Akil Palanisamy, MD, is a Harvard-trained physician who practices integrative medicine, blending his conventional medical expertise with Ayurveda. “Dr. Akil” attended Harvard University and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in biochemical sciences. He earned an MD from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and completed family medicine residency training at Stanford University. He then graduated from a fellowship in integrative medicine with Dr. Andrew Weil at the University of Arizona, and received certification in mind-body medicine from the Georgetown University Center.

He is certified in Ayurveda by the Arya Vaidya Chikitsalayam in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, and completed a clinical internship in Ayurvedic practice with Dr L. Mahadevan in Derisanamcope, Kanyakumari district. He is a widely sought-after speaker who has presented at NAMA and APA in the UK, as well as Ayurveda conferences in India.

Dr. Akil is the Department Chair for Integrative Medicine at the Sutter Health Institute for Health and Healing (IHH). He also serves as IHH Physician Director for Community Education and leads their educational initiatives and programs. He is the author of “The Tiger Protocol” (his latest book) and “The Paleovedic Diet: A Complete Program to Burn Fat, Increase Energy, and Reverse Disease”.