Dr. Chong is a licensed naturopathic physician with postgraduate training with Drs. Caldwell Esselstyn, Drs. Joel Kahn and Mark Houston at the Academy of Anti-aging Medicine, and Drs. Amy Doneen and Brad Bale at BaleDoneen.com. More than anything else, he considers himself a “nutritional angiologist.” In other words, via the power of nutrition and lifestyle medicine, he helps people obtain and maintain the highest level of arterial health and subsequently the lowest level of heart attack and stroke risk, possible for their individual circumstances.

He is also highly trained in advanced cardiovascular disease risk assessment and uses the latest tools and understanding available to help people truly understand their current level of vascular health so that they can know best what they need to do, and also, most importantly, how their body is responding to the treatments they are doing.

I am a board certified Family Medicine, Lifestyle Medicine and Obesity Medicine physician. In addition, I am certified in Plant-Based Nutrition through the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies. 
 
At Coastal Vitality MD, I work with people who want to lose excess weight, prevent or reverse chronic disease, or simply promote health and longevity.  Using a customized combination of powerful lifestyle tools — especially whole food plant-based nutrition — supplemented by weight loss medication when appropriate, I help each of my clients live their healthiest life.

Love.Life Telehealth is a national telemedicine service that makes lifestyle medicine available to everyone. Physicians are available now to provide licensed medical care to patients in all 50 US states and Washington D.C. via telemedicine from the comfort of your own homw.  International lifestyle medicine consultations are also available, for people outside of the US. 
 
Using secure video conferencing and patient portal technologies, Love.Life Telehealth provides licensed medical care for patients who are focused on optimal wellness or have chronic disease and other medical conditions including, but not limited to diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, obesity, autoimmune diseases, inflammation, and digestive issues. These conditions and overall wellness needs are addressed through lifestyle medicine—the powerful, evidence-based practice of promoting healthy behaviors and lifestyle modification, including a whole food, plant-based diet.

Dr. Katipally is board certified in American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) and American Board of Lifestyle Medicine (ABLM). After practicing the traditional medicine for over 15 years and serving as the medical director for various busy service-lines in the academic and university health/corporate systems – he pivoted his personal journey, career path and practice toward plant-based nutrition and lifestyle medicine. After his ABLM certification followed by the certification in Plant-based Nutrition program by Dr. T. Colin Campbell’s Center for Nutrition Studies at Cornell Univ. (eCornell), he founded the New ME Health Center for Lifestyle Medicine – his dream comprehensive Lifestyle Medicine Center to help his patients arrest and potentially reverse their diabetes and other lifestyle related diseases through Intensive Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (iTLC).

Dr. Shayla Toombs-Withers grew up in Atlanta, GA.  She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Tennessee State University in Nashville, TN in 2003 where she earned a B.S. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. Dr. Toombs-Withers earned a Doctorate Degree in Osteopathic Medicine from the Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine located on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA in 2007.  After completing her formal medical education, Dr. Toombs-Withers continued her medical training at the University of Cincinnati, The Christ Hospital.  She is double board certified in Family Medicine and Obesity Medicine. Over the years, Dr. Toombs-Withers has served as Adjunct Associate Professor of Family and Community Medicine with the University of Cincinnati Family Medicine Residency Program and she worked as a Family Physician for a federally qualified health center caring for underserved populations in the Cincinnati area. In 2013 Dr. Toombs-Withers was named as the Medical Director for the All Care Health Center in Council  Bluffs, IA where she continued to practice family medicine and supervised a staff of physicians and nurse practitioners. Dr. Toombs-Withers moved to Chattanooga, TN in 2015 and became a Family Medicine Physician in the UT/Erlanger Primary Care Medical Group at the Pineville Road office.  She earned a certification in Plant Based Nutrition in 2016 and the was board certified in Obesity Medicine in 2018. Dr. Toombs- Withers has practiced a plant based diet for over 15 years and over the past 5 years she has moved to a vegan diet.  She has trained as an endurance athlete and she has completed the New York City Marathon, Chicago Marathon, Ironman Chattanooga 70.3, Ironman Augusta 70.3, Ironman Texas and a host of other endurance races. Dr. Toombs-Withers founded the Essence of Health Wellness Clinic in Chattanooga, TN in 2019 so that  she could combine her deep knowledge of medicine, plant based nutrition, and athletic training to provide comprehensive primary care to her patients using a Concierge Primary Care Model. Outside of work, Dr. Toombs-Withers is a mom for her three sons, wife, and dog wrangler.  She loves Chattanooga and all of the outdoor experiences it has to offer.  She enjoys cycling, hiking, camping, swimming, triathlons and trail running.

I am a board-certified Internal Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine physician and work with people to help prevent, treat, and even (with some conditions) reverse disease.  As part of someone’s health we talk about nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress, and support system and these all play critical roles in health.
In addition to the in-office/telemedicine visits, patients and community members are welcome to attend the Walk With A Doc monthly walks at the Ventura Pier (currently held as an education over Zoom due to COVID-19) or other group visits for education, support, or to ask questions.  
I am part of a larger medical group (Dignity Health) and we accept almost all insurance plans. 

I have been a Registered Dietitian for 25 years and now a Certified Plant-Based Nutritionist. I studied with Dr. Mcdougall and Dr. Campbell; both plant-based doctors who are pioneers in their field. I have spent the last 15 years of my life researching and studying health and practicing a lifestyle of plant-based foods, yoga, walking, meditation, living in the present and being grateful. I now teach my clients how to find this calm and joyous way to live and eat.