Helping patients improve from the inside out

Donna Zaken is well versed in functional medicine, which is an approach focused on finding the root causes of symptoms and diseases. But as she began noticing signs of her aging, Zaken became curious about merging aesthetics with functional medicine. That's when she began searching for medical professionals with established careers in aesthetics and found Dr. James Cardi, who has been practicing internal and aesthetic medicine since the 1990s. Zaken and Cardi met and brainstormed possible business ventures and came up with Cardi Aesthetics & Wellness, which opened in Cardi's office in Cranston in October. The practice specializes in using treatments that require little to no downtime and focuses on the root causes of aging. Cardi Aesthetics focuses on combining aesthetic treatments, such as chemical peels, dermal fillers, EMFace - a nonsurgical and needle-free facelift - with nutritional counseling and improving hormones. "It's a way to help people and have fun," Zaken said. Both Zaken and Cardi say they hope to grow the business beyond its current location in Cardi's Cranston office and expand their services.