest decisions I have ever made. I will be officially joining the team on August 1st, 2023.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As is the nature of medical training, the path could be smoother. For me, the major struggle was training and practicing in a broken system that does not emphasize primary care or prevention of illness but instead rewards seeing more patients in less time. I faced the daily dilemma of desiring to dive in deep with my patients, knowing that if I did so, I would be hours behind schedule at the end of the day. The patients who would come to see us well (i.e., not actively suffering from an acute medical condition/illness) would receive little useful healthcare or advice on prevention or health optimization. Only when someone became truly sick or admitted to the hospital were we encouraged or given the time to go deep with that patient. It has been said that the United States practices “sick care,” not healthcare, and I could not agree more. These experiences forced me to look outside of conventional medicine to find a solution to this problem.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I have training in full-spectrum family medicine and will be board certified in April 2023. I hold additional certification in Integrative medicine through the University of Arizona. I am nearly finished with my certification in functional medicine through the Institute for Functional Medicine, and I recently started a 2-year fellowship in Anti-aging and regenerative medicine through the A4M. Unlike conventional medical practice, at Essential Health, we combine the best of full-spectrum primary care with the latest advances in functional, anti-aging, and regenerative medicine to treat and prevent chronic disease, prolong the lifespan, and optimize performance. This can only be achieved by having time with our patients, which is why Essential Health is a direct primary care clinic that allows for longer appointment times, small patient panels, and immediate access to physicians 24/7. This could never be replicated in traditional primary care and is something we proudly offer to the community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://essentialhealth.health/