Amy Nett, MD

On Life’s Unexpected Twists

The call to healing arrives differently for every doctor. For me, it began long before I ever practiced medicine—during my years at UC Santa Barbara, where I studied pharmacology, competed as a nationally ranked cyclist, and first discovered the joy of local farmers markets. That early love of science, nutrition, and movement guided me to Georgetown University School of Medicine, where I earned my M.D. along with an additional year devoted to clinical research.

After graduation, I returned home to California for an internship in internal medicine at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, followed by four years of radiology residency and a year of fellowship training at Stanford University Hospital. For more than a decade, I was deeply immersed in the conventional medical model and never thought to question it.

But during my fellowship year, something shifted. I had always been a dedicated athlete and maintained a very lean physique through rigid eating patterns and excessive cardio—strategies that "worked" for me even if they weren't the healthiest. Then, in my early thirties, my body changed. I was gaining weight, exhausted, and losing hair. The fatigue made sense given my call schedule, but the rest did not.

At an annual appointment—after waiting nearly two hours in the waiting room—I had a brief 15-minute visit with a physician I had never met. She diagnosed me with PCOS and hypothyroidism and handed me prescriptions for metformin and levothyroxine, telling me that I would likely take both forever. There was no discussion of my diet, lifestyle, training schedule, or what mattered to me. Something about this felt profoundly wrong.

That moment became the turning point. It was the first time I truly questioned the limitations of brief appointments and treatment plans that relied almost exclusively on medication. It was also when food shifted from being merely "calories" to becoming a therapeutic tool—one that could heal metabolism, support physiology, and profoundly influence health.

I never took the metformin. With thoughtful nutrition and building meaningful muscle mass, my glucose remains exceptionally well controlled. I do still take thyroid hormone replacement, and I've made peace with the reality that I may never know why I developed hypothyroidism—but optimizing my thyroid levels remains deeply supportive of my wellbeing.

Motivated by both personal experience and a growing recognition of the gaps in conventional care, I spent the next several years immersing myself in functional and integrative medicine. I trained under a variety of mentors and leaders in the field, ultimately leaving radiology to pursue this work full-time. In 2014, I joined the California Center for Functional Medicine, and in the years that followed I completed the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) Certification Program, a two-year fellowship with the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine (AIHM), and achieved board certification in Integrative Medicine through the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS).

Today, in my private practice, I blend my conventional medical training with a deeply personalized, lifestyle-centered approach—especially for women navigating perimenopause and menopause. I live the recommendations I share with my patients: prioritizing protein, eating generous amounts of vegetables, and strength training consistently. Fortunately, these are things I genuinely enjoy—and I love watching patients discover the confidence, resilience, and vitality that build alongside strength.

I'm as committed to learning now as I was at the beginning of my career. I continue to grow alongside my patients, integrating emerging research with decades of clinical experience. This work is a privilege, and I remain endlessly curious about what unfolds in this next chapter—for both me and the people I'm fortunate to care for.

With Gratitude,

maria coggiola

As a first generation American, I learned from a young age that food and exercise are an essential form of self care, connection, and medicine. My Filipina nanay, who was also a registered nurse, would make me homemade ginger tea and chicken vegetable soup whenever I was sick. My Guatemalan abuela always emphasized being active and she practiced yoga until she passed at 95 years of age. The mind-body connection has always intrigued me. As I have matured and become more present in my wellness journey, I want to continue to learn, knowing that there is so much more knowledge to be discovered through my own experiences and from those around me.

It was my love of learning that led me to become a certified yoga instructor, certified personal trainer, and now continuing my education to become a nutrition coach. I have taught yoga all over the Napa Valley for the last thirteen years.

Maria currently lives in the Napa Valley with her husband and daughter. You can usually find the Coggiola family hiking, gardening, playing soccer, or enjoying the beach.

What is Functional Medicine?

searching for the source of symptoms,
rather than addressing only symptoms themselves

Functional medicine is a unique, individualized approach to care that looks at the root causes of illness. It’s about searching for the source of symptoms, rather than addressing only symptoms themselves. For example, if someone is having pain in their foot, conventional medicine would offer Advil to dull the pain, while functional medicine would look to remove the nail they stepped on, addressing the underlying source of the pain. Functional medicine is still evidence-based. We order labs for each person, and then use a holistic assessment to choose the best diet and lifestyle interventions, incorporating nutrient support, botanical supplements and even prescription medications where appropriate.

What is Integrative Medicine?

a journey to better understand the patient’s mental,
emotional and spiritual needs

Integrative medicine allows for a treatment plan that includes the best practices from a wide variety of medical traditions and healing modalities. For example, we can begin by using the best practices of Western medicine, and then, on a case-by-case basis, consider the value of working with a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, Ayurvedic practitioner, physical therapist or energy healer. Integrative medicine is also a journey to better understand the patient’s mental, emotional and spiritual needs, and how those needs affect their physical health and wellness. It’s about expanding the limits of traditional medicine and approaching our practice with a broader, more open mindset.

What is Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT)?

A natural form of balancing hormones

Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) is a more natural form of balancing hormones. It’s used to treat men and women who have experienced a drop or imbalance in their hormone levels. Symptoms related to hormonal imbalance can happen for a variety of reasons, and are most commonly seen in women during the menopausal transition. Increasingly, research on hormone replacement therapy is also showing promise in supporting healthy aging, particularly in the context of improving bone strength and preventing osteoporosis, supporting brain health and thus lessening cognitive decline, improving sleep, and lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease in women. Bioidentical hormones are identical in makeup to the ones our bodies produce naturally. BHRT is built into follow-up appointments as part of an overall functional medicine plan. BHRT is not right for every patient, and the benefits and risks must be discussed, with treatment tailored to the individual.