Today we’d like to introduce you to Lena Edwards.
Lena, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
That’s a long story, but I’ll try to keep it brief. I’ve been on my own since I was 16 years old. I put myself through college working 2 jobs before being accepted to medical school in 1992. Failure was never an option because I knew that I had to rely on myself in order to have a brighter future and endless opportunities. I finished medical school in the upper 1/3 of my class then entered my Internal Medicine Residency Program. I’ve always taken my profession very seriously because of the nature of what I do. This is the one situation where I believe that good is the enemy of perfect. When you are dealing with human lives, you have to be a perfectionist and know exactly what you are doing!
After I completed my training, I joined a group practice in KY. I quickly realized that I needed to venture out on my own. I started my first solo practice in 2003 and did incredibly well. I had a patient following of nearly 1500 after only 6 months. Things were going so well, I decided to purchase space in my building rather than to lease. I entered into an LLC with another doctor and a real estate broker only to discover nearly one year later that the broker had been embezzling the money we were giving him to pay the mortgage.
In 2005, due to the fraud and embezzlement issue, I lost EVERYTHING I had… my home, my car, and my practice… I’d never even written a bad check in my life, so this was completely devastating to me! I joined a group practice for about a year then decided that despite the setbacks, I enjoyed solo practice enough to go out again on my own.
I reopened my solo practice under a new name, Balance Health & Wellness Center, in 2006. Within 3 years, I purchased my office space and had nearly 2000 patients. During that time I also was lecturing internationally, writing peer-reviewed medical research papers, and wrote my first book titled, “Adrenalogic: Outsmarting Stress”. I was featured in numerous media venues and received numerous awards, including the National Association of Women Business Owners Woman of the Year Award. (see my website for more information: www.drlenaedwards.com).
In 2013, we relocated to Florida so I could be closer to my father who was having health issues. I maintained a very busy telemedicine practice and continued to commute back and forth to Kentucky for nearly 2 years. I eventually realized that telemedicine allowed me to practice very efficiently without the overhead and confines of a conventional medical office setting. I haven’t had a brick and mortar office since 2015.
Two years ago, I started another company called IV2You. Our company specialized in delivering hydration and nutrient IV therapies to clients from Jupiter all the way to Miami. We grew VERY quickly and within one year had a team of over 30 providers. We made the decision to close the IV2You business because of increasing legal restrictions which made it more difficult to offer on-site IV services.
I continue to have a very comprehensive telemedicine program. This year, I started another new company called Adrenalogix. It is the only company of its kind that has developed unique nutritional supplements specifically designed to address gender differences in the stress response. I created my proprietary formulations over six years, and so far, the feedback has been incredible. The female formulation is called AdrenaFem and the formulation for men is called AdrenaMen (www.adrenalogix.com).
I am always looking for new opportunities to grow and expand my skills and to serve others. I have many other ideas for future expansion in the works.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
NO WAY!! In addition, when I did have a physical office, I had employees who stole money, stole supplements, and even called in narcotic prescriptions for their family members with my license. The icing on the cake was when one of my office managers used my credit card account to purchase an all-expense paid trip to Mexico for herself and her married boyfriend. She was never prosecuted despite overwhelming evidence against her!
Please tell us about Dr. Lena Edwards and Adrenalogix.
I am an Internist who is one of only 300 physicians in the United States who is also Board Certified in Integrative Medicine. I am also Board Certified and Fellowship trained in Anti-Aging and Functional Medicine. Last year, I was recognized as one of the Leading Physicians in the World in Integrative Medicine by the International Association of Healthcare Professionals. This year I was awarded the Trademark Women of Distinction Award as well.
My area of expertise is in stress and stress-related bodily disorders. I have lectured internationally, written peer-reviewed journal articles, and written a book and book chapters on these topics. I am also a Fellow with the American Institute of Stress.
What sets me apart is my ability to diagnose complex health challenges that others cannot. In fact, my patients call me “Dr. Why”. I’ve diagnosed and successfully treated patients that even The Mayo Clinic and The Cleveland Clinic couldn’t. As I said before, I take my profession very seriously, and I have never taken the ‘band-aid approach’ to health care. There is ALWAYS a “why” behind the “what”.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Traveling overseas and experiencing other countries and other cultures. It was an education I could never have received in a classroom setting!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.drlenaedwards.com; www.adrenalogix.com
- Email: contact@drlenaedwards.com; contact@adrenalogix.com
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