About
Earlier in my career as the medical director of a busy GP practice in Canada, I was often frustrated by the limitations of addressing mental health issues in ten-minute consultations. I wanted more time to listen to my patients, hear their stories, ask questions, and understand the context in which their symptoms arose before diagnosis and treatment. And thus began my journey to the UK, and into psychiatry.
I have been practising medicine for over 35 years, and as an Integrative Consultant Psychiatrist for over 25 years.
I am a highly specialised and experienced doctor with a broad range of expertise and clinical skills in General Practice, General Adult and Elderly Care psychiatry.
I have always had a curious and inquisitive mindset, especially about what I consider to be the blind spots in Western Medicine, specifically:
- Chronic Primary Pain and Medically Unexplained Symptoms (MUS) and the inadequate and often myopic approach to these areas by Western Medicine, where patients are most frequently subjected to medical gaslighting.
- Undiagnosed and untreated ADHD, particularly overfocussed ADD in women.
- Female hormonal mental health issues in the perimenopause and menopause
- The impact of mental health issues on the autonomic nervous system, disconnection the fracturing of sense of self.
I recognise that precision medicine using genetic testing as a blueprint and platform facilitates the optimal functional medicine approach and that the future of psychiatry is inextricably linked to psychedelics and best combined with psychedelic and integration assisted therapy.
I believe mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing are all equally important, and go hand in hand. My approach as an Integrative Consultant Psychiatrist focuses on mind-body-spirit optimisation, and I assess individuals as a whole and in context.
I am a mind-body and trauma informed expert clinician, who uses a biopsychosocial and evidence-based approach to Chronic Primary Pain, Chronic Functional Syndromes, and Medically Unexplained Symptoms.
I need to know the Why?, so my patients can understand my diagnostic and treatment approach bespoke to them.
I believe in the virtue and value of Equanimity as it facilitates a state of psychological stability in mind, body, spirit, and soul, as advocated by ancient philosophies and many major religions.
I use a diagnostic hierarchy approach, which implies that certain diagnoses should not be made when others are present. My approach contrasts with the traditional DSM and ICD based approach of making multiple diagnoses at the same time which can lend itself to the problems of comorbidity and polypharmacy.
The core aspect of my approach to clinical psychopharmacology is the importance of recognising and tackling this comorbidity problem, thereby avoiding the all diagnoses are created equal approach, which often leads to unnecessary treatments.
My special interests include:
- Chronic Primary Pain (neuroplastic pain) and Mindbody Medicine (Psychophysiologic Disorders)
- Undiagnosed and untreated ADHD and ADD in adults
- Female Hormonal Mental Health
- Psychedelic Assisted Therapy and the role of Cannabis Based Medicinal Products in Mental Health.
- The role of the Dysregulated Autonomic Nervous system in all mental health conditions
I coordinated and chaired ThePainEditionoftheMastersSeries in February 2023 and chaired the panel on Chronic Primary Pain in the Sheldonian Theatre at The Masters Series Oxford at the end of September 2023 TheMastersSeriesOxford
I am a member of the Psychophysiologic Disorders Association listed in their DirectoryPractitionerDirectory
I am a member of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), the World Institute of Pain and The British Pain Society.
I have recovered from neuroplastic pain myself and developed The Pain Recovery Program
I also have a residential Pain Recovery Program which is based in South Africa near the Kruger National Park. White River Manor Pain Recovery Program
I am a member of MultidisciplinaryAssociationforPsychedelicStudies and a certified Ketamine Assisted Therapist.
I am the Consultant lead for 2 Intravenous Ketamine Assisted Therapy Clinics in London KetamineClinicLondon and also offer a London based Ketamine Assisted Therapy Treatment and Maintenance Program using oral Ketamine Lozenges.
I recognise that MDMA and Psilocybin assisted therapy can help heal psychological disorders and trauma and will incorporate these and all other psychedelics as soon as I can legally prescribe them which will then facilitate evidence based microdosing.
I am a member of the MedicalCannabisCliniciansSocietyand the MedicinalInstituteofEducation and have had expert medical cannabis training specifically for UK doctors.
I am registered with ScriptAssist which enables me as an independent practitioner to safely and easily prescribe UK approved medical cannabis to my patients for a variety of mental health conditions including ADHD, anxiety, OCD and PTSD. I have access to their Knowledge Hub, and I submit all my patients who I think are eligible to the MDT on Script Assist's platform, aligning with
General Medical Council guidance.
I consider myself to be one of the most forward and lateral thinking psychiatrists in the UK and my approach values integrity, perseverance, and curiosity.
I integrate traditional medical and psychiatric approaches and work closely with complementary healthcare practitioners registered with the Complimentary & Natural Healthcare Council and trauma informed expert coaches, working closely with TraumaInformedCoaches.
Thanks to a progressive career spanning three continents, patients can be assured of an approach that is international in outlook and sensitive to different cultures, expectations, and norms.
The trusted site for healthcare reviews of me by my patients can be found here
IWantGreatCare