From a young age, both Shaanta Hanagud MD, and Lynda Kelly DSS, knew they wanted to be in the medical field.
Dr. Shaanta says she knew she wanted to be a doctor from the time she was 8 years old. And Lynda says it was her love of anatomy and its ability to heal that drew her to medicine. Lynda became a massage therapist, an emergency medical technician, and owned businesses in the Wellness industry. So it’s no surprise the two met in medical school and became fast friends.
“I’ve always wanted to do this on my own,” says Dr. Shaanta, who previously worked for a large, well-known healthcare provider. She says she liked the idea of having more autonomy in her own practice. “I knew Lynda was very capable on the business side,” she says. So after decades of friendship, the two also became business partners in March 2025 when they opened Gaia Family Medicine, located at 4086 Clairmont Road, in Chamblee.
Gaia isn’t your traditional doctor’s office. They describe the practice as a unicorn where each patient undergoes a nutritional response testing.
“We really are very good at getting to the root cause of the imbalances in the body and supporting the body’s natural wisdom [and ability] to heal itself,” Dr.Shaanta says. “We’ve really been successful, even in our short time, improving people’s lives and their health. I’ve been an integrative holistic medical doctor my whole career with lots of things in my tool chest that I tailor to each person uniquely based on what we find during our consultation and analysis.”
Dr. Shaanta says that one of her patients told her that he really likes the fact that they have close follow-up visits. This ensures that the patient is, in fact, getting better. In addition, they incorporate education about nutrition and lifestyle coaching that also encourages healing and overall wellness. “…Educating them [patients] so that they can make informed choices about nutrition or about lifestyle choices that may or may not serve them. We’re educating them about alternative choices,” they explain.
Along with the ability to prescribe medication, they also carry an extensive apothecary of medicine and supplements that patients can’t find in stores. It’s unique in that patients can leave the practice with quality products and what they need.
Gaia Family Medicine is a true family practice that sees patients of all ages – from newborn infants to older adults and they cover a wide range of conditions. Dr. Shaanta says she doesn’t shy away from the hard cases like when a patient has been to doctor after doctor and the patient still doesn't feel right. She looks for the root cause and then finds the key to unlock the body’s natural ability to heal.
They say they love the idea of working with some of the local, like-minded providers, such as chiropractors and dentists, who have similar alignments when it comes to medicine, and working with others in the community, such as the Chamblee Farmers Market, so residents have access to nutritious food and other healthy lifestyle options.
From help with understanding the confusion around hormone replacement therapy to weight issues, and more, Lynda says Gaia is not your cookie-cutter practice. She adds they’re also mindful of budgets. “We don’t take insurance,” Lynda says. “We are a ‘fee for service’ practice.” She says they can generate a super bill or invoice that patients can submit to their own insurance companies that some companies will cover and some won’t.
Dr. Shaanta is a native to the Atlanta area, and when it came to finding a space, she knew the area. “I like that it's up and coming and has a lot to offer,” she said, talking about the city of Chamblee. “I like that it’s diverse and I love that there are young people who are really interested in their health.” They found just the right spot that's centrally located for those in town and others driving longer distances.
After being open for months the two have a vision of what they would like to see Gaia Family Medicine become. “I think we both really love the idea of being that hometown family practice where we’re taking care of the community, and I think that’s where our biggest focus is right now in terms of building a financially viable business,” says Lynda. “A business where we can practice what we love and still have that hometown, small town family practice that focuses on natural medicine.”
Gaia holds a Wednesday Night Wellness series, where the public is invited to visit the practice to hear an educational talk given by Dr. Shaanta on specific health topics. To learn more, visit gaiafamilymedicine.com.
I think we both really love the idea of being that hometown family practice...