Dr. Marissa Magsino is taking a personalized approach to hormones, wellness and longevity.

Most people’s passions and vocations are closely tied to their personal stories, and that’s certainly true for Marissa Magsino, MD FAARM. Dr. Magsino, who is board-certified in functional medicine and began her career in internal medicine and pediatrics before transitioning to functional medicine, focusing on hormone balance. Her interest in the field began when she experienced her own perimenopause symptoms 25 years ago.

“I was 40, and had the symptoms of perimenopause. That was anxiety and a short attention span that I thought was just basically from being stressed at work. I was treated to restore hormonal balance by being given bioidentical hormones at 40. That personal experience sparked my interest to understand more about hormones, cognition, my metabolism, and it led me to discover that I can prevent reactive medicine and instead be more proactive in my health. So I took that route,” says Dr. Magsino.

While still practicing in primary care in 2011, Dr. Magsino completed a fellowship in functional medicine and began incorporating its principles into her internal medicine practice. Five years later, she left primary care to focus on functional medicine full time and eventually opened her own practice, Avenir Med.

Dr. Magsino’s functional medicine career trajectory has followed her personal journey in many ways.

“The push is more towards longevity, since I’m going to be 65 in two months. So my constantly evolving process started from taking care of perimenopause and menopause. Now it’s more towards how do I live long? How does a patient push to live longer? I practice what I preach. … I use all the resources I have, the technologies, these energy-based practices. … Aging doesn’t have to mean decline. My goal is to combine the innovative therapy that I’ve done in the past years, and personalized care, and combining evidence-based science behind it, and move towards wellness,” says Dr. Magsino.

The hormone replacement she was undergoing also helped when, in 2021, Dr. Magsino suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm. She made a full recovery without lasting brain damage and says her hormone replacement therapy was an important part of her health journey.

Avenir’s treatments combine optimized hormone replacement therapy with comprehensive sexual health and medicine for both men and women. The practice is unique in Florida for its enhanced hormone optimization therapies. Dr. Magsino is also among the first female physicians to incorporate legal medical cannabis alongside hormone therapy to support women through significant hormonal transitions, including menopause and the postpartum period.

In addition to plant-based bioidentical hormones and medicine, the practice incorporates aesthetic devices to support overall and sexual wellness, as well as aesthetic rejuvenation. These technologies were first introduced to Avenir in 2021 and have since expanded the practice’s approach to functional and regenerative medicine. Today, Avenir offers a range of treatments, including hormone optimization, peptides, weight-loss management, sexual wellness, and energy-based regenerative therapies.

Avenir does not just aim to balance sex hormones, but also hormones produced from the thyroid and stress hormones like cortisol, all of which impact a person’s overall health.

“Personalized care is the way to go. … Each patient is uniquely treated… because you have to pay attention to details like their nutrition, their lifestyle, their habits, what trauma they had in the past, childhood stuff that imprinted a permanent dent on their hormonal makeup. So it entails a lot of digging and thought,” says Dr. Magsino.

Each treatment is individualized to the patient, ensuring that they are not just managing symptoms but also working to target the root cause of any concerns. In this way, Dr. Magsino helps people to avoid the physical, mental and social impacts of hormonal disarray.

Besides her work at the practice, Dr. Magsino is also heavily involved with writing and speaking, having authored several articles and books on her medical field of expertise.

“For others, gardening is their passion. For me, it’s writing. I can write, express myself, dream, explore, and so that’s where I am right now in my career path. I want to be able to inspire others to do the same. You can be yourself, and it’s never too late to reinvent, to find a new passion, even at a menopausal age,” says Dr. Magsino.

In addition to helping patients through hormone therapy and energy-based treatments, Dr. Magsino emphasizes the importance of mindset and self-awareness, subjects that frequently appear in her writing.

“It needs to be written. It needs to inspire others. You cannot be afraid when there’s something inside you that tells you there’s a shift that you have to go through. We have to listen because I listen, and that’s how I got to where I am right now,” says Dr. Magsino. “You have to get out of the box in order to understand yourself. And the best person who knows intuitively what’s best for you is no other than you.”

Avenir Med/ Dr. Marissa Magsino
Orlando, FL
(407) 292-6778
MarissaMagsino.com