The Integrative Shift

In this episode of The Integrative Shift, we meet Dr Marika Van Lelyveld, an Integrative and Functional Medicine doctor who has been practicing since 2005 with a special interest in hormonal health and overall wellbeing. Dr Marika shares her journey from working in trauma units to discovering the deeper dimensions of healing — exploring how nutrition, hormones, emotions, and lifestyle all interconnect. She reflects on the pivotal moments that inspired her to move beyond conventional medicine and embrace a more…

For our very first episode, we sit down with Dr Nick Simpson—one of SASIM’s newest members—to explore how medical doctors arrive at integrative practice and what the journey looks like in real life. Drawn early on to Eastern philosophy, Nick shares how that curiosity shaped his approach and eventually led to founding Flourish Medical in Cape Town. He talks about blending an integrative approach with traditional medicine—and why collaboration across disciplines matters. In this episode, we cover: Defining integrative medicine…

In this episode of The Integrative Shift, we sit down with Dr David Nye, one of the founding members and directors of the South African Society for Integrative Medicine (SASIM). Dr Nye shares his journey from conventional general practice into integrative medicine. A path that began decades ago through curiosity, openness, and first-hand clinical experience with complementary and functional approaches. In this conversation, we explore: How integrative medicine evolved from complementary medicine in South Africa Why chronic illness requires more…

Welcome to The Integrative Shift, a conversation series exploring how doctors are reimagining the future of medicine. In this episode, Elma speaks with Dr Renee Usdin, medical doctor, homeopath, and board member of SASIM, about her journey from conventional allopathic medicine into integrative medical practice. Dr Usdin reflects on questioning symptom-based treatment early in medical school, discovering herbal medicine, acupuncture, energetic medicine, and homeopathy, and how integrative medicine transformed both her clinical outcomes and her experience as a practitioner. This…