Dr Senani Wijesena is an Integrative Medicine Practitioner and Holistic GP specialising in Nutrition and maintenance of optimum health and well-being, through natural means.

Her father, younger sister and grandfather were traditional medical doctors practising in Australia and Sri Lanka, respectively, and her elder sister is a dietitian and counsellor. Her father incorporated alternative practices such as acupuncture and counselling into his general practice, and as a teenager, Senani became aware through her family’s professional background of the importance of diet, fitness and preventive health care in maintaining and achieving optimal health.

Senani entered Medical school at the University of Newcastle, Australia, in 1988 after achieving an HSC score of 471 out of 500, placing her in the top 1% of the state. The Newcastle University undergraduate medical course was an innovative degree of its time, with a focus on clinical practice, public health, and preventative medicine. Dr Wijesena graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of Medicine and had initial training in Psychiatry before deciding to join General Practice in Sydney, Australia.

Senani has been a general Practitioner since 1996 and has over 25 years of clinical experience in Australia. Dr Wijesena undertook 4 years of postgraduate education in Nutritional Medicine at RMIT University (Melbourne) from 2006 until 2010 and has a Graduate Certificate of Nutritional Medicine with distinction.  She has also undertaken the primary course in alternative medicine offered to GPs by ACNEM in 2006.

In 2006, Dr Wijesena opened her own practice as an Integrative Medicine Practitioner and Holistic GP in Sydney, which is currently operating at 64 Avenue Road, Mosman, and has given her 18 years of clinical experience in the area. She has extensive experience with diagnosing and managing conditions such as autoimmune disease, chronic inflammatory and degenerative disease, allergy, hormonal imbalance, metabolic syndrome, gastrointestinal dysfunction/disease and cancer. She incorporates wellness checks into her practice and believes prevention is better than cure.

Traditional Western Medicine With Natural Treatments

Integrating traditional Western medicine with natural treatments, Senani uses diet, nutritional supplements, and herbs to manage and correct body dysfunction. Identification of causes of illness (such as leaky gut, nutritional insufficiency, fatty acid imbalance, toxin/heavy metal overload, neurotransmitter imbalance, liver detoxification issues, microbial overgrowth and immune system dysregulation) is given priority to achieve wellness and eradicate disease. These underlying factors are identified by undergoing assessments of nutriture status, body composition analysis, nutritional blood/urine assays, specialised testing in Nutritional medicine eg heavy metal analysis, Genetic testing (eg MTHFR, HLA DQ2/8 Celiac test), Organic acid testing, Ige allergy and IGg food intolerance testing, Amino acid profiles, Intestinal permeability tests, Stool microbiology tests, Functional liver detoxification profile, Hormonal assays-including womens health, andropause, adrenal gland profiles etc. Dr Wijesena incorporates a holistic approach to all patient assessments and, where appropriate, identifies and manages mind and emotional components that may contribute to body dysfunction.

Away From The Clinic

In her spare time, Senani enjoys singing, songwriting, dancing, fitness training, reading metaphysical literature, introspective reflection, meditation and socialising with friends and colleagues. She loves nature, animals, children, travelling, visiting different countries, understanding different cultures, cooking and creating original recipes. Senani follows a low-carbohydrate, grain-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free eating plan that focuses on nuts, seeds, low glycemic fruits, coloured vegetables, lean proteins (fish, seafood, and occasionally other lean meats) and spices, super foods, and fluoride-free spring water (BPA/BPS free container).

Senani avoids all chemical and toxin exposure as much as possible and buys only organic food produce, natural domestic cleaners, shampoo/conditioners and soap, fluoride-free toothpaste, and regularly undergoes her own nutritional assessments and wellness checks to maintain optimal health. She exercises for 90 minutes a day, incorporating dance, yoga, stretching, cross-training, and walking into her routine.

She currently works part-time as an Integrative Medicine Practitioner and G.P. in Sydney, Australia, and spends the rest of her time writing nutritional/health articles and media releases, educating the public, and creating music/songs that address conscious issues.

Senani is currently seeing patients in her Neutral Bay Clinic as well as Nature Care Health in St Leonards.