About

I earned my Naturopathic Medical Degree from Bastyr University California, a pioneer in science-based natural medicine and my Bachelors of Science degree in Bioengineering from University of California San Diego, a top leader of this young engineering discipline.

I’ve been on a pursuit of understanding and optimizing human performance (physically, emotionally and cognitively) for many years.  In doing that, I’ve understood the importance of applying a systematic approach to solving problems.  I have continued my education and work with the *HeartMath Institute, *The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM), as well as the *International Association of Functional Neurology and Rehabilitation (IAFNR) — to better implement systems that can allow me to connect the dots when working on patients’ cases.

I help my patients experience true well-being — true well-being is more than just absence of disease.  I teach them how powerful simple things that they do on a daily basis can be in healing, preventing disease and increasing longevity.

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Location

West LA Los Angeles CA 90401, USA

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A bit about my story...

I grew up in a loving home where my father cultivated in me a deep passion for learning, and my mother taught me by example that softness is a measure of strength.  I loved music and dance.  I started figure-skating when I was eight, and competed regionally and internationally for several years.  I also loved painting and reading science fiction, and lost myself in them for hours at a time.  I was attracted to math, physics and sciences in general, and found excitement in the analytical and investigative processes.  I was also a keen observer of human relations, and wanted to understand what motivated us.  In short, I was hungry for knowledge and moved by imagination.

My first degree was in bioengineering.  After graduating, I worked for 3 years in California in one of the biggest global pharmaceutical and medical-device corporations, Abbott Laboratories.  Although I loved the collaborative problem-solving spirit and the technical aspects of engineering, I was not satisfied and realized I needed to make a change.  I wanted to do things that required deeper engagement from me.  I wanted to feel fully alive.

I’ll never forget the talk I went to, at this time, by Dr. Vandana Shiva.  Her words got imprinted on me, “The big picture; … people forget about the big picture, and to live for a worthy cause.”

I joined Engineers Without Borders, and went to Southeast India to work on developing a potable water supply at a tsunami-impacted village.  This trip was a crash course in life.  It helped me draw a line between what truly mattered and the superficial concerns.  When I returned, I resigned from my position, turning down the company’s additional incentives to stay.  Although this was during the time that’s now known as the Great Recession, I believe that it was the best decision for me.

I wanted to have new experiences and discover new directions.  I went on a mountaineering trip to the northeast Himalayas in Nepal.  The trip was full of adventures, and, most importantly, it helped me detox mentally and gain clarity, by giving me the space to reflect and do a fair review of my life up to that point.  I discovered that there was – there is – much more to this world than the view from the corporate office window.  I had my camera and journal with me in India and Nepal.  Documenting my daily encounters with the people and environments sparked a love affair with storytelling and an attraction to journalism.

With no prior experience, I developed a portfolio and applied to a few top journalism schools in the country.  I got accepted by all of them, but, deep down, I felt I hadn’t yet arrived at what I was meant to do in my life.  So, I deferred enrollment, and immersed myself in learning about the different facets of human performance; physical, mental and emotional.  And, through a sequence of events, I discovered Naturopathic Medicine.  I knew I had come across something important that I needed to pay attention to.  I could feel the excitement in my body – the excitement that gets my heart beating faster and ignites the fire in my belly.

Initially, I wanted to improve my health, but what I learned and applied absolutely changed my life.  I was also sensing a strong desire to share what I was learning with others.  I have always loved breaking seemingly complex and intimidating concepts down, simplifying them in a way that is understandable and sharing them.

I absolutely love practicing this medicine because with every patient I get to hear a life-story, and I get to connect deeply with the person behind the story.  We get to teach each other, and I get to witness the power and effectiveness of this approach to restoring health.  I love practicing this medicine it draws on the strengths and skills that I have built throughout life: of being able to keep the big picture in mind without losing sight of the important details, of being fully present with people and truly hearing them, of establishing trust with them, of being able to integrate different facets of their story and to solve problems through identifying the underlying cause.  During my time as an engineering student, my aunt was living with oral cancer.  On one of the nights I was spending with her she told me, “If you ever decide to go into medicine, you’ll be like an angel for people.”  Almost a decade later, I embarked on the journey that brought me to this point.

I thank you deeply for taking the time to learn about my story and I look forward to learning about yours.