A holistic approach to women’s health with Dr. Susan Murrmann
An expert in the field of women’s health, Dr. Susan Murrmann, 61, has been a practicing OBGYN for 25 years. She founded the McDonald Murrmann Center for Wellness and Health alongside Dr. Mary McDonald in 1996, and today they run the center with Dr. Heather Donato. Located in Germantown, the McDonald Murrmann Center for Wellness and Health offers a variety of services addressing many aspects of women’s health, from anti-aging medicine to aesthetic gynecology to infertility assessments, to name a few.
Always looking for more ways to help
Dr. Murrmann attended medical school at Rosalind Franklin School of Medicine in Chicago, IL, but finished her residency at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in 1991. Always passionate about women’s health, she was accepted as a fellow in fertility and reproductive medicine at a hospital in Chicago. However, she declined it because she wanted more.
“I wanted to deliver babies, do surgeries—actually get to do everything I learned as a resident,” she explains. So, she joined a local practice in Memphis to have the hands-on opportunities she craved. Wanting to grow her expertise and advanced in her skills, she switched to another local practice two years later where she met Dr. Mary McDonald.
A unique approach to women’s health
Mary and Susan bonded over a shared philosophy that the best way to approach women’s health is holistically and proactively.
“We wanted to help more patients by doing more than just pap smears and delivering babies,” Dr. Murrmann says. “It’s been rewarding to have a practice where we take care of our patients through every stage of their life and are able to adapt to their changing needs.
”That’s a perfect description of McDonald Murrmann Center for Wellness and Health: a progressive practice that considers all aspects of women’s health and how it evolves over time. Their integrated approach looks at all systems that might contribute to women’s overall gynecological health, including hormones, advanced testing, dietary recommendations, supplements and nutrition, regenerative medicine, personalized obstetrics, and the newest technology available in functional medicine and aesthetics.
All about anti-aging
Dr. Murrmann is especially passionate about longevity. She completed her Fellowship of Anti-Aging and Functional Medicine in 2019 and is a proud member of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine. Their all-inclusive approach to medicine is right up the doctor’s alley.
“It’s important to look at the big picture and approach medicine with a proactive mindset instead of retroactive,” she explains.“ Let’s stop you from getting a disease or following the same path your parents did.”
Practicing what she preaches
The anti-aging approach guides both Dr. Murrmann’s professional and personal life. She stays healthy by running about 12 miles a week and lifting weights at her home gym. She adheres to nutrition that promotes longevity. She eats clean and does the five-day ProLon fasting mimicking diet every month. She says it’s been one of the most life-changing elements for her. After suffering an accident that left her unable to run for five months, coupled with her father’s death in December 2018, Dr. Murrmann felt at rock bottom. Her blood pressure was high and she was mentally low. Even when she could run again, she was easily winded. After checking her lungs, she discovered that at 58 she had the lungs of a 77-year-old.
“I was horrified,” Dr. Murrmann says. “I had an opportunity to learn about the scientific benefits of this fasting mimicking method and signed up for three months on the spot.”
After adhering to the five-day ProLon cycle once a month for three months, Susan saw major improvements to her health, including improved running, healthier skin, and lungs that looked 15 years younger.“ The fasting-mimicking practice of eating has changed my life and longevity,” she says.
Looking ahead
Dr. Murrmann predicts a heavier emphasis on the aesthetic side of women’s health. “Stem cells and PRP— that’s where things are heading. A more scientific approach to looking good and feeling better.”
Whatever new techniques and technology are the forefront of women’s health, Dr. Susan Murrmann and her team are the pioneers that will bring it to Memphis.
For more information visit Mmcwh360.com or call 901.752.4000.
By Lucy Harrison
Photo by Tindall Stephens
