What Made Me Choose Naturopathic Medicine?

I decided to pursue medicine during my undergraduate studies as my interest in learning about health grew. Over the years, three of my grandparents passed away because of misdiagnoses due to inadequate care. These incidences had a significant impact on my life. As a result, I decided to empower myself and further my education with the goal of becoming a doctor. I wrote the required exams and submitted my application for medical school; however, when a close friend enlightened me on the field of naturopathic medicine, the game changed.

Treating the whole person, rather than simply treating individual symptoms just made more sense to me. I also chose naturopathic medicine because I resonated with the spectrum of care used to treat patients. This spectrum begins with prevention of disease (most importantly), followed by using the most natural and least invasive methods for less intense conditions, and lastly, intense treatment for more threatening situations. In addition, being of Indian decent and having emigrated from East Africa, I grew up using many medicinal herbs not knowing their true value or their mechanism of action in the body. I was intrigued to learn more about medicinal plants and understand the use of traditional medicines – naturopathic medicine was the perfect avenue.