Dr Senani Wijesena
Integrative Medicine/Holistic G.P.
Dr Senani Wijesena is an Integrative Medicine Practitioner and Holistic G.P. specialising in Nutrition and maintenance of optimum health and well being through natural means.
Her father, younger sister and grandfather were traditional medical doctors practicing 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 in his general practice and Senani became aware as a teenager through her family professional background of the importance of diet, fitness and preventative health care in maintaining and achieving optimal health.
Senani entered Medical school at the University of Newcastle, Australia in 1988 after attaining a HSC result of 471 marks out of 500 which placed her in the top 1% of the state. The Newcastle University undergraduate medical course was an innovative degree of it’s 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 post graduate 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 offered to G.P’s in alternative medicine through ACNEM in 2006.
In November 2023, Senani won the runner up position in the Brighthope Foundation Scholarship which allows her to enrol in and complete the Fellowship for ACNEM over the next 2 years. FACNEM is a prestigious academic award in the industry.
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, giving 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 in the management and correction of 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 which 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 socializing with friends and colleagues. She loves nature, animals, children, travelling and visiting different countries and 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, stretches, cross training, and walking into her daily regime.
She currently works part-time as an Integrative Medicine Practitioner and G.P in Sydney, Australia and spends the rest of her time devoted to writing nutritional/health articles and media releases educating the public as well as creating music/songs that deal with conscious issues.
Senani is currently seeing patients in her Mosman clinic as well as The Health Lodge in Byron Bay.