SA Society of Integrative Medicine

SA Society of Integrative Medicine SASIM is a professional network of doctors and healthcare practitioners advancing evidence-based integrative medicine in South Africa.

South Africa’s non-profit network for evidence-based integrative medicine : ongoing education, collaboration & community to bridge holistic, preventive & lifestyle care with mainstream practice. We support medical professionals in expanding their practice through ongoing scientifically reviewed, whole-person and preventive approaches. Through ongoing educational events and webinars, knowledge-shar

ing platforms, a practitioner-focused podcast, and access to leading voices in the field, SASIM builds bridges between allopathic and integrative medicine - working toward better outcomes for patients and practitioners alike.

What does integrative medicine really mean?Integrative medicine is more than a set of therapies. It is a philosophy of c...
30/07/2026

What does integrative medicine really mean?

Integrative medicine is more than a set of therapies. It is a philosophy of care built on partnership between patient and practitioner, one that draws on both conventional and complementary approaches to support the body's own healing response.

At its heart, integrative medicine:

Is based on a partnership of patient and practitioner, within which conventional and alternative modalities may be used to stimulate the body's healing response.

Shifts the orientation of medicine from one of disease to one of healing.

Engages the mind, spirit, and community as well as the body.

Neither rejects conventional medicine nor uncritically accepts alternative practices.

Is committed to good science that is driven by inquiry and open to new paradigms.

Is grounded in the philosophy that prevention is a primary responsibility of medicine, and that healing is possible even when curing is not.

Works to activate the body's innate, natural healing mechanisms.

Uses natural, less invasive interventions before costly, invasive ones wherever possible.

Asks that practitioners seek to model health and healing, and commit to the process of self exploration.

This is the thinking that guides our work. Our goal is to integrate holistic, preventative and lifestyle medicine into mainstream healthcare, so practitioners can treat the whole person and make root cause care a trusted part of the system.

Follow SASIM to explore integrative medicine and the practitioners shaping its future in South Africa.

27/07/2026

Most people think of gut health as a personal thing. Something you work on for yourself.
But Dr. Leah Murray sees it differently.

The gut microbiome, the vast ecosystem of bacteria that governs your immunity, your mood, your detoxification, your metabolism, is largely established in the first 1,000 days of a baby's life. And the majority of it comes directly from mum.

This is why Dr. Leah works with women before they even fall pregnant. Because what you pass on to your baby is not just genetics. It is your gut environment. Your bacteria. Your foundation.

A healthy, diverse gut microbiome sets a child up for stronger immunity, better mood regulation, and long term resilience.

A disrupted one, shaped by antibiotics, stress, poor nutrition, or environmental toxins, can have knock-on effects that last years.

The good news? You can do something about it. And the earlier you start, the better.

Watch the full conversation with Dr. Leah Murray on The Integrative Shift, link in bio.

The gut is surrounded by the largest concentration of immune tissue in the body, so when the integrity of its lining is ...
25/07/2026

The gut is surrounded by the largest concentration of immune tissue in the body, so when the integrity of its lining is compromised, the effects rarely stay local. This is where integrative medicine looks past the presenting symptom and asks a different question: what is driving it?

Five barriers protect the internal environment from what we ingest: the gut bacteria, the mucus coating, the gut lining cells and their tight junctions, the immune system concentrated in the Peyer's patches, and the liver. When stress, alcohol, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, sugar, and ageing wear those barriers down, partially digested food and toxins can pass into the bloodstream. The immune system responds, and that response can surface anywhere as eczema, asthma, arthritis, irritable bowel, or migraines.

The integrative approach is to remove the obstacle rather than manage the symptom, working through four stages. Remove the parasites, irritants, and trigger foods. Replace the stomach acid, enzymes, and nutrients that support proper digestion. Repair the lining with L-glutamine and essential fatty acids. Re-inoculate with beneficial bacteria, and support the liver as it carries the added load.

This is whole person care in practice, and it is one more tool in the clinical toolkit for chronic, immune driven conditions.

Follow SASIM for evidence informed, root cause approaches to integrative medicine.

Educational content for practitioners. Not a substitute for individual clinical judgement.

What if one overlooked molecule could change the way you think about vascular, immune and metabolic health?Join SASIM fo...
22/07/2026

What if one overlooked molecule could change the way you think about vascular, immune and metabolic health?

Join SASIM for our next CPD Zoom webinar as Dr Craige Golding unpacks the science of nitric oxide. Often overlooked but clinically vital, nitric oxide plays a profound role in vascular, immune and metabolic health. In this session Dr Golding breaks down the latest research and shows how restoring nitric oxide levels can become a powerful therapeutic tool in everyday practice.

About the speaker. Dr Craige Golding (MD, ABAARM, FAARFM, FICT, FCP SA, MS USF) is a Specialist Physician and anti aging physician based in Houghton Estate, Johannesburg, where he practices integrative medicine combining natural medicines, nutraceuticals, bioidentical hormones, intravenous treatments and allopathic care. He qualified as a medical doctor in 1993 Cum Laude, became a fellow of the South African College of Physicians and a specialist physician in 1999, and is the only doctor in Africa to hold board certification with both the American Board of Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine and the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine. He is the founder and director of the Golding Institute.

The details:
Date: Wednesday, 22 July 2026
Time: 19:00 to 21:00
Platform: Zoom
Fee: Members R200, Non-members R300

How to book. Deposit your fee and send proof of payment to [email protected] or via WhatsApp to Elma. Banking details: SASIM, Nedbank Stellenbosch, Account number 1357 003986. Please reference your name and the talk when making payment.

Colleagues are always welcome, so feel free to invite and share.

Follow SASIM for more CPD accredited learning and evidence informed integrative medicine.

The most common thing holding doctors back from making the shift? Not knowing if it will be worth it.Dr. Leah Murray has...
17/07/2026

The most common thing holding doctors back from making the shift? Not knowing if it will be worth it.

Dr. Leah Murray has a simple answer: just start.

Because integrative medicine isn't just a different way of practising. It's a different quality of relationship with your patients. You have the time, the tools, and the framework to actually understand what is going on with a person. And when you work at that level, the results follow.

If you are a doctor who has been curious about the shift, what is the one thing holding you back? Tell us below. 👇

Catch the full conversation on The Integrative Shift, link in bio.

09/07/2026

Sometimes the body has to break you down before you find the right path.

Dr. Leah Murray spent 6 years in emergency medicine and paid the price. Burnout, night
shifts, and an autoimmune thyroid condition forced her to stop and listen to her own body.

That shift? It led her straight to integrative medicine. Now, she helps others do what she had
to learn the hard way: get to the root cause.

Watch the full episode of The Integrative Shift, link in bio.


The 15-minute consult wasn't designed for complex patients. It was designed for throughput.That's not a criticism, it's ...
06/07/2026

The 15-minute consult wasn't designed for complex patients. It was designed for throughput.

That's not a criticism, it's a reality that many doctors are navigating every day. And it's one of the reasons so many practitioners are opening up to integrative medicine. Not as a departure from what they know, but as a way to finally have the time and tools to go deeper.

An hour with a patient changes everything. You start to see the full picture: the gut, the stress load, the sleep, the history nobody asked about before. And that's where the real work begins.

If you're a doctor or healthcare practitioner, what's the one thing you wish you had more time to explore in a consult?

03/07/2026

A snipped from our podcast with Dr Leah Murray.

Med school equips doctors with incredible tools, life-saving medication, surgery, emergency care. That knowledge is essential and it saves lives every day.

Integrative medicine builds on that foundation by adding a focus on health optimisation.

The body has an innate healing potential, always working towards balance and integrative medicine supports that process, giving the body what it needs alongside conventional care.

Two approaches, working together. That's the shift.

Watch the full episode of The Integrative Shift, link in bio.

Your body is more than tissue and bone.... it's an interconnected, vibrational system, constantly seeking coherence and ...
23/06/2026

Your body is more than tissue and bone.... it's an interconnected, vibrational system, constantly seeking coherence and balance.

Join Dr Wendy Christien, Ph.D. (Wellness Practitioner & Specialist Wellness Counsellor, ASCHP) for an eye-opening talk exploring resonance and meridians: what they are, why they matter, and how they shape your physiology and overall wellbeing. Discover how energy flows through the body's pathways, and what it means to restore vibrational coherence.

Date: 30 June 2026
Time: 7:00 PM
Venue: Online Webinar (link shared upon registration)
Fee: R200

Deposit to: SASIM | Nedbank | Acc No. 1357003986
Reference: Your Name + Talk Name
Send proof of payment to: [email protected]

About the speaker: Dr Wendy Christien has practiced as a Wellness Practitioner since 2005, with qualifications spanning Bio Energetic Stress Testing (BEST), Iridology, Nutrition, Health Coaching, Nutrigenomics, and a Ph.D. in Social Work: Wellness Healthcare and Counselling. She is a Specialist Wellness Counsellor with ASCHP and a certified SoulCollage® Facilitator.

Limited spots — book yours today.

Address

Stellenbosch

Opening Hours

Monday 09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 17:00
Thursday 09:00 - 17:00
Friday 09:00 - 17:00

Telephone

0218550518

Website

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