Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Zarinah Hud.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Dr. Hud. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am one of five children and the daughter of a mother and father that instilled leadership. My journey was not without twists and turns. However, resilience is what I pride myself on and was instilled into me from my great-grandmother that lived to be 99 years old. Quitting was just never an option. Failure was never in the vocabulary. I believe that what some call “failure,” I call opportunity. It’s an opportunity to grow and persevere.
I grew up playing basketball and earned a full-scholarship in basketball and academics at the collegiate level. I knew from a young age that I wanted to become a medical doctor, and I did so as the first-ever African American Muslim woman to be accepted to the Thomas Jefferson University Physiatry (physical medicine and rehabilitation) residency program and my LECOM Sports & Integrative Pain Fellowship, respectively.
Being a leader does not always come easy, but it is always worth it if the goal is to uplift and impact lives. I often ran into nay-sayer’s and people who did not believe in my vision. However, it never dawned on me that it wasn’t possible because I was raised to think limitless. I have since then taken care of thousands of patients to help them recover from injuries, reduce pain and gain long-term “Pain Freedom” from acute and chronic conditions. I’ve done this by using regenerative and integrative medicine approaches as a team doctor for the New York Knicks NBA-D league, Winter Olympics USA luge team, along with many other weekend warriors, and Division I/II collegiate teams over the years.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In spite of various professional accolades and scholastic achievements, I was not immune to struggle and challenge. You see, by most people’s definition, I was pretty successful by the time I was in my late 20s. I married the love of my life and achieved my ultimate professional goal of becoming a doctor. I had a brilliant two-year-old and just delivered my second child. But I suddenly found myself facing one of the biggest challenges of my life, lying in a hospital bed just a few hours after delivering my second child. I was experiencing medical complications that resulted in a vascular compromise. For the first time in my adult professional life, no one was paging Dr. Hud to the bedside.
Instead, I was lying in a hospital bed sincerely worried for my life and, most importantly, my ability to be a mother and wife. I recall lying there, asking myself, “Is this really happening to me?” I was a healthy doctor and a collegiate athlete. I had never been sick with any serious illnesses or diseases and had a completely normal healthy pregnancy. I didn’t question God, yet I was so dumbfounded by the idea that it was me, this wellness and health-conscious doctor, lying there in that hospital. And my doctors didn’t have all the answers. I, the “Pain Freedom Doc,” was experiencing severe pain in my lower limbs, confusion, and a severe headache. From then, through the next two years, I underwent multiple tests, labs, brain scans and chest scans. My amazing vascular team was among one of the best in the country, were not able to determine a definitive treatment for my condition. That was a very challenging time in my life, as the prognosis was unclear, and I didn’t work for a year following the birth of my second child because my symptoms fluctuated so frequently.
However, years after a diagnosis with a rare condition that is only seen in less than four percent of the population and a prognosis that was unclear. I had to make a choice, and I chose myself! I chose me in a way that I never have before. This time I choose me unapologetically. This has made me more determined than ever to share with the world what I’ve learned through personal experience, along with my expertise in sports & pain management using integrative approaches. I’m so thankful that I’m here to serve, be a wife, mother, sister and daughter to those whom I love the most. It’s truly a gift. I would be lying if I said that I didn’t experience deep worry and sadness that fluctuated throughout that first year and a half after my diagnosis.
However, I remembered the resilience of my grandmother and the values of perseverance from my parents that have carried me through countless life adversities. I had to decide whether I would allow “doubt” and “worry” to consume me and my health, or whether I would practice what I preached to thousands of people, and become the MVP (most valuable person), in mind and body, so that I could truly be of value and present for those I love and care for. I knew I could only give myself one option, and that was to not just exist or wait for a healthy life but to create the life I desire.
Please tell us about Rebound Sports & Rehab.
I am a proud owner of a medical practice, Rebound Sports & Rehab, where we use an integrative approach to injury and pain by implementing treatment programs that address their whole life (psycho-social and physical) utilizing non-opioid options. I attribute success rate with our patients to our “whole person” approach to your health.
Also, after some years of research and prayer, we are excited to launch “Nature’s Freedom” health supplement line. A doctor-formulated vitamin line that is pure and potent, non-GMO and many vegan options to support your long-term health goals, especially in reducing inflammation for various preventable chronic illnesses that we currently face in our communities and nationally. Our motto is to “infuse Nature, so you can gain Freedom.” I am super proud of the work we put into this line because of the high-quality and purity we can bring to the masses, which helps take out the guesswork for the consumer. When individuals or corporations encounter me, what I hear the most is the passion, energy and authenticity that I bring to everyone and everything that I do, and I am so humbled to wake up every day to serve in the way that I do. It’s been truly a journey and a blessing.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
One of my favorite childhood memories is sitting at the feet of my great-grandmother, listening to how she grew up and the history of our family. I also fondly remember and cherish my involvement and growth as a student-athlete. I learned so many valuable life lessons being an athlete and especially as an athlete in a team sport. The combination of the lessons learned from my family and as an athlete has truly been the strongest ingredient in the recipe for my successes in life both personally and professionally.
Pricing:
- 25% off 1st purchase of Nature’s Freedom Supplement, using code: 25OFFMVP
Contact Info:
- Address: 155 Westridge Pkwy, Suite 106, Mcdonough, GA 30253
- Website: www.DrZarinah.com
- Phone: 6783080832
- Email: info@drzarinah.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/drzarinah
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/drzarinah
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/drzarinah
- Other: bit.ly/naturesfreedom
Image Credit:
Tamarcus Brown
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