Nisha Khanna, MD
Functional Medicine
Nisha is a board-certified internist who has been practicing medicine since 2005. As a Western-trained physician, she learned the strengths and limitations of the modern medical system and sought to reach beyond its boundaries. Born into an Indian family, Nisha was exposed to Ayurveda at an early age and drew upon its timeless wisdom for self-healing for over twenty years. When conventional clinical experience convinced her that she had to be able to offer more to her patients, a return to her roots showed her a powerful path to healing the entirety of people’s beings.
Nisha pursued her formal Ayurvedic education in Albuquerque, New Mexico under Dr. Vasant Lad, the world-renowned Ayurvedic physician and educator. Concurrent to her training as an Ayurvedic practitioner, she learned the healing art of marma (Vedic acupressure) and is registered with Yoga Alliance as an AyurYoga teacher.
Upon returning to Austin, she then learned of Functional Medicine and recognized it as a bridge between modern medicine and ancient healing. It too highlighted intestinal disturbance as the root cause of disease and favored dietary change, supplements, and herbs over pharmaceuticals. She practiced in a Functional Medicine clinic for over a year and currently co-directs the Wholefoods employee clinic with her Functionally-trained partner. She weaves together Ayurveda, Functional Medicine, and Internal Medicine in her treatment plans for her Wholefoods patients and explores this further in her private practice.
Drawing from her varied experience and training, she works with the patient’s entire mind-body-spirit complex and favors treatment plans that focus on hormone balance and intestinal health and that minimize testing and supplements to that which is absolutely necessary and for the shortest duration necessary. Her focus is on patient education and empowerment, allowing the vibrancy and freedom of one’s truest nature to flourish. Her long-term goal for her patients is total healing and independence from supplements, medications, and the physician herself.
