Modern medicine meets holistic healthcare at Ashtoria Aesthetics and Wellness in Collierville. Founded by Valerie Monismith, RN, in 2014, the center strives to support clients through personalized, membership-based, functional medicine services, and medical aesthetics.
“It’s about going back to the basics,” Valerie says of functional medicine. “Traditional medicine has become so compartmentalized that it fails to look at the whole body. Functional medicine is the detective who walks alongside you to uncover the root causes of your health concerns.”
With this approach, those seeking a secondary opinion on a diagnosis, or experiencing anxiety, gastrointestinal issues, fibromyalgia and other unexplainable-type autoimmune symptoms, or dealing with chronic disease are all excellent candidates.
Lea Brainerd, PA-C, CAQ-Psy, MSPAS, PCC, joined the team when Ashtoria Aesthetics and Wellness launched its functional medicine branch in September of 2024, bringing her background in psychiatry, neuroscience, and medicine studies to the table.
“Functional medicine is an approach that looks at the body in terms of various biological systems that work together. When disease is present, we are searching for potential problems in those systems,” Lea offers. “We are going deeper into how our biology works, and the function of those systems needs repair.”
Before meeting with Lea, clients complete detailed intake forms that cover everything from toxic exposure to current symptoms and a detailed emotional and medical history. Then, they undergo a 90-minute consult that includes a comprehensive exam and “deep dive” functional lab testing. During the second appointment, Lea introduces clients to their customized health journey blueprint, including a detailed roadmap to achieving optimal health and balance, which may include nutritional counseling, supplementation recommendations, lifestyle changes, and medications, if needed. Resources for spiritual, mental, and emotional health, which she advocates is a significant and often overlooked component of the equation, are also included.
“We host monthly functional wellness lunch and learns, so people have that community support as well,” Lea continues. Among the center’s various holistic therapies are regenerative peptides, IV nutrition therapy, bioharmonic sound and vibrational resonance, biophoton therapy, photobiomodulation, ketamine integration therapy for PTSD, and reiki energy work because “everyone’s recipe for health and wellness is different.”
“My plan was always to offer functional medicine,” she continues. “We want to put our clients in charge of their health and move back towards preventative care to achieve longevity, healthspan, and quality of life without prescription medications being at the forefront. We are not here to replace a primary care physician but to serve as additional support.”
“We make sure people are doing things to heal in the right order for the best outcome,” Valerie adds of their emphasis on lifestyle advice and taking time on their protocol for healing. “We are medical professionals doing medicine, not a spa selling quick fixes, such as the trend to macrodose weight loss medications, which has caused a lot of problems such as muscle wasting. We are passionate about utilizing microdoses and regenerative peptides to help people achieve optimal results without the negative side effects.
Ashtoria Aesthetics and Wellness is accepting a limited number of new clients, and six and 12-month memberships are available. “It is important to us that we are not rushed with clients,” Valerie says, explaining that their appointment times are double the length of a traditional doctor’s office.
“To truly heal someone is a journey.”
For more information, visit Astoria.com or call 901.310.3530. IG: @ashtoriaaesthetics
