Dr Shehan

Dr Shehan Wijesingha practises integrative medicine at Serenity Holistic Medical Clinic in Swieqi, a residential and business area just inland from St Julian's and the northern coastline. His work is aimed at people with chronic, unresolved symptoms: those whose tests have come back normal, who have seen several specialists, and who still do not feel well. The clinic is listed on VisitMalta.co.uk under both acupuncture in Malta and private clinics in Malta.

Integrative medicine here means one qualified doctor drawing on three systems together: conventional medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda. Read this page as a summary of what the clinic offers, so you can decide whether to send an enquiry. It gives no medical advice, and the doctor checks whether a treatment is suitable and safe for you before it starts.

The doctor and his training

Dr Shehan holds a Doctor of Medicine and Surgery from the University of Malta, a Master in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Culture from the University of Malta with the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a Bachelor of Medical Sciences from the University of Leicester and a Level 4 Master Personal Training Diploma. He also holds an Ayurvedic Practitioner's Diploma from the Ayurveda Institute UK, and he is Vice President of the Association of Ayurvedic Professionals UK.

He is registered with the Medical Council of Malta, and with the Council for the Professions Complementary to Medicine for acupuncture. His earlier clinical career covered fourteen specialties in Malta's public health system, including Mater Dei Hospital and Mount Carmel Psychiatric Hospital, followed by private-sector work in an immediate medical care unit. For UK readers, that background means the doctor can recognise when conventional investigation or referral must come first, and that route takes priority whenever it is needed.

How treatment begins

Care starts with a short enquiry. The doctor then calls you back to understand what has been happening and to check whether the clinic is the right fit. If someone else is better suited, the next step is a referral or other care. Appointments are arranged only after that call.

The assessment begins with a detailed medical history and the full story so far. The doctor reviews symptoms, examination findings, previous blood tests and reports, and the views of the conventional and complementary professionals already involved. Where the assessment is the deeper in-person format, it runs for around three hours and includes pulse diagnosis and physical examination where appropriate. If investigation or escalation is needed, that is arranged first.

Progress is tracked from the first appointment with validated questionnaires covering sleep, energy, mood, pain, anxiety, mental clarity and quality of life, and these are reviewed at set checkpoints. At review, treatment can end, continue by another route, or move to a coordinated referral.

Integrative Reset and Targeted Treatment

There are two treatment routes. The Integrative Reset is for complex, longstanding or multi-system patterns that need more depth early. It consists of three weekly sessions of three hours each, combining clinical treatment with longer mind-body work, with a review after the third session.

Targeted Treatment uses 90-minute sessions built around a defined clinical aim, either after assessment or after a Reset. It combines the same clinical tools but leaves out the longer mind-body component. Longer sessions are designed to give enough time to understand and treat complex cases without rushing.

The clinical tools

Within these routes the doctor may use acupuncture, including electroacupuncture, and cupping; bodywork drawing on Ayurvedic and Chinese massage; Ayurvedic medicine, herbs and supplements; nutrition advice; subconscious and mind-body work; doctor-led IV drips; and red light therapy. Bodywork is rarely used alone. The clinic does not offer a full-hour relaxation massage, and points to spas and massage therapists in Malta for that.

Testing is available too, including food intolerance, gut health, DUTCH hormone, hair and organic acid tests. Explanatory articles cover conditions such as anxiety, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome and cancer support, and they are written to inform rather than to promise results. Anyone with a serious or urgent concern should contact their own doctor or emergency services.

Ayurveda and Chinese medicine, explained for a UK reader

Traditional Chinese Medicine is a system developed in China over roughly two thousand years. It reads a person through patterns, such as where energy flow seems blocked or depleted, and uses acupuncture, cupping, herbs and diet to work on them. Ayurveda is the traditional medicine of India. It looks at a person's constitution, stress response and the way tension is held, which is why two people with the same diagnosis can be offered different plans.

Dr Shehan's approach is to hold these views beside conventional medical training rather than in place of it. He reads research critically, uses modern physiology to understand each tradition, and treats the conventional system as the right choice for emergencies, diagnosis and safety. In practice, a plan might combine acupuncture, a personalised nutrition programme and mind-body work in a sequence matched to what the assessment finds.

Mind-body work and mental wellbeing

Many patients arrive with anxiety, poor sleep, gut symptoms or long-term tension that has not eased despite therapy or medication. The clinic's mind-body and subconscious work is aimed at the layer where the body keeps reacting even when the person understands the story. It sits within the longer sessions of the Integrative Reset, alongside breathing, meditation, mindfulness and guided imagery where appropriate.

This is offered as a complement. The doctor is clear that some people need a psychiatrist, psychotherapy, medication or crisis care first, and that red flags and psychiatric risk are screened by a conventional medical approach. If you are in crisis, contact your own doctor, an emergency department or a Malta crisis service rather than waiting for a clinic appointment.

Working alongside other clinicians

The clinic treats referral as part of good care. If another practitioner should lead, the doctor coordinates the handover. The website also has a section for professional colleagues explaining the scope of referrals and how the clinic works with referring clinicians.

For patients living in Malta, that means the clinic can sit beside your GP and specialists. For visitors from the UK, it is worth bringing previous blood tests, reports and a list of current medicines, because the assessment draws on them. Ask your own doctor before changing any prescribed treatment.

Testing, nutrition and what to expect

Food intolerance and gut health tests, a DUTCH hormone test, hair analysis and organic acid testing are part of the toolkit when the assessment points that way. Nutrition is treated as clinical care: the doctor looks at what makes food nourishing and uses that to build a plan for digestion and long-running symptoms, alongside herbs and supplements where they fit.

Expect to be listened to at length. Sessions are long by design, treatment is adapted from one visit to the next, and the doctor says plainly if the pattern is not shifting. The aim is that you leave with a clearer understanding of your own situation and the means to keep building on it, until you no longer need treatment.

Visiting Swieqi from the UK

Swieqi is a short drive from Sliema, St Julian's and Paceville, so it suits visitors staying on the north-east coast as well as residents. Nearby you can see contemporary art at 2B Gallery or browse the A-Store electronics shop. For days out, A4 Malta DMC arranges private tours, and our Valletta guide and things to do in Malta list ideas for the rest of your trip.

If you are planning a longer stay for health reasons, read our Malta relocation guide and Malta weather guide, and check flights to Malta for UK routes. Because assessments run long, allow a generous gap in your day before and after, and arrange transport in advance. To ask a question or request a call back, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to the clinic.