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Integrative care
Integrative and functional medicine
Functional medicine asks why a problem has developed and treats the causes behind it: digestion, nutrition, gut bacteria, hormones, sleep, stress and movement. Integrative medicine combines this with conventional care. In my practice in JP Nagar, Bengaluru, the two sit together, so that medicines, endoscopy and surgery are used where they are needed and root-cause work is done throughout.
How is a functional medicine consultation different?
A longer history
I go through your health from the beginning: early life, illnesses, medicines, food, sleep, work, and the events around the time your symptoms began. Patterns often appear here that no single test shows.
Looking for causes behind the cause
For a problem such as reflux, bloating or fatty liver, I ask what set it up, what triggered it and what keeps it going. These are often things that can be changed.
Testing with a purpose
Standard tests come first. Functional tests, such as microbiome testing and the urine organic acids test, are added when their result would change the plan. See tests.
A plan in order
Most gut plans follow five steps: remove what irritates, replace what digestion lacks, restore healthy gut bacteria, repair the gut lining, and rebalance sleep, stress and movement.
A team that stays with you
A dietitian and a health coach work with you between visits. Change is easier with regular follow-up.
Consultation and programs
- Functional medicine consultation: a detailed first visit, a review of all earlier reports, and a written plan.
- Gut microbiome restoration: a food-led plan to rebuild gut bacteria after antibiotics, infection or long-standing digestive trouble.
- Gut Health Program: three or six months of doctor-led care for reflux, gastritis, IBS, bloating and related problems.
- Metabolic Reset: a structured program for weight, fatty liver, diabetes and PCOS. See Arka’s programs.
- Health coaching: regular sessions that turn the plan into daily habits.
Food and nutrition
- Therapeutic diets: eating plans matched to a condition, such as low FODMAP for IBS or a Mediterranean-style pattern for fatty liver, adapted to Indian food.
- Elimination and reintroduction plans: a suspected food is removed for a defined period and brought back in steps, to find what you tolerate.
- Nutritional correction: deficiencies of vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron and other nutrients are identified and treated, through food first.
Mind and nervous system
The gut and the brain are in constant communication. These therapies work on that connection. See gut-brain axis disorders.
- HRV biofeedback: you see your heart rhythm on a screen and learn to steady it with slow breathing.
- Vagus nerve stimulation: a handheld device applied to the neck, used for migraine and as an add-on in selected gut-brain disorders.
- Yoga therapy and pranayama: postures and breathing practices chosen for your condition and taught individually.
- Limbic system retraining: structured daily exercises that calm an over-alert stress response.
- Integrative psychiatry: care for anxiety, low mood and sleep that considers nutrition, gut health and lifestyle alongside standard treatment.
Body therapies
These are supporting therapies. They are offered after an assessment, for selected patients, as part of a wider plan.
- Acupuncture and acupressure: used for nausea, pain and functional gut symptoms.
- Pelvic floor rehabilitation: biofeedback-guided retraining for constipation and leakage, after anorectal manometry.
- IV nutrient therapy: vitamins and minerals given through a drip when tests show a deficiency or absorption is poor.
- Ozone therapy: medical ozone administered by trained staff as a supporting therapy.
- Colon hydrotherapy: a gentle wash of the lower bowel with warm water, for selected patients with constipation.
- Infrared sauna and PEMF therapy: heat and pulsed electromagnetic field therapies used for relaxation, muscle recovery and comfort.
Integrative support alongside your specialist
For the conditions below, this work supports the treatment given by your own specialist. It does not replace it.
- Autoimmune disease
- Diabetes
- Thyroid and hormonal conditions
- Women’s health, including PCOS
- Chronic pain
- Cancer care alongside oncology: nutrition, strength and symptom support during and after treatment.
When is integrative care not enough?
Bleeding, a blockage, a hernia, gallstones that cause attacks, and cancer are not treated by diet and lifestyle. Some conditions need a medicine for life. Because I practise conventional gastroenterology and surgery as well, I will tell you plainly when one of those is what you need.
Questions patients ask me about integrative medicine
What is functional medicine?
It is an approach that looks for the underlying causes of long-term illness, such as diet, digestion, gut bacteria, hormones, sleep and stress, and treats them alongside the diagnosis itself. I am certified in it by The Institute for Functional Medicine.
Do you treat problems of the gut microbiome?
Yes. Helping gut bacteria to recover after antibiotics, infection or long illness is a regular part of my work. It is done through food first, with tests and medicines where they are needed. See gut microbiome restoration.
Is it used instead of regular medicine?
No. I use both. Medicines, endoscopy and surgery are used where they are the right tools, and root-cause work continues beside them.
Will I need many tests?
Not usually. Your existing reports are reviewed first. Further tests are advised only when the result would change your plan.
Will I be prescribed supplements?
Food comes first. A supplement is prescribed when a test shows a need, for a defined period, and then reviewed.
Can I continue the medicines prescribed by my other doctors?
Yes. Bring the list. Nothing is stopped without discussion, and changes are made step by step with your other doctors informed.
How long before I notice a change?
Most people notice a difference within the first few weeks. Lasting change in long-standing conditions is usually measured in months, which is why the programs run for three or six.