Meet Dr. Sana Mukhi

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Sana Mukhi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Sana, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I spent a lot of time working as a busy primary care physician in a conventional medical setting. Over time, I started noticing a pattern that didn’t sit right with me — my patients’ medication lists kept growing, their specialist visits multiplied, but their overall health and quality of life weren’t really improving. Chronic conditions were still progressing despite all the interventions. I realized we were managing disease, not restoring health. That’s what led me to explore functional medicine — I wanted to understand the “why” behind the symptoms and create a space where healing felt personal, proactive, and complete.

II decided to delve more into the really getting to the root-cause of illness instead of focusing more on symptoms management, It was about coming back to what medicine should be. I wanted to build something sustainable for both my patients and myself. And this is how Sanative Functional Health came to be.

It is a practice where given the cash pay model, I’m allowed to spend more time with each patient, run the right labs, and create personalized treatment plans without the red tape. I also believe when patients invest in their care, they become active participants in their healing — and that’s when real transformation happens.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Sanative Functional Health was born out of my experience as a primary care physician seeing patients’ medication lists grow while their quality of life declined. I wanted to build a space where people could get to the root cause of their symptoms, not just manage them.

At Sanative Functional Health, every plan is deeply personalized. We don’t look at hormones, gut health, metabolism, or lifestyle in isolation — we look at how these systems work together to influence how a person feels day to day. Many of our patients come to us after years of being told their labs are “normal,” yet they still struggle with fatigue, weight changes, mood swings, or brain fog. Our goal is to uncover why those symptoms are happening and address the root causes so real healing can begin.

What truly sets Sanative apart is our whole-person approach. We invest time in understanding each patient’s unique story — their habits, stressors, nutrition, sleep, environment, and genetics — because all of it matters. Every consultation is unhurried and designed to feel collaborative. We don’t dictate care; we partner with patients who are ready to feel truly well again.

Our process combines advanced diagnostic testing with practical, evidence-based strategies in nutrition, movement, stress management, and when appropriate, medications for weight loss and hormone optimization. It’s a thoughtful balance of science and lifestyle medicine, built around helping people feel energetic, clear-headed, and in control of their health again.

Starting a cash-pay functional medicine practice while balancing motherhood wasn’t easy, but it’s been deeply rewarding. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that purpose-driven work requires courage and consistency. Helping patients feel like themselves again — energetic, clear, and confident — makes every challenge worth it.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Houston’s food scene is unparalleled! There are so many diverse spots to check out. When it comes to food, I would definitely take a friend to my favorite coffee spots, Luce, common bond, verbena and cuppo being my top ones. For restaurants, Rumi’s is great for persian food, Mai Kolachi has really great pakistani/indian food. Trellis spa or even milk and honey is a definite must for an afternoon of relaxation followed by a walk in Hermann Park.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Absolutely — I wouldn’t be where I am without the people who have stood beside me through every stage of this journey. My parents have been my foundation from the start — their sacrifices, faith, and steady support carried me through my undergraduate years and the long, grueling stretch of medical school and residency.

My husband has been my constant source of strength and encouragement through every chapter — from residency/fellowship to building a career and raising our two children. He’s the one who always reminded me of my purpose when things felt overwhelming.

And my in-laws have been incredibly understanding and supportive, especially in helping us care for our kids during the busiest years of my training. It truly took a village, and I’m deeply grateful for each of them.

Website: https://www.sanativehealth.com

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