Women In Wellness: Dr Anika Ackerman of COR Med Spa On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

You’re never going to have the answer to everything. As a doctor, it’s OK to recognize that. Committing to medicine is a lifelong journey to learning.

As a part of my series about women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Anika Ackerman.

Dr. Anika Ackerman is a urologist with specialized areas of interest in sexual dysfunction, urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, kidney stone disease, and BPH. Dr. Ackerman has been pursuing education in cosmetic medicine and training since medical school. She feels it is a privilege to be a physician and to help patients improve their health and wellbeing. She is also a firm believer in the statement, “If you don’t like something about yourself, change it.” Dr. Ackerman strives to remain on the cutting edge of medicine and to practice compassionately, as if she were treating her own parent or sibling. She uses her TikTok channel to educate both men and women about sexual dysfunction, hoping to break the taboo about talking about sexual health.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?

I grew up and went to medical school in New Jersey, before heading to Duke for my residency. Midway through, I transferred to Columbia to finish my urology residency. I then moved back to Morristown, NJ to begin work at a urology practice. That led me to COR Med Spa, a spa that intrigued because they were building out a sexual wellness program. It’s such a taboo subject for women to discuss their sexual desires, so I saw this as my opportunity to give females the attention they deserve.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?

I never thought I would use social media as an aide in my career. During my med school and residency days, I was always warned to be careful in how I used it, and to not say anything controversial or taboo, but it’s become so mainstream and part of the everyday norm. Everyone wants to see a post about sexual dysfunction, they want to be educated. It’s made my career in urology more exciting!

Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

It can be daunting when starting a career in sexual dysfunction. You can lack confidence for a number of reasons, and begin to wonder how you can incorporate it into your daily practice. It was hard having those initial conversations with patients, as most are afraid to ask the questions that need to be asked in order to get to the bottom of their issues. There are a lot of patients who don’t realize there’s a correlation between one of their health issues and sexual dysfunction, and thatcorrecting the blood pressure or managing diabetes will help to correct the issue. As a urologist specializing in sexual dysfunction, the biggest lesson I learned was that patients wanted to ask these questions, I just needed to get the conversation going.

Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?

It’s my goal to use my TikTok channel as a way to make sexual health both fun and educational. Before I had my channel, my reach only went as far as my patients, but with a platform like TikTok, my reach goes much further than the waiting room. I’m able to educate women about treatments they may have never heard of, whether it be for incontinence or sexual dysfunction. I’ve had patients drive more than two hours because they saw my videos, and I’ve been recognized in the ER. This new chapter of education is helping me normalize and bring awareness to sexual health and dysfunction, making it less taboo for both men and women to talk about.

Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.

1. Managing your stress levels can easily lead to sexual wellness.
2. Something simple like changing your eating habits and minimizing alcohol intake also increase your libido.
3. Be open and honest with your partner. If you are having any issues, let them know. Also be open to new ideas.
4. Be your own advocate — don’t ignore the problem. The earlier you tackle a problem, the better outcome you will have.
5. Utilize therapy when needed. That includes individual or couple’s therapy.

If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?

I would encourage people to get ahead of their chronic medical conditions, which are major causes of sexual dysfunction. This can all be avoided by leading a healthy lifestyle as this will mitigate issues down the line. Conditions like high blood pressures and diabetes can lead to erectile dysfunction, so if you can prevent that, you won’t have to reverse those changes.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?

1. If sexual dysfunction is something you want to learn more about, it is a topic you learn about on your own, as it’s not something they teach in residency. I heavily depended on conferences. I wish someone had told me there was a field that even existed.
2. Nothing is certain or guaranteed (something patients also need to realize). Things are constantly changing and evolving.
3. You’re never going to have the answer to everything. As a doctor, it’s OK to recognize that. Committing to medicine is a lifelong journey to learning.
4. When you become a doctor, you are no longer the smartest person in the room. There is always room for improvement and there are always opportunities to learn more, especially from your colleagues.
5. Google is not your friend! Patients will always look things up and self-diagnose, which will make your job harder.

Sustainability, veganism, mental health, and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?

On top of sexual wellness, mental health is a cause that is dearest to me. When it comes to sexual health, mental health can be a double edged sword. There are illness that block sexual health, like psychogenic erectile dysfunction, but there are some medications that can lead to sexual dysfunction, like antidepressants and antipsychotics.

What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?

You can follow me on TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.anika.ackerman) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/dr.anika.ackerman/?hl=en).

Thank you for these fantastic insights! We wish you continued success and good health.