Quick Answer: the team our healthcare professionals our story Equilibrium Health Our Story Equilibrium Health began with a pattern Dr Nick Petropoulos kept seeing, over and over, across more than 15 years…
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our healthcare professionals
our story
Equilibrium Health
Our Story
Equilibrium Health began with a pattern Dr Nick Petropoulos kept seeing, over and over, across more than 15 years of clinical practice: patients started a weight loss program and now more recently started GLP-1 therapy (semaglutide, tirzepatide) losing weight, feeling better and then, months later, watching it return.
Dr Petropoulos qualified in medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand, following an earlier Master’s degree in biochemistry, and began his career in emergency medicine before moving into family practice. Along the way, one gap kept showing up in his consulting room, patients arriving having started treatment elsewhere, with no metabolic assessment behind it, no dietitian involved and no plan for what happens once the medication has done its part. Dr Nick Petropoulos has spent years learning and researching evidence-based medicine to build ways to maintain weight, not just assisting with weight loss.
That gap, between prescribing a medication and actually managing a chronic metabolic disease, is what Equilibrium Health exists to close. The name reflects the philosophy behind it: lasting health isn’t found in extremes, but in balance: in the biochemistry driving weight, in daily habits and in the relationship between patient and doctor. Today, Equilibrium Health is a dedicated obesity medicine clinic in Modderfontein, Johannesburg, built around one idea: weight management doesn’t end when the scale moves. It ends when it’s maintained.
doctor
Dr Nick petropoulos
Dr Nick Petropoulos is an obesity medicine physician and general practitioner with more than 15 years of clinical experience. He holds an MBChB from the University of the Witwatersrand, following an earlier Master’s degree in biochemistry; a foundation that still shapes how he approaches weight today: biochemistry first, willpower second.
His career began in emergency medicine, before moving into family practice and, later, dedicated obesity and nutritional medicine, supported by international training in obesity medicine. He is registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA Reg. 0660914 | Practice No. 0365750).
His vision for Equilibrium Health was straightforward: build the kind of clinic he’d want to walk into as a patient. That means appointment-based, unhurried consultations instead of a crowded waiting room; a full metabolic picture instead of just a prescription.
dietitian
CHARNE SMIT
Charne Smit, a passionate registered dietitian since 2011, prioritizes healthy living for herself and her family. Her dedication to personalized nutrition therapy and lifestyle adjustments shines through her commitment to guiding individuals towards their best selves. With expertise in healthy eating, weight management, and diabetes care, including specialized training from the Centre for Diabetes and Endocrinology, Charne excels as a Diabetic Educator. Her focus on Neuro-Rehab nutrition demonstrates her ability to address complex nutritional needs associated with neurological conditions, aiding patients in regaining strength and improving their quality of life. Charne’s holistic approach and compassionate care make her a trusted ally for those seeking to enhance their health through nutrition.
Tharusha Naidoo
Tharusha Naidoo brings 22 years of clinical experience to Equilibrium Health, built on a strong foundation in acute and post-surgical hospital care. She graduated from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and went on to practise at some of South Africa’s leading academic hospitals, including King Edward Academic Hospital, Tygerberg Hospital and Bloemfontein Hospital. During this time, she served as Chief Physiotherapist in Cardiothoracics, leading rehabilitation care for patients recovering from major cardiac and thoracic surgery. Experience that shaped the precise, evidence-based approach she brings to patient care today.
Seeking to bring this depth of hospital-level expertise into a more personalised setting, Tharusha established her own private practice in Stoneridge, Johannesburg, now in its 15th year.
Her special interests span sports injury management and post-operative rehabilitation, including ACL reconstruction, total hip replacement, and shoulder surgery, as well as Bell’s palsy, headache management and the treatment of strains and sprains.
Tharusha’s combination of academic hospital training and long-standing private practice experience allows her to guide patients through recovery with both clinical rigour and genuinely hands-on, individualised care.
Frequently asked questions
Who are our Healthcare Professionals?
Equilibrium Health has a medical doctor, who is obesity medicine trained, Dr Nick Petropoulos, a dietitian, Charne Smit and a physiotherapist Tharusha Naidoo.