ABOUT ME

Hi guys, I'm Ulkar. Yep, that's my real name. Well, technically, the “U” is spelled “Ü” in my native language, Azeri. But I had to make peace with the English alphabet. Anyhow, let's not digress.

I was born and raised in a small town in Azerbaijan, eventually moved across the world to the United States on my own, and somehow ended up becoming a board-certified Internal Medicine physician.

But there's more to me than a medical degree. I've always had a sensitive nervous system, an artsy soul, and an endless fascination with the human body, mind, and the mysterious universe we happen to live in. Medicine gave me a scientific lens through which to understand the world, but it never quite satisfied all my questions.

After spending years studying diseases and learning how to treat them, I became increasingly interested in something we don't talk about nearly enough: how to actually live well.

And my interest isn't purely professional. I've had my own complicated relationship with health, from struggling with body dysmorphia and an eating disorder to dealing with chronic pain, eczema, and other persistent health issues that don't always come with clear explanations. Ironically, despite all my medical knowledge, one of the most valuable things I've learned was how to listen to my own body instead of constantly fighting it.

That's what changed my perspective on health. I don't want to teach you how to simply avoid illness, look younger, or optimize every little thing until living itself becomes another full-time job. I want to explore how we can feel good in our bodies, understand our minds, stay healthy as we age, and actually enjoy the experience of being alive.

I love science, but I also believe there's an art to living that can't always be captured in studies or measured by numbers. So I experiment, question things, and explore everything from nutrition and longevity to the nervous system, self-awareness, and the mind-body connection. Sometimes science provides the answers. Sometimes my own experiences raise even more questions. Either way, I share what I discover along the way.

I'm not here to be another self-improvement guru or pretend to be a doctor who has everything figured out. I'm still discovering myself and my body as I go along, and I'd rather share that process honestly than present some perfectly polished version of health and happiness.

Doctor's Diary is where I share my personal experiments, discoveries, and lessons from this beautifully messy experience of being human.

If something I share helps you live a little healthier, feel a little better, or enjoy your life a little more, that alone would make this journey more meaningful for me.