Dr. Ruvini Wijetilaka is a double board-certified physician in Internal Medicine and Obesity Medicine. With a career spanning academic hospitals and integrative care at Parsley Health, she launched Mecca Health to bring primary care, obesity medicine, and longevity under one roof. Her goal: deliver personalized, data-informed care that empowers patients to optimize their health at every stage of life.
Workup sat down with Dr. Rue to explore what’s broken in traditional care, how Mecca Health is structured, and why science—not social media—should drive conversations around GLP-1s, gut health, peptides, and the future of wellness.
Let’s start with your story. What inspired you to launch Mecca Health?
I trained in internal medicine and obesity medicine, and I’ve always been interested in how people can live longer, healthier lives. While working at various practices, I constantly felt like I didn’t have time to address the most important parts of a patient’s health—like their sleep, their diet, their stress. These things were never discussed, even though they have the biggest impact.
Later, when I worked in integrative practices, I saw that even forward-thinking models were still fragmented. A patient might go to one doctor for weight, another for hormones, and another for primary care. I wanted to bring it all together under one roof—and make it personal.
What was missing for you in those more conventional settings?
It’s both a time problem and a cultural problem. Traditional care is built on seeing as many patients as possible in short windows, which doesn’t leave room for real conversations. But beyond that, patients don’t always know that things like sleep or gut health should be part of the conversation.
At Mecca, we take the time to talk about what really matters—and patients open up when they feel seen. Especially with topics like weight or mental health, giving people space creates trust.
How is Mecca Health structured—and how do patients engage with your practice?
We offer a few core membership paths:
A primary care membership, where we meet every two months or so. It’s best for patients who are generally well but want comprehensive, preventative care.
A set of optimization tracks focused on goals like strength-building or metabolic health. These are designed for people who want to improve performance and energy through data-driven protocols.
A dedicated weight management track, especially for patients on GLP-1s. This is a six-month package with monthly visits so I can closely monitor progress, adjust plans, and protect muscle mass.
The structure is flexible, but the common thread is time, data, and personalization. More importantly, we bring all these dimensions—primary care, obesity, and longevity—into one cohesive care model. Patients don’t have to bounce between three different doctors, which not only saves time but unlocks better insight across everything we track.
You mentioned GLP-1s. Can you walk us through your deeper approach to weight management?
Obesity medicine isn’t just about losing weight. It’s about what kind of weight you’re losing—and how you feel in the process. A big mistake I see is focusing solely on the number on the scale. But if you’re losing muscle, you’re actually hurting your metabolism and long-term health.
We monitor body composition closely. Are you losing fat or muscle? Are you staying strong while reducing inflammation and improving insulin sensitivity?
Gut health is also a huge, overlooked part of this. GLP-1s directly affect the GI system. Many patients experience bloating, nausea, or sluggish digestion—but that’s rarely addressed. The gut plays a critical role in weight regulation and appetite signaling. If it’s off, it can throw off everything from hunger cues to nutrient absorption.
“People on GLP-1s tend to have a lot of gut health issues, and most practices aren’t addressing it. But we know gut health plays a role in obesity—and you can’t separate the two.”
At Mecca, I often run a Genova GI Effects stool test to evaluate bacterial balance, digestion efficiency, inflammation, and fungal overgrowth. Based on that, I may introduce digestive enzymes or a targeted probiotic. But never without data. For example, if someone has SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), a probiotic could actually make things worse.
That’s a thoughtful and uncommon approach. What about peptides—are they part of your toolkit too?
Yes. Peptides are short chains of amino acids that can help with things like fat loss, muscle preservation, sleep, and libido. They’re not as strong as medications, but more powerful than typical supplements—kind of a middle ground.
I don’t prescribe them casually. I look at hormone levels, blood work, body composition, and goals. If someone’s struggling with muscle maintenance or recovery, peptides might be appropriate—but only if the data supports it.
How do you approach supplementation in general?
I keep it simple. Patients often come to me with “gut healing protocols” that involve 20+ supplements. That’s overwhelming and expensive—and often unnecessary.
“Most people don’t need a drawer full of pills. You probably only need three or four max—if that. I don’t do anything arbitrarily.”
Supplements should be strategic, based on what your body actually needs. I think minimal, effective, and sustainable always wins.
You’ve mentioned stress, sleep, and mental health a few times. Do those come up often in your work?
All the time. Especially when patients have space to talk. When visits are longer, people open up about what’s really affecting them—burnout, anxiety, poor sleep.
These are often the root causes of what’s going on physically. They impact everything from weight gain to digestion to fatigue. I never shy away from those conversations, and we always work toward practical changes that can help.
Looking Ahead: Where Rue Sees Health Care Going
Where do you think health care is heading in the next 5–10 years, and how does Mecca fit in?
I think more and more people are going to take a proactive approach to their health. We’re seeing higher rates of cancer, metabolic disease, and autoimmune conditions—and people want to get ahead of it. That’s a good thing.
But at the same time, we’re seeing a rise in health anxiety. There’s too much information and not enough guidance. Patients are overwhelmed. They’re consuming health content on social media and coming in asking for 20 different tests and protocols—but they don’t know what’s actually right for them.
“My goal is to filter the noise. To help patients figure out what’s real, what’s helpful, and what they can ignore.”
That’s where Mecca fits in. It’s about data-backed clarity—without adding more confusion.
If someone’s discovering you for the first time through Workup, what’s one message you’d want them to take away?
That you don’t have to be sick to work on your health. Whether you’re just getting started or already deep in your wellness journey, there’s always something to optimize.
And those optimizations don’t have to be extreme. Sleep, digestion, strength—these small, high-impact levers can shift your whole baseline. I help people take the guesswork out of that process.
Rapid-Fire with Rue
Favorite gut/metabolism-friendly snack?
Bada Beans. They’re these amazing crunchy fava beans—high protein, super satisfying. I eat them plain or throw them into salads. There are so many flavors too!
Most underestimated health disruptor?
Sleep. It affects everything—appetite, mood, energy, memory, recovery. People overlook it constantly, but it’s foundational.
