by Dr Sunil J. Wimalawansa, MD, PhD, MBA, DSc.Professor of Medicine, Endocrinology, & Human Nutrition (a failed system designed to benefit Big Pharma, not the public). From Regulation to Restoration: Reforming Food and Nutraceuticals for Public Health Post Categories: Diet and Nutrition | Environmental Health | Healthy Aging Practices | Nutrition and Lifestyle | Perspectives  […]

Dr. Sunil J. Wimalawansa (Professor of Medicine, Endocrinology, & Human Nutrition) Summary:This is the story of a nation that traded its strategic resources and large potential for global prosperity for a misguided, large-scale relocation and small-scale agrarian fantasy. Political greed led to rural colonization, environmental ruin, and the rise of predatory cartels. Fragmented land, debt […]

by Sunil Wimalawansa, Professor of Medicine Colombo, June 24th 2025 — A prominent civil rights lawyer and public interest litigation activist, Nagananda Kodituwakku, has called upon the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to intervene in what he describes as a deeply flawed and politically motivated” Supreme Court rulings that permanently disbarred him from practicing […]

Prof. Sunil Wimalawansa The United States (USA) currently faces one of its most critical challenges: the unchecked influx of undocumented individuals across its northern and southern borders. Over the past few years, an estimated 31 million undocumented people have entered the country, a figure significantly higher than the official “catch and release” numbers reported by […]

Prof. Sunil Wimalawansa Water has always been the cornerstone of human survival and agricultural development. In ancient Ceylon—modern-day Sri Lanka, once known as Hela—visionary engineers and kings created one of the world’s most advanced irrigation networks. This remarkable hydraulic civilization demonstrated profound foresight, engineering skill, and ecological harmony, establishing a sustainable system that supported thriving […]

Sunil J. Wimalawansa(Professor of Medicine) A nation thrives when it preserves its traditional values, cultural heritage, language, and fundamental beliefs. Nations fail whether these lacks. The mentioned elements form the foundation of national unity, sovereignty, spiritual strength, and cultural identity. For Sri Lanka, with its ~2,500-year-old Buddhist heritage, protecting this legacy is a matter of […]

by Professor Sunil Wimalawansa, MD, PhD, MBA, DSc. Professor of Medicine The fundamental difference between males and females is that males typically have XY chromosomes. In contrast, females have XX chromosomes, which are biologically different and specifically identifiable. The X and Y chromosomes determine womanliness (femineity) and manhood (masculinity). Atypical chromosomal abnormalities like 47-XXY (Klinefelter […]

by Prof Sunil J. Wimalawansa Eliminating corruption, re-establishing judicial independence, curtailing wastage and unnecessary imports, and embracing technology are key priorities for the new National People’s Power (NPP) government in Sri Lanka. Now is the time for the NPP leadership to deliver on their promises, ensuring that appointments to government positions, such as chairmanships, are […]

by Prof Sunil J. Wimalawansa Eliminating corruption, re-establishing judicial independence, curtailing wastage and unnecessary imports, and embracing technology are key priorities for the new National People’s Power (NPP) government in Sri Lanka. Now is the time for the NPP leadership to deliver on their promises, ensuring that appointments to government positions, such as chairmanships, are […]

by Prof Sunil J. Wimalawansa Eliminating corruption, re-establishing judicial independence, curtailing wastage and unnecessary imports, and embracing technology are key priorities for the new National People’s Power (NPP) government in Sri Lanka. Now is the time for the NPP leadership to deliver on their promises, ensuring that appointments to government positions, such as chairmanships, are […]

by Prof Sunil J. Wimalawansa Considering what has happened over the past few decades, it is no surprise that people do not want to see disruptive politicians who once governed the country returning to power. This sentiment is reflected in the over 4.7 million voters (out of 6.9 million) who previously voted for the former […]

By Prof. Sunil J. Wimalawansa Despite massive failures over the past 76 years, many middle-class Sri Lankans—the majority in Sri Lanka- still believe that only family-driven, self-claimed, high-class politicians can run the country. Clans, which have controlled the country for the past four decades, have failed to uplift society and its people socially, morally, and […]

Professor Sunil J. Wimalawansa Sri Lanka is at a critical junction in moving into the right recovery path or going down further to compete with other sunken countries. During economic crises, hunger becomes more prevalent, driven by the inability to afford basic needs like food due to unemployment, lack of savings, and limited resources like […]

by Prof. Sunil Wimalawansa, MD, PhD, MBA, DSc., Prof of Medicine The current political landscape in Sri Lanka is fraught with issues that render the existing politicians unsuitable for the presidency. How can people trust members of parliament who become politicians purely to make money, sell their duty-free car permits, and abuse power? Honesty, integrity, […]

by Dr. Sunil Wimalawansa, MD, PhD, MBA, DSc., Prof of Medicine With misplaced priorities, the caretaker government continues to make significant financial and policy errors that harm the country. It engages in untransparent secret deals and takes deliberately destructive and risky actions. With such a pitiful history and flawed policies designed to benefit themselves and […]

Dr.C.S. Weeraratna Dr. Sunil Wimalawansa The Eugene T. Davidson, Public Service Award, named after a founder and former president of American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) has been awarded to  Dr. Sunil J. Wimalawansa, MBBS, MD, PhD, MBA, DSc, who is a Professor of medicine and the former chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism […]

Professor Sunil J. Wimalawansa Here are some Island articles that might interest you and your professional colleagues.  Please feel free to forward them and comment on the journal website at the end of the article for the benefit of other readers. An article related to CKDu (CKD-CTN) submitted to the Island in July 2023 was published only […]

by Drs. Sunil J. Wimalawansa (Prof. of Medicine)and Chandra B. Dissanayake (Prof. of Geology) Since identifying chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) in Sri Lanka in the mid-1990s, little progress has been made in aetiology and prevention. Despite the numerous hypotheses and conjectures—with more than 35—none have been thoroughly studied or substantiated as the […]

Prof. Sunil Wimalawansa  Part Five: Vitamin D safety and adverse effects—When should caution be advised?   In hypovitaminosis D, maximum benefit occurs over a steep dose response. Beyond that, no matter the high doses, additional benefits won’t exist. This principle is crucial for designing Clinical Studies and RCTs and Practice (DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11061542)  It provides original links to […]

Professor Sunil J. Wimalawansa Eradication of CKDu (CKD-CTN) is straightforward and costs less than 10% of what the health department spends annually to manage CKDu!  Yet new patents and deaths are continuing.    Authorities have hardly any interest in preventing CKDu, partly due to those affected having little voice and thus being ignored by politicians.  Besides, there […]

by Professor Sunil J.  Wimalawansa Types of leadership Sri Lanka needs? To advance the country, Sri Lanka needs a new generation of younger, educated, patriotic and self-sacrificing, honest, and intellectually mature people in leadership positions who understand the economy and how the country could develop sustainably.  An energetic, open-minded, honest, broadly educated, younger generation must […]

by Professor Sunil J.  Wimalawansa Tariff and taxation Most of the Sri Lankan government’s revenue is derived from customs duties and Value-Added-Taxes (VAT).  This contrasts with most other countries where customs act as a border protection force to prevent the smuggling of counter-banned, incoming illegal items such as narcotics and to prevent dumping from protecting […]

by Professor Sunil J.  Wimalawansa Consequences of IMF loans: Under IMF-imposed policies, Sri Lanka has witnessed the dramatic deterioration of many local industries.  Sri Lanka had sold off its profitable public sector enterprises such as the Tire Corporation, Sugar Corporation, Milk-food Corporation, Air Lanka (which used to be Sri Lanka’s national airline), Ceylon Transport Board, […]

by Professor Sunil J.  Wimalawansa Would taking excessive (unnecessary) loans by Sri Lanka lead to bankruptcy? In 2002, Sri Lanka paid more than US $320 million as import duties to affluent countries.  While some European countries exported three to five times more than Sri Lanka, Norway paid only $125 million, and Switzerland paid $245 million […]

by Professor Sunil J.  Wimalawansa Pre-requisites for economic development and the need for a new constitution The stagnation of the Sri Lankan economy since gaining independence from the British is striking.  This is due to selfish politicians lacking: a vision for the country, forward-looking policies, and long-term national development plans (e.g., for clean water).  The […]

by Professor Sunil J.  Wimalawansa Properly trained labour force with skills, ethics, and attracting FDIC The skilled labour force in Sri Lanka is either stagnant or decreasing with exiting to other countries.  Most could speak and/or understand English, and fewer speak other foreign languages.  Hence, besides vastly expanding skills training centres—universities as described above, the […]

by Professor Sunil J.  Wimalawansa Preamble: This article was published in June 2006 as a three-part series in the Sunday Financial Times (Part 1: https://www.sundaytimes.lk/060618/ft/2.1.html).  There were several requests to republish this article in full. Since the entire piece was not published then, the author is grateful to the editor of Lanka Web for the […]

Professor Sunil J. Wimalawansa Over-confidence and reliance on out of date information, lack of familiarity with recent rapidly changing medical and scientific advances, and ‘close-mind set’ is likely to lead to inadvertently making false comments and unfair criticisms.  There are over 350 published, recent peer-reviewed clinical scientific papers on being significant benefits of vitamin D and […]

Dr. Sunil J. Wimalawansa Prof. Medicine, Endocrinology, & Nutrition While vaccines are a temporary solution, there is no possibility of generating herd immunity through vaccines to eradicate the pandemic.  The current delta mutants, highly infectious, might direct the nations in that direction as nearly achieving in India, certain parts of the USA, and Sri Lanks […]

By Professor Sunil J. Wimalawansa, MD, Ph.D., MBA, DSc. Prof. Sunil J. Wimalawansa The official reports on the prevalence and the number of deaths related to COVID-19 in tropical countries including Sri Lanka (excluding India) have been surprisingly low compared to most temperate countries. Let us explore some of the critical reasons for this significant discrepancy.   Why was […]