Dr Anu is a consultant nephrologist in the NHS. After several years of clinical practice, she has realised that a ‘systems or network biology’ approach must be the future of medicine.
In her practice as a nephrologist, she sees a growing burden of advanced kidney disease, and a significant part of this is driven by lifestyle diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. There is a place for pharmaceuticals in patient management, but it would be short-sighted to believe that pills and technology alone can enhance an individual’s productivity and, therefore, societal productivity in the context of chronic diseases.
Dr Anu believes that every specialist should make every patient encounter matter by focusing not just on disease management but also on reversing dysfunction and restoring balance. The ‘ripple effect’ of such consultations may not be underestimated. For her part, she would like to shun the use of the word ‘functional’ pejoratively and bring this to mainstream conversation and practice.
Clinical practice should be wholesome and rewarding when wellness creation is integrated with illness management. She is well-placed to combine her knowledge of conventional medicine with functional medicine training to generate the best possible patient outcomes.
Her medical journey began in India. When Anu moved to the United Kingdom to pursue postgraduate studies, she found that Nephrology encompassed the principles of Internal Medicine and combined acute medicine and chronic disease management. She has complemented her training in conventional medicine with training from the Institute for Functional Medicine. She also pursues her academic interests in nephrology and is an educator in her role as a physician.
Over the last few years, she has embraced the principles of functional medicine in her own life and systematically prioritises yoga, meditation, and functional strength training in everyday life. Dr Anu enjoys reading widely (mostly audiobooks) and has clocked more than 320 hours in 2024.
