My Path into Integrative Medicine

I always wanted to be a doctor.

The opportunity to serve people during vulnerable moments was what first drew me to medicine, and I genuinely enjoyed my medical training. During medical school, however, I experienced recurrent tonsillitis—particularly during exam periods.

I recognised early on that stress was triggering physical illness, yet my only options at the time were antibiotics and pushing through.

This experience sparked a long-standing interest in the mind–body connection, even before I had the language or training to fully understand it.

General Practice and the Realities of Modern Medicine

After graduating, I considered specialising in obstetrics and volunteering abroad, but chose General Practice, which allowed me to develop broad clinical expertise while starting a family.

GP training strengthened my diagnostic skills and exposed me to the complex interplay between physical health, mental wellbeing, social context, and life stressors.

Like many NHS doctors, I worked long and intense hours, including on-calls of up to 90 hours per week, often with limited sleep.

While I remained deeply committed to my patients, I experienced first-hand how chronic stress and burnout affect both doctors and patients.

Personal Healing That Changed My Practice

My transition into integrative and holistic medicine began during pregnancy, when medication options were limited and I sought safer, low-risk approaches. I trained in hypnobirthing, and during a breech pregnancy was introduced to homeopathy—something I had never previously explored.

Through a combination of homeopathy and mind–body techniques, my baby turned naturally into the correct position. Unexpectedly, the same treatment resolved my long-standing hay fever, despite it never being a presenting concern.

This experience profoundly changed my understanding of health and healing.

Motivated by these outcomes, I undertook formal training in homeopathy and naturopathy, ensuring I could integrate these therapies safely, ethically, and appropriately alongside conventional medicine.

Later, personal experiences with plantar fasciitis and migraines led me to train in acupuncture and deepen my use of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to support stress regulation and pain management.

Mind–Body Medicine, Spirituality, and Health

Through both personal experience and clinical practice, I have come to understand how early adversity, chronic stress, and unconscious behavioural patterns shape long-term health. Much of human behaviour is automatic rather than mindful.

This insight naturally led me towards mind–body medicine, spirituality, gratitude, and compassion—areas increasingly supported by scientific evidence for improving mental resilience, immune function, and overall wellbeing.

I am a practising Muslim, and my values of gratitude, service, humility, and compassion guide my work as a doctor. As part of my ongoing commitment to holistic, spiritually-informed healthcare.

While my spirituality informs my approach, I provide inclusive, respectful, and non-judgemental care to patients of all backgrounds.

Bioresonance & Foundational Integrative Health

As part of my ongoing journey in integrative and holistic medicine, I attend integrative health and mind–body medicine conferences to stay informed about emerging tools that may support patient care.

Through this work, I was introduced to bioresonance, an energetic assessment approach that aims to identify patterns of imbalance within the body.

Bioresonance is a non-invasive energetic scan that can offer insights into areas of stress or imbalance and may help guide personalised support, such as lifestyle adjustments, nutritional strategies, and carefully selected remedies or supplements.

I use bioresonance as a complementary tool and not diagnostic, alongside clinical assessment and conventional medical reasoning, to support a more individualised and holistic approach to wellbeing..

My Approach to Everyday Healing & Vitality

Alongside clinical medicine and integrative tools, I place strong emphasis on foundational health principles that consistently support energy, resilience, and long-term wellbeing:

• Optimising vitamin D levels for immune, mental, and musculoskeletal health

• A lower-carbohydrate, whole-food approach, focused on stable energy and metabolic health

• Good-quality sleep as a cornerstone of healing and nervous system regulation

• Regular gentle movement, including practices such as Qi Gong, to support circulation, balance, and stress reduction

• Simple, traditional supports such as ginger and lemon tea, and carefully chosen herbs and supplements, used thoughtfully

• A strong preference for unprocessed, real food as the foundation of health

I believe that simple, consistent practices, combined with personalised guidance, can create meaningful and sustainable improvements in energy, wellbeing, and overall quality of life.

How This Fits Into My Integrative GP Practice

As Dr Ayiesha Malik, my role as an integrative GP is to help patients make sense of their health, reduce unnecessary overwhelm, and choose approaches that are safe, realistic, and aligned with their values.

Tools such as bioresonance, lifestyle medicine, nutrition, mind–body practices, and conventional medical care are integrated thoughtfully.

My Philosophy as an Integrative GP

As Dr Ayiesha Malik, I believe effective healthcare must address the whole person, not just isolated symptoms. I do not recommend therapies I have not personally explored.

Every approach I offer has been used, tested, and integrated into my own life.

I aim to support patients in understanding their health, reducing unnecessary suffering, and developing sustainable, long-term wellbeing.

I remain on my own journey of healing and learning, and I look forward to supporting you on yours.