Welcome to Integrative Insights at Zest!
By Dr. Keili Mistovich
Chief Medical Officer, Zest Pediatric Network
Over time, my conversations with families have shifted. Of course, we still talk about ear infections, fevers, strep throat and all the other common pediatric illnesses. But more and more, parents want to know how to truly support their child’s health—not just treat illness when it comes.
Parents are asking smart, thoughtful questions about nutrition, sleep, environmental exposures, supplements, inflammation, and how everything fits together. Families are searching for more and embracing the idea that health isn’t just about avoiding illness: it’s about being proactive in sculpting the healthiest environments for their families.
These are important questions—and I want to answer them with both compassion and evidence. This is where integrative medicine fits in. And this is why I have chosen to pursue a fellowship in integrative medicine and board certification, in addition to my general pediatric board certification.
Zest has always been about relationships—taking the time to really understand each child and family, and designing personalized treatment plans for each child. Our model has allowed our doctors to take a step back and really think about your kids. We want to consider the underlying etiology of disease, not just put band-aids on the surface.
While many illnesses require traditional medical solutions, other conditions are less straightforward and may have answers that draw from both domains. What do we do for the teen with constant fatigue and joint pain, but no lab abnormalities? What do we tell the parent whose child’s anxiety is spiraling and they’re hoping for more than a prescription? What do we recommend for the toddler with constant eczema flares, despite all the creams?
Integrative medicine isn’t about rejecting conventional care; it’s about broadening the lens. It brings together the best of evidence-based modern medicine with nutrition, lifestyle, mind-body strategies, and select supplements to support whole-child health. For me, this is the natural next step in how I care for patients — and how we grow the Zest model.
As many of our Zest families know, in March of 2024 I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Needless to say, this was a devastating blow. I found myself facing a new reality - a new, and very unwelcome title: Patient. And specifically, Cancer Patient. As a doctor, this is never a title I ever imagined I’d own. As a mom, it is the one I dreaded most. Yet, here I was; a new reality, a new path in life, a new type of real.
When facing a diagnosis such as this, I had to accept that there is much that is out of my hands. However, true to the physician I am, I decided to pour all of my energy into learning everything I could about my cancer. Between myself and my physician-scientist husband, we likely read every single paper written on the topic. This was our way of taking control over a completely powerless situation.
While we learned so much – we also realized that there is so much more to learn. We therefore came to embrace the power of prevention with a new appreciation. While I would argue that prior to my diagnosis, I was “healthier” than most, I now recognize even more fully that there are so many elements of wellness and life choices that can have such a powerful impact on our well-being and chronic disease prevention. And most importantly, I acknowledged there were limits to my medical knowledge and ability to fully educate my patients on their options, their choices, and their approach to health.
This fellowship is equipping me with a stronger foundation in clinical nutrition, gut-brain health, environmental medicine, herbal therapies, and the science behind things like probiotics, omega-3s, and mind-body strategies. I’m learning how to critically assess which supplements have evidence and which are just gimmick marketing. I’m learning how to build a plan that supports a child’s healing from multiple angles—physiologic, emotional, nutritional, and environmental.
But most importantly, I’m learning how to meet families where they are—with both compassion and science, much in the way that I educated myself and embraced some non-traditional, yet evidence-based strategies to supplement my cancer care. And I’m so excited to share all of this with our Zest families!
Our goal at Zest isn’t just to treat illness. It’s to build health. And integrative medicine gives us more tools to do just that. Over the coming months, you’ll see more from us in this space—nutrition guides, seasonal immune support strategies, tools for sleep and anxiety, and support for kids with ADHD, eczema, and gut issues. I’ll be offering dedicated integrative consults alongside our excellent, evidence-based pediatric medical care from all of our fantastic Zest pediatricians, and our whole team will continue building systems to bring this kind of holistic, thoughtful medicine to every family at Zest.
I’m doing this fellowship because I believe that pediatrics can—and should—do better. Not just for the kids who are struggling, but for all of our kids. Because health isn’t just the absence of disease—it’s energy, resilience, joy, and connection. This is the type of care our Zest families deserve.
Let’s build it together.
