About

Mission

Lotus Integrative Health and Nursing wants to give their clients experiences of healing that involve the whole person: mind, body and spirit. In a conventional system, women often feel rushed, without choices, and not heard. Our providers take the time to listen, discover the root cause of discomfort and illness, and provide solutions toward long lasting healing and achievement of long-term life goals. Coming to our practice is a healing journey and transformational, a completely different experience than the conventional health system.

We provide support, education, coaching, and care tailored for each individual. We treat them with respect and humanity regardless of background. Our team approach is collaborative and recognizes the value and importance of each discipline in contributing to the vitality and wellness of our clients. We truly feel integrative health care is the key to solving the health care crisis by emphasizing prevention through natural medicine, lifestyle, and wellness principles. We look forward to serving our clients with compassion and care.

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Team

Dr. Milan Chavarkar,

DNP, RN, FNP-BC

Founder / Nurse Practitioner

I remember my first exposure to natural medicines as a child when my mother created a hot dough infused with turmeric to put on a sore ankle. To my surprise, spices from my mom’s kitchen, used to cook Indian food on a daily basis, had healing properties for common ailments! This realization started a lifelong fascination with healing and medicine. Feeling a deep connection to women’s health and female empowerment based on my domestic violence work and exposure to the Women’s Clinic at UC Berkeley, I started my career as a nurse-midwife. My first position was in inner-city Los Angeles working with pregnant women, and I realized that providing holistic primary and OBGYN care was essential to a healthy pregnancy and postpartum period. After completing a Post-Master’s in Family Practice, I fell in love with family practice and my goal became to help and empower women, their families, and communities. After working in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, I missed home and moved back to the Bay Area in 2004 to be closer to my parents. In the last 24 years, I have worked in a variety of settings with diverse populations, always dedicated to promoting integrative techniques including the use of wholesome diet, movement, herbal medicines, and supplements to enhance health. On a personal note, I suffered through PCOS, infertility, and weight issues with little help from conventional medicine, which influenced my decision to become an expert in integrative health care based on the functional medicine model. I know what it is like to be a mother and wife with a busy career and I want to support other women in their aspirations to become their best self. A life-long learner, I recently graduated from a doctoral program at UCSF to refine my skills as a leader and educator, and finished programs in functional medicine and holistic fertility. I am thrilled to create Lotus Integrative Health & Nursing to continue my work in integrative health to serve women and their families.

I love my profession, but the heart of my life is my family. My two children are 18 and 13, and my husband and I are busy working parents like many others! My parents live 2 blocks from us, and we see them almost daily! We are excited to welcome our Havanese puppy, Nico, to our family this year. I'm on my own healing journey and I've learned the hard way that self-care is vital. The pandemic was a great motivator and I now have a daily meditation and yoga practice. I'm a Zumba dancer, an 80's music fan, a good cook, and can't wait to travel again. A Cal graduate, I can talk about my Berkeley days forever. Go Bears! I love a good party, and can't wait to have one when this pandemic is over!

Education

University of California, Berkeley

Bachelor’s Molecular and Cell Biology, 1993

Columbia University in the City of New York

Bachelor’s Nursing, 1997

Columbia University in the City of New York

Master’s Nursing, Nurse Midwifery, 1998

Harbor-UCLA Research Education Institute

Post-Master’s, Family Nurse Practitioner, 2002

University of California, San Francisco

Doctor of Nursing Practice, 2019

Affiliation