We recently connected with Ishani Patel and have shared our conversation below.
Ishani, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?
Growing up, I had my own health concerns and I saw my parents struggle with their own as well. At a young age, I knew that I wanted to help people feel better and be in the medical field. It wasn’t until my undergraduate program, when I realized that I had a passion for holistic health; specifically the value of determining the root cause of health concerns. I came across the field of naturopathic medicine and realized this field allowed me to do everything I always dreamed of since I was a young girl. I felt empowered using evidence based research to treat my own health concerns. From that moment, I knew that I wanted to help my future patients feel empowered as well. That was when I realized I wanted to establish my own practice as a Naturopathic Doctor. The first steps I took were reaching out to other NDs where I asked questions, learned from them, gained valuable information on starting a practice, and more. I was also connecting with other health care professionals, establishing referrals, creating my presence on social media, and networking; doing as much as I could to get awareness of what I do. Looking back, I wish I did networking earlier on, because I realized how important that was to build my practice. Any advice I would give is to believe in yourself. You know so much more than you know, and you are capable of so much in this world.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am a Naturopathic Doctor practicing in Toronto Ontario, and I have a clinical focus in women’s health, hormonal health, gut health, autoimmunity, and fibromyalgia. I got into this field through my own personal health experiences, and realizing my passion for holistic health. As part of my services as a Naturopathic Doctor, I provide a variety of treatment modalities such as lifestyle counseling, nutrition modifications, traditional chinese medicine, botanical medicine, homeopathy, hydrotherapy, counselling, massage, acupuncture, and chiropractic adjustments. I help my patients determine the root cause of their health concerns, prevent disease, promote the body’s ability to heal itself, and optimize their health long-term.
I am most proud of my hard work, dedication, and passion I put into my practice every day as a Naturopathic Doctor. I want my followers to know that I am a compassionate and empathetic health care provider who is dedicated to help her patients feel empowered over their health, help them find balance in your life, and help them achieve their health goals through a personalized and realistic approach that works the best for them.
Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?
From my clinical experience, I believe the key thing to help you succeed as a Naturopathic Doctor is showing people in the community what you value and what your mission is. When I decided on my core values and mission as a Naturopathic Doctor, I was seeing my ideal patient population in my clinics, I was treating the health concerns I was passionate about, and my patients got to see my authentic self. I felt true to who I was and who I wanted to become, which all helped me scale my practice.
Have you ever had to pivot?
In my undergraduate program, I was all set on physiotherapy, but unfortunately I didn’t get into any physiotherapy schools. Through that process, I realized that it wasn’t specifically physiotherapy that I was passionate about, but it was what it stood for which was holistic medicine. Then I started to research and found that there are many health care fields that value this concept, and when I came across naturopathic medicine, I knew that it was the right fit for me. Even though this moment of my life was life changing, it helped me realize my true passion and allowed me to become the health care practionner I always dreamed of becoming.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://drishanipatelnd.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drishanipatel.nd/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ishani.patel.7161/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-ishani-patel-nd-708a38211/
