About | Aruna Med

The best time to protect your brain was 10 years ago. The second-best time is today.

About Dr. Manna Semby ND, IFMCP, MSCP

I specialize in what conventional medicine overlooks: helping proactive individuals revitalize their health, prevent disease, and live fully. My deepest commitment is to revolutionize hormone, gut, metabolic and brain health for midlife women—the areas where women need most help.

Three Moments That Defined My Passion

I started my career in finance at PwC and then spent a decade at Goldman Sachs, where data drove decisions and problems had solutions. Little did I know that analytical rigor would become essential to a career I never intended to have—one that life thrust upon me through a series of transformative experiences.

When both my sons were diagnosed with autism at ages 2.5 and 1, our pediatrician offered nothing beyond the standard vaccine schedule. No investigation into causes, no treatment options, no path forward and, most of all, no hope. That’s when I learned that accepting “there’s nothing we can do” isn’t good enough—and decided to apply to medical school to become the doctor who finds answers.

When I was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, my surgeon warned that hormone replacement therapy meant “choosing quality of life over longevity.” Their outdated, disproven stance—delivered as medical fact—revealed how many doctors still practice yesterday’s medicine. I’d done the research, and she hadn’t.

When post-radiation brain fog left me unable to formulate thoughts, oncology called it “chemo brain” and suggested I wait it out. But I recognized the symptoms from my work with patients who were in the early stages of dementia. This wasn’t just fog—it was what Dr. Bredesen calls “network insufficiency”, a system-wide breakdown that conventional medicine isn’t equipped to address.

These moments helped me crystallize my passion for women’s health focusing on the most challenging areas where there aren’t enough doctors doing the work and women are suffering.

Today, I tackle the cases that make other doctors uncomfortable: cognitive decline, hormonal imbalances, and the symptoms that defy textbook explanations. Having been both doctor and patient, I bring something unique to these complex puzzles—I know the frustration of being unheard, and the relief of finally being understood.

Midlife is an inflection point

Midlife arrives as a crossroads—a moment when we can either drift into the second half of life or intentionally chart our course toward vitality and purpose.

For women, this inflection point carries a particular urgency. As our hormones shift during perimenopause and menopause, our bodies face new vulnerabilities. Our risk for autoimmune disease, dementia, heart disease, and other conditions rises significantly. Combined with our personal and family histories, this becomes the perfect storm for illness—unless we choose to be proactive.

My TEDx San Diego talk, “Perimenopause: It’s Time to Break the Silence,” and my published article on the “Perimenopause Broken Rung Hypothesis” reveal an uncomfortable truth: We’re losing brilliant women at their peak to preventable midlife health challenges that our medical system has long ignored.

Too many women still navigate this transition with misinformation, medical dismissal, and the harmful belief that suffering through menopause is simply “normal.” But I’ve witnessed what happens when women receive the truth—and the comprehensive care they deserve. The transformation is profound.

A woman who optimizes her gut health, metabolism, hormones, and brain function doesn’t just feel better. She reclaims her whole self and pursues opportunities and dreams with renewed confidence. Through living fully into her potential, she elevates everything around her: her family, community, work, and culture.

This is why Aruna Personalized Medicine exists—and why it’s both my passion and my calling. We need women healthy, whole, and operating at full capacity during this pivotal chapter. That’s not just my professional goal; it’s what drives me every day.

To your vibrant second half,

— Dr. Manna Semby, ND, MSCP, IFMCP

The Menopause Brain Program