What northern virginia holistic primary care is about
Our Mission
Conventional medicine often underemphasizes the potential for natural self-healing through a rebalanced lifestyle. After years of focusing on late-stage treatment in inpatient hospitals, emergency rooms, and urgent cares, we had a growing desire to shift our attention to preventative care.
We now focus on prevention by addressing underlying imbalances & stresses, nutrition, lifestyles, and habits. Our goal is to work holistically with our patients to reverse their illnesses and achieve their best states of health. We incorporate medications in our practice as needed but are careful not to over-rely on them.
SALMA HAQUE, MD
Dr. Haque is board certified in Internal Medicine and has been practicing in the DC/Virginia area for the past 20 years. She values her relationships with patients and loves to learn their stories. Her interest is in preventative medicine, with an integrative approach that appreciates the underlying causes of your illness and applies an encompassing treatment plan.
Dr. Haque is particularly interested in the mind/body connection, and the potential for anti-inflammatory nutrition to treat diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and musculoskeletal inflammation and injuries, and gastrointestinal health. Her goal is to address the underlying causes of your illness, develop healthy lifestyle approaches and therapies, and minimize the need for prescription drugs wherever possible.
Dr. Haque received her Medical Degree from LSU Health Sciences Center and then completed her residency training in Internal Medicine at Georgetown University Hospital-Medstar Washington Hospital Center. Prior to that, she obtained a Bachelors of Science in Chemical Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology.
Dr. Haque has served as an Assistant Professor for George Washington University School of Medicine in the Clinical Apprenticeship Program and loves teaching students. Her past research has been in oxidative stress, vascular neoprolifteration, and prostaglandin expression at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, as well as the properties of aortic compliance with the Framingham Heart Study at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School.
She participates in advanced courses for practitioners through the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine. She has also trained under Dr. Nirali Jacobi in functional digestive health and SIBO mastery, Dr. Steven Sandberg-Lewis in functional gastrointestinal kinesiology, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), and visceral manipulation therapy for ileocecal valve syndrome and reduction of hiatal hernia. Dr. Haque has completed additional training in Integrative Strategies and Protocols for Liver and Gallbladder Diseases under Dr. Kievan Jinnah and Dr. Steven Sandberg-Lewis.
Dr. Haque grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana – home to delicious Cajun cuisine. She moved to Virginia during her Internal Medicine training, and has stayed on since. She enjoys experiencing the four season weather, the natural beauty of the mountains and rivers, and the diverse community and experiences. She loves to run, swim, read, and paint. She is a mom to three children.
RACHEL SHELTON, NP-C
As a Nurse Practitioner, Rachel evaluates the whole person both physically and emotionally. She focuses on providing comprehensive care by understanding the individual and the causes of their illness, not just treating their symptoms. She educates her patients with wellness and prevention strategies to help them feel their best as well as provide safe and effective care. Rachel collaborates with each patient to provide a personalized plan to maintain or achieve optimal health through lifestyle modifications, nutrition, mental health strategies and exercise. She believes in building meaningful relationships with each patient through listening, and respecting every individual.
Rachel is a native of Arlington, Virginia. She obtained her BSN from George Mason University in 2001. She worked as an Emergency Department Nurse at Virginia Hospital Center for eight years before returning to George Mason University for her MSN in Nursing Education. She worked as an Emergency Department Clinical Nurse Educator as well as an adjunct faculty member, teaching second degree nursing students at Marymount University. She continued her education at Marymount University to obtain her Post Master’s Certificate, Family Nurse Practitioner. Since becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner in 2012, she has worked in the urgent care setting caring for patients of all ages. Rachel has experience in urgent care, telemedicine, and primary care within the urgent care setting and is a trained wellness coach.
In her spare time Rachel loves spending time with her three daughters and husband. She enjoys running with friends, triathlons, hiking, skiing, sitting on the beach and traveling.
After working alongside one another for the past 10 years, Dr. Haque and Rachel developed a professional and personal relationship through their shared beliefs and philosophy for practicing medicine as well as a deep commitment to compassionate care for their patients.
These common priciples resulted in a shared vision and mission for the goals and values of Northern Virginia Holistic Primary Care.
We talk about why we started
NVH primary care (3 min)
Our Core Values
- Treat our patients with the love and concern we would want for ourselves.
- Listen. The answers usually come from patients' own stories.
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Give our patients appropriate time during visits.
- Grow with our patients. We are open and always learning.
