PROF I LE
PROF I LE
M ikhailia L ake , MD Cardiologist and Lifestyle Medicine Physician
Dr. Mikhailia Lake approaches cardiology with a wide lens. “Most heart disease doesn’t begin in the heart,” she says. “It begins in how we live.” Trained in internal medicine and cardiology, Lake integrates lifestyle medicine into her clinical practice, addressing nutrition, movement, sleep and stress alongside traditional treatments. “Medication and procedures have their place,” she says. “But they don’t explain why disease develops.” Her perspective is deeply personal. Lake watched her father experience multiple strokes after years of unmanaged diabetes. “He was prescribed more medication each time,” she recalls. “No one ever told him his condition could be improved through lifestyle changes.” That experience reshaped her approach to care. Today, Lake focuses on education and clarity. “Patients are overwhelmed,” she says. “They hear conflicting advice everywhere. My job is to simplify.”
overall pattern.” Her guidance emphasizes whole, minimally processed foods and consistency over restriction.
Movement, Lake notes, does not require extremes. “One hundred fifty minutes of moderate activity a week,” she says. “Something that raises your heart rate and fits into your life.” Stress, however, remains one of the most underestimated factors. “The majority of primary care visits are stress- related,” Lake explains. “It affects blood pressure, inflammation and metabolism.”
She is candid about wellness trends. “There’s no shortcut,” she says. “If lifestyle doesn’t change, results don’t last.”
What motivates patients, Lake says, is understanding the why. “When people know how their choices affect their heart, they become empowered.” Her vision is hopeful. “It’s possible to age with energy and independence,” she says. “That’s what I want for my patients.”
Food, she explains, is often misunderstood. “People obsess over single ingredients,” she says. “What matters is the
2026 - JANUARY/FEBRUARY
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