Gaining the confidence to pursue the goals that filled my heart with joy has been a long journey. Raised to prioritize the needs of others, I attended and graduated medical school mostly at the behest of my parents. I then completed 4 years of advanced medical residency training in ophthalmology because – well – that’s what was expected, not because I was necessarily passionate about being an ophthalmologist. Don’t get me wrong. Overall, I am grateful for the experience. I learned a lot and made many friends along the way.
However, when I actually opened my medical practice, I realized that something was missing.

Western (allopathic) medicine is an evidence-based system that mainly uses a reductionist approach. This means that it seeks to simplify health events and processes by looking at their smallest elements, thus reducing something complex into its most simple form.

Western medicine jumps into action primarily at times of crisis, when people are sick or injured. And this is needed. However, I was frustrated seeing the same problems and conditions in my office week after week, month after month. I wanted to focus more on things that would prevent health problems from occurring in the first place. I wanted to use a more holistic approach to practicing medicine.