“The human body is awe-inspiringly complex, and the environment within which we as humans function is remarkably complex; the reasons why someone is unwell are rarely ever so simple.”

When 10 Minutes Isn’t Enough: A Doctor’s Story of Finding a Better Way

“My journey into medicine is deeply personal. Growing up in an Asian community where chronic illnesses like Type 2 Diabetes and Hypertension were common, I saw firsthand the devastating effects of preventable sickness. My father was diagnosed with end-stage renal failure at 32, caused by his lifestyle. He moved to the UK in 1975, working and studying to support us. His severe hypertension from lifestyle went undiagnosed for years, damaging his kidneys irreversibly.

I’m grateful to the NHS for saving his life with a 1991 kidney transplant and to the medical team who cared for him with compassion. Despite their efforts, he endured over three decades of chronic illness, mostly battling treatment complications. He died at 69. His journey inspired me to pursue a career in medicine with a focus on holistic, preventative healthcare.

However, as I started practising, I quickly realised that conventional medicine was too deeply rooted in ‘sick care’. Patients would be patched up and sent back to environments that sustained their illnesses.

When I qualified as a GP, I was frustrated with the 10-minute appointments that barely addressed their health concerns. I knew there had to be more than just managing symptoms. That quest led me to Lifestyle Medicine, and I became a certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician in 2019, developing a deeper understanding of genuine preventive care.

Then came the pandemic, and with it, the birth of my youngest daughter in May 2020. Within weeks, she developed severe eczema and 13 food allergies. Determined to heal her holistically, I pursued further education in Functional Medicine. From my very first lecture, I was stunned: why was this not taught in medical school?

Functional Medicine wasn’t ‘alternative’; it was a revolutionary framework that sought to understand and address the root causes of illness — lifestyle, environment, diet, and toxins — unveiling the path to reversing or putting chronic conditions into remission.

Applying these principles to my daughter’s care brought about transformative results and, unexpectedly, improved my own health as well. For years, I suffered from severe period pain, which I dismissed as ‘normal’, and I managed Hashimoto’s thyroiditis since my mid-20s with only Levothyroxine. There was no mention of dietary triggers, leaky gut, or the effect of stress on thyroid function. Conventional medicine focused on suppressing symptoms but offered no real solutions.

Through Functional Medicine, everything transformed. By addressing underlying imbalances, optimiser lifestyle factors, and embracing personalised nutrition, I identified the root causes of my period pain. For the first time in my life, I was completely free from pain.

This journey transformed my entire outlook on medicine: Personalised, Preventative, and Precision Health—a way to not only heal now but also to enhance healthspan and lifespan.”