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Locations: Brooklyn Heights – one subway stop past downtown Manhattan | Setauket – near Stony Brook University
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David Dunaief, MD
Medical Compass MD 

INTERNIST SPECIALIZING In
INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE & LIFESTYLE MEDICINE LOCATED IN EAST SETAUKET AND BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN, NY

Reversing, Treating & Preventing Chronic Disease and Managing Weight by Connecting Conventional Medicine with Lifestyle Modifications


About Medical Compass MD
Patient 
Testimonials
David Dunaief, MD

About Medical Compass MD: David Dunaief, MD

Creator of the LIFE Diet: a quantum leap in whole food plant-based approaches


Medical Compass MD, led by David Dunaief, MD, is an integrative, functional, and lifestyle medicine practice with offices in Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, in New York City and in Setauket, New York, on Long Island.

Dr. Dunaief takes a plant-based approach to wellness as derived through nutritional medicine and lifestyle interventions that reverse, prevent and treat chronic disease. He takes an individualized approach to care, using cutting-edge medical research to guide his decision making.  

Medical Compass MD specializes in chronic care management, providing integrative medicine treatments for conditions like autoimmune disorders, diabetes, migraines, and heart disease. 

With a focus on preventive medicine, Dr. Dunaief’s integrative approach uses the low inflammatory foods every day (LIFE) diet — a plant-based, nutrient-dense, whole-foods approach to health and wellness.

Dedicated to improving health care for all, the practice produces cutting-edge research on the LIFE diet that has been published in peer-reviewed medical journals.

At Medical Compass MD, the focus is on reversing, treating, and preventing chronic disease by connecting conventional medicine with lifestyle modifications. This approach gives patients the ability to take a more proactive role in managing their own health.

For evidence-based medical care for optimal health, call Medical Compass MD or request an appointment online today.

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Why consider Integrative Medicine?
Integrative medicine simply means the practice of conventional medicine plus other components. In our case, we integrate and emphasize lifestyle modifications, including a high nutrient intake diet, fitness and stress management, to address systemic issues that can affect health. Other names for this approach are “holistic,” “lifestyle” and “functional” medicine.
Benefits of our approach include:
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Treat/reverse the causes of disease, not just symptoms
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Minimize or eliminate dependence on medications
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Reduce pain and inflammation
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Manage weight with ease
Diseases We Treat
CARDIOVASCULAR / HEART DISEASE
High Blood Pressure
High Cholesterol
High Triglycerides
Heart Disease
Stroke Heart Failure
Atrial Fibrillation
Arrhythmia
Peripheral Artery Disease
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ENDOCRINE
Diabetes Type 1
Diabetes Type 2
Hyperthyroidism Hypothyroidism

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BONE
Osteoporosis
Arthritis/Osteoarthritis
Fracture
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AUTOIMMUNE 
Crohn’s Disease
Inflammatory Bowel Disease Ulcerative Colitis
Rheumatoid arthritis Inflammatory arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis Multiple Sclerosis - progressive
Multiple Sclerosis - relapsing-remitting Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis
Graves Disease Lupus
Psoriasis Celiac Disease
Eczema

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GI & STOMACH ISSUES
Reflux Disease
Gallstones
Hemorrhoids Diverticulitis
Irritable Bowel Syndrome Constipation Diarrhea

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LUNG & PULMONARY 
Asthma Allergy
Seasonal Allergies COPD/Emphysema
Chronic Bronchitis

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ONCOLOGY / CANCER / BLOOD
Breast cancer Colorectal cancer
Prostate cancer Liver Cancer
Anemia Hemochromatosis - iron overload

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RHEUMATOLOGY
Fibromyalgia
Gout

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NEUROLOGY
Headache Migraine
Parkinson’s Disease Dementia
Alzheimer’s Vascular dementia

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PSYCHIATRY
Depression Anxiety

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KIDNEY & NEPHROLOGY
Chronic Kidney Disease Kidney Stones

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EYE
Glaucoma Cataracts
Uveitis Macular Degeneration

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SLEEP
Difficulty Sleeping Insomnia Obstructive Sleep Apnea Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

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INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Hepatitis Lyme Disease
Tick Borne Diseases

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UROLOGY
Overactive Bladder Erectile Dysfunction
Benign prostate hyperplasia

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SPINE
Disk Degenerative Disease Herniated disc

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GENERAL CONDITIONS
Long COVID-19 Obesity
Fatigue Alcoholism / Drug Dependency And Many More

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Our patients have reported:
✓ Increased energy/reduced fatigue
✓ Improved overall fitness
✓ Improved mood
✓ Reduced headache frequency/severity
✓ Increased flexibility and balance
✓ Better vision

✓ Improved sleep
✓ Improved stress, anxiety and depression management
✓ Improved memory
Credentials
physicians committee
american medical associations
american college of lifestyle medicine
american college of lifestyle medicine
Featured In
eat this not that
today
mnt
the guardian
webmd
womans world
yahoo
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Is Integrative Medicine with Medical Compass MD right for you?
Hippocrates, considered the father of modern medicine, said, “If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health.”

He practiced the art of medicine by putting the patient first, rather than the disease.

Dr. Dunaief is an M.D. with extensive additional training in nutrition and lifestyle modification. He has personally overcome many of the effects of cerebral palsy through lifestyle modification. We invite you to read his personal story.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the pillars of your whole body approach?

We focus on three areas: ensuring a high nutrient intake through diet, improving or ensuring your physical fitness, and equipping you with sound strategies for stress management. All three of these components impact your quality of life and your susceptibility to a wide array of physical ailments.

Of course, since Dr. Dunaief is a physician, he will also help you manage your medication regimen as you begin to see results from your efforts.
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Is disease reversal possible?

Absolutely! Study evidence has found this to be true, and many of our patients have experienced reversal of diabetes, autoimmune disorders, migraines, and cardiovascular disease, just to mention a few. In many cases, because of their exceptional results, our patients have been able to reduce or eliminate their medications.
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What should I expect during an appointment?

Each appointment lasts an hour. Your first appointment will include a thorough history, physical exam and baseline-setting using a body analysis scale. The scale will tell us your current body composition, which goes beyond body mass to focus on fat mass and fat percent, as well as hydration and muscle mass. If you have recent labs, we will review them. We will also prescribe new labs, such as those that measure inflammatory factors and nutrient levels, and we will discuss your challenges and goals. During your second appointment, we will review findings from your previous appointment and your new lab results. We will then customize a thorough lifestyle and medical plan.

Subsequent appointments include time spent reviewing where you are with your progress, including a review of lab results. We will discuss adjustments we might need to make to optimize your results, including modifying medications, referring you to specialists, if necessary, and adjusting dietary, exercise, or stress management strategies. You will leave each appointment with a clear plan for your next steps.
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Do you advocate the same plan for everyone?

No. No BODY is the same, and individuals have different health goals, starting points and lifestyles. We will work with you to design an individualized plan that helps you to achieve your specific health goals.
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Do you sell supplements or other products?

We do not. This is not a meal plan subscription, and we don’t sell supplements. We never want there to be even a hint that there’s a conflict of interest in our recommendations. In situations where we propose supplements, we will be happy to suggest the most reputable brands. Trust that we do not receive any compensation from them.

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What if I like my current physician?

That’s okay. We don’t seek to replace your current physicians. We often work in tandem with a patient’s primary care physician and specialists to ensure all aspects of your care are coordinated. In fact, it’s common for specialists, such as cardiologists, rheumatologists, endocrinologists, and oncologists, to refer patients to us for lifestyle changes.
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What makes us unique?

We produce and review cutting-edge research that reinforces and guides how we approach treating our patients. 
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Patient Reviews

When the mythological science fiction classic Star Wars was first screened in Japan, the director became concerned when the audience remained silent at the conclusion of the film. The production team later learned that -in some cultures- silence is deemed the quintessential tribute. Curiously, Beethoven occasionally wrote musical pause signs at the finale of his symphonies. Terrestrial harmonies and celestial light saber notwithstanding, eulogistic silence is omnipresent amongst these syllabic spaces as this review is long overdue. In point of fact, I intended to spontaneously pen my thoughts after the first phone call, affirming a manifestation of respect and acknowledgement of Dr. Dunaief's contributions. He is a grandmaster diagnostician in the noble endeavor known as nutritional medicine. As an eminent exponent of integrative treatments, he celebrates the significance of epigenetics. This approach allows his expertise to disengage the myopic narrative underscoring genetic roles resulting in the onset of disease. While persons of questionable moral standing seem to blame their personal tribulations (even when surmounted) to justify mean-spiritedness or being insecurely patronizing, Dr. Dunaief's own healing journey is a blessing for humanity. He feels most galvanized when he creates windows of convalescent opportunity for his patients who do not feel like fixed entities. Without self-aggrandizement, this researcher extraordinaire frequently refers to his own empirically based findings so you are moving forward towards something rather than escaping without addressing root causes. His ability to translate the theoretical into practical implementation is uncanny, and not based on fearmongering or conflict of interest tactics such as selling vitamins. Upon entering his office, you feel a sense of palpable peace that becomes dynamic when you are invited to become part of the solution-making process. An unspoken dialogue focusing on health maintenance instead of sickness models seamlessly ensues. Bona fide trust is further emboldened when the doctor monitors progress with meticulously designed and necessary medical tests that the medical office does not monetarily benefit from. Freed from unbridled bias, patients find their re-allocated psychic and physical initiative to change soars with a sense of efficacy that will astound you. Hemingway was correct to observe we should not confuse motion with action. Motion is taking a plethora of pills to mask pain without proper investigation, action is achieving optimal health by way of conscientious holistic assessments catapulted by lifestyle changes. This pursuit of wellbeing is easy to realize when you have a physician who is so likeable, you actually follow his advice with pleasure and discipline as you want him to be proud of you. I sense this motivation to act salubriously takes place given one characteristic that distinguishes Dr. Dunaief from other self-proclaimed experts: how well-versed he is in various disciplines that can peacefully coexist with well-established scientific data. To be sure, Dr. Dunaief seems to embrace how statistics do not exist in social vacuums. As his philosophy of life evokes how wealth is measured in human terms by way of impeccable interpersonal acuities, I am not surprised by the persons he chooses to associate with. His utterly charming and genteel assistant, Michelle, is also a gem whose aptitude in resolving cumbersome bureaucratic implications is invaluable. For all these reasons and those unbeknownst to me, I convey my heartfelt gratitude buttressed by applause or silence evident at the end or beginning of fulfilling journeys.

Yves Fernando X. | Jul 23, 2024
Amazing physician! A highly intelligent doctor who is not only very well educated, but stays current on newest medical and nutritional knowledge. A real gem! Want to feel Great? Call for an appointment now! A medical professional who treats the Individual, to find the right path to superb health. WOW! Sooo happy to have become his patient!

Carol Ann H. | Jun 17, 2024
I visit to discuss my health & progress every 3 months. Not only do I look forward to this visit, but I feel so much better physically each & every time. I'll admit I felt good before but something was missing & I couldn't figure it out or find the answer. Dr. D. helped me include some meaningful steps that improved my health & Husbands health, why not the whole family benefit & I'm thankful to have found him. We can tweak the body for better performance & starve the diseases that are catastrophic, but we need a guide. Dr. D. has been that guide for me & I've recommended him to all that will listen. Good Luck on your journey to Better Health... All the Best, ~M

Maureen S. | Jun 05, 2024
Dr. Dunaief is very thorough, kind, and caring. It makes for a much more pleasant experience than your standard doctor visit!

Steven D. | May 16, 2024
Our Locations
East Setauket
47 Route 25A, Suite 1, East Setauket, NY 11733
631-675-2888
Brooklyn Heights Brooklyn
41 Clark Street, , Brooklyn, NY 11201
718-924-2655