Dr. Cindy Ross, Ph.D. - Biography

STORY / MEET CINDY

You may know me from my nutrition and fitness companies Bodies By Cindy and Fat To Fit with Cindy Lane Ross, but I have developed something more specialized over time called—Life Wellness Forever.

I combine hormone balancing, gut health, and nutritional changes to develop a treatment plan for these particularly complicated cases. Based on blood work and other test results processed by the referring physicians, Dr. Cindy collaborates with the medical doctors to adjust the patients’ diets, add natural supplements, and devise other strategies to get patients back on the road to better health.

My biggest motivation for furthering my education as a Natural Medicine Doctor was my mother and father. My parents left this world way too early and both passed from autoimmune diseases. My mom died of complications of Scleroderma and my father passed from Type I Diabetes. Needless to say, my brothers and I weren't blessed with great health genetics. My brother Chad lost his battle with Type I Diabetes at the age of 33 and I have been battling Rheumatoid Arthritis since the age of 19 with over 22 surgeries.

I have been through my fair share of sickness and death which is why I'm so passionate about helping people live their best life. I'm very fortunate my journey led me to Natural Medicine, which uses research to determine the root cause of symptoms to correct imbalances and find long-lasting healing that supports the body.

Read on to learn more about my personal background and if you are interested in the prevention of disease and improving the quality of your life, contact me so we can get started on developing a plan specifically designed for you.

I was a youth tennis pro.

At the age of 17 years old, I turned pro and played the WTA circuit for a year. I trained at Harvard, Cambridge, and Nick Bollettieri’s Tennis Academy in Florida.

At 18 years old, I received a full scholarship to Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, and shortly after, I competed at the college level until I began experiencing excoriating pain in my wrists. The pain required a need for bilateral surgery in both of my hands, which resulted in months of recovery and rehab.

I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis at the age of 19.

Through the years, I was put on numerous medicines. Including multiple chemo drugs to suppress my immune system and I have battled and rehabbed from over 22 surgeries, including a surgery where surgeons performed a total wrist infusion.

The sun had set on my very promising tennis career. My dream was over, and like everything else in my life at the time of my diagnosis, my functional health and wellness were interrupted.

In the years following, I had become lost in my career path and depressed. Multiple deaths in the family, including my mother and brother, really threw me off course and I became addicted to food.

My illness had taken over my life, and when I realized this, I decided to take control and fight back.

We all have setbacks in life, some of us more than others, but you just have to pick yourself up and start believing that you can live your best life despite whatever you are facing.

I pulled myself out of despair and graduated from college with a BS in Exercise Science and have since built several fitness and wellness programs that are world recognized. I earned a Doctoral Degree in Natural Medicine, Ph.D. in Health Sciences, and became board certified in functional medicine.

Celebrating a new milestone!

Never in a million years did I believe I would be able to lift weights again, but I’ve been proven wrong! I prove myself wrong with every elevated triceps dip I perform. With the right diet, supplements, and medication, my RA is under control, and I feel stronger than ever. I can and do accomplish my goals just as I did in my youth.

Now that I have competed for more than two years in Open & Master’s Figure bodybuilding competitions, I believe that having RA has made me a more determined person. I embrace the challenges that I know I’ll face every day.

Returned to school at the age of 41 and completed a Masters's Degree in Nutrition from the American College of Healthcare Sciences. I decided to go all the way and complete a dual degree receiving a Ph.D. in Natural Health Sciences and a Doctorate in Natural Medicine. I recently met my 16-year-old self again at the age of 45 years old and even though the journey has had a lot of bumps and bruises, I’m still here, and I’m smiling because I am alive and looking forward to the sunrise of each new day.

Dr. Cindy Ross completed her medical degree in Natural Medicine from the University of Natural Medicine and a Ph.D. in Health Sciences. She received her Master’s degree in Nutrition from the American College of Healthcare Sciences. Dr. Cindy Ross received her Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science from the University of South Alabama. Internship completed at Springhill Medical Center in Cardiac/Pulmonary Rehabilitation.