Ultimately, you have to let passion drive you.
Q & A With Dr Romi Fung, Naturopathic Doctor
What services do you offer?
I am Dr. Romi Fung, ND, M.Sc, Ph.D (cand.) and I practice as a Naturopathic Doctor (ND) in Richmond, BC, Canada. I have been practicing for just over three and a half years. I will be celebrating four years in practice come July 2022.
What inspired you to become a Naturopathic Doctor, and what purpose did you intend to serve in practice?
As an ND, I offer my clinical expertise in identifying the root cause of my patient's chief concerns. I educate my patients in understanding what these symptoms mean and why they happen and empower them in optimizing their health through means of nutrition, lifestyle changes, and naturopathic interventions.
Many common complaints that my patients seek my expertise for include digestive issues, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), gas and bloating, acid reflux and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), mental health concerns such as anxiety, mood and depression, cardiovascular concerns such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, prevention of heart attack and stroke, and even general conditions such as fatigue and insomnia.
On top of what I commonly see in practice, I have a special focus on cognitive health and dementia. I help support patients in optimizing their brain health, assessing cognition and mitigating cognitive decline by optimizing pathways that support the brain. Several biochemical pathways need to be considered when focusing on brain optimization and many contributing factors that directly and indirectly affect brain health, including blood sugar and insulin dysregulation, hormones, inflammation, trauma, detoxification, and proper vascular flow.
A growing number of patients are taking proactive initiatives in dementia prevention. I assess their biochemical pathways through simple blood tests, ensuring common factors, such as cardiovascular health, respiratory health, and inflammation, are optimized. I also perform objective cognitive tests and am certified in administering the Montreal Cognitive Assessment testing for assessing cognitive function and affected domains.
Which milestones have marked meeting benchmarks towards the fulfillment of your personal goals/ the company's vision and goals?
From a personal stance, I feel it is immensely gratifying when I have a patient doing better after some time in treatment. I have witnessed their improvements, and I feel privileged and honoured to be supporting my patients in their health. As I continue working with my patients, it becomes a testament to myself that this is my calling, passion, and vision.
There have been recognitions that remind me of how much of a difference I have made to the community, particularly with my efforts to share my message. I have been recognized as the First Place Best Naturopath in the City of Richmond by the Richmond News Best of Richmond Readers' Choice Awards for 2020 and 2021.
I have also been recognized as providing the Top 3 Naturopathic Clinics by Three Best Rated by their vigorous 50-point inspection for 3 years from 2020-2022 and Top Naturopathic Service recognized by Quality Business Awards for 2021. I was also nominated for the Business Excellence Awards under the Richmond Chamber of Commerce in 2021 and was selected as a Top 3 Finalist for Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
I have been highly sought out to do several health seminars, workshops and webinars to public libraries, community centres, seniors centres, senior residences, city hall, local health food stores, organizations such as CHIMO, S.U.C.C.E.S.S., Canadian Association of Retired Persons, and the Canadian Association for Resources in Education & Impact in Self Care. I am always honoured to share my knowledge and be able to touch the lives of so many people regarding their health and wellness.
Which steps have you taken for the company to achieve the level of consumer trust that has been nationally recognized?
I provide my patients with the utmost care, from thorough investigations to empowerment and education. A significant part of my work is getting the patients to understand what is happening. By better understanding what's happening in their bodies, patients will become more motivated and make better habits and choices (and we all know about the power of habit!). Their successes lead to word-of-mouth, the most significant factor in any business or practice.
I have also established myself as an expert in naturopathic medicine and dementia. I have done several webinars for naturopathic doctors and aspiring naturopathic doctors and students, including dementia and naturopathic approaches.
I have also done several in-person and virtual lectures and presentations through local libraries, community centres, and organizations across British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario. These have been very engaging, and I love teaching people how to optimize our brain health through simple means, as long as we understand how to address contributing factors with their health practitioners.
What part of your education or other experiences do you feel was the most helpful in preparing you for success?
To perform the quality care and guidance for my patients, I must also be well-informed with the latest knowledge. I have had the opportunity to learn from many influential doctors and access webinars, lectures and programs. I thrive on learning and am even currently pursuing a Ph.D. Ultimately, I wanted to find something that I could not stop reading, studying or learning about. That is the most significant indicator of my passion, which reflects the extent of my success.
Which strategies have you found the most effective in growing your audience/ bringing awareness of your service to a larger consumer group?
I have found and enjoyed doing live talks and presentations that have contributed to my growth in my practice. I want the audience to know who I am; I want my audience to hear and listen to me rather than read a written introduction of myself. I want my audience to understand my approach; if they resonate with me as a clinician, patient compliance can go very far.
At this time, I am building my social media to deliver my message. I have a YouTube channel where I have recorded my live talks and uploaded them for everyone to see. I also have an Instagram page that I am building with stories and, eventually, video posts cross-linked to YouTube.
It is a humbling experience, as I am not the most active on social media. It is a work in progress, and we all have to start somewhere!
I have also written many articles and publications sharing my research and expertise in the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors Journal, Chiropractic + Naturopathic Doctors magazines, and Naturopathic Doctor News and Review. I will continue to write more articles on dementia, cognition, health and wellness, and health in general.
Which partnerships, if any, have been the most constructive in bringing your goals closer to becoming a reality?
Collaboration with health care practitioners and community leaders who resonate with me has strengthened the delivery of my message. I have made connections with local organizations such as public libraries, community centres, seniors centres, and health food stores; these connections allow for proper referrals between the services and programs amongst us and better inform our audiences regarding wellness and cognitive health. I also have strong relationships with colleagues in Richmond and Vancouver, to whom I know I would refer prospective patients, as they would, in return, to me.
Are there any challenges that made it difficult to continue operation and that you managed to overcome? What was your approach to get past these?
As an ND and entrepreneur, the most challenging piece is putting on the many hats. Not only am I working on developing my brand, practice and visibility, but I am also the one having to see the patients and work with them. One big challenge regarding this is setting boundaries. It is very easy to operate the business 24/7 without considering your limitations and boundaries, which takes you away from everything else.
Setting boundaries with time is most important. Although I love to learn in my free time, I refrain from doing any administrative work after hours. In the beginning, I always had notifications on for my emails and ensured my patients were getting a timely response. To address that, I have an auto message that will inform patients if they have a simple question, to wait for my reply within 48-72 hours. However, if that question requires more time to discuss, making a short 15-minute appointment would be better.
Another challenge involves the value of my service. I have encountered my fair share of prospective patients who are looking for discounted services or would complain that my fees are too high. This is the value I put on myself; my value is reflected in the education and training I have had to go through and the additional training and experiences.
Relating to the value of our service, another challenge is having my audience understand and know the training for NDs. A recent poll ran by the British Columbia's Naturopathic Doctors Association revealed that amongst the participants who did not consider seeing a naturopathic doctor, the majority of them answered their reason was that they were not familiar with the training of an ND. NDs have a minimum of 8 years of post-secondary training, and finding ways to educate the public could alleviate that challenge of being established as experts.
What are your future plans to build on your personal/ company achievements and fulfill your vision for success/ what developments can your audience or clientele look forward to expecting next?
My future plan involves finding my own practice location with my branding. I currently practice as a sole proprietor as I build my brand, practice and following, while completing my doctoral studies and fulfilling roles as an instructor at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine – Boucher Campus. In the next three years, I hope to establish my own practice and build it further by having an interprofessional team that can deliver effective care in a holistic model.
I hope to write a book on my research and naturopathic perspectives on dementia care. I also hope to develop a series of webinars and lectures in the form of a program that addresses optimizing cognitive health. There is not enough of this out there. We need more people to be inspired and engaged through resources that are accessible.
I am finishing my doctoral studies in Aging and Health at Queen's University, where my dissertation hopes to investigate the decision-making factors of prescribers in prescribing atypical antipsychotics for the management of behavioural symptoms of dementia. I am expected to complete my doctoral studies in 2024.
What advice would you like to give readers that hope to achieve success in your field?
Being an ND, let alone a health practitioner, and building a practice is not an easy feat. There are many hats to wear, from the clinician to the entrepreneur. I remember thinking that things would be great once I was done with naturopathic medical schooling (which was already challenging). However, things do not get any easier, especially in starting and building your own practice.
Although I have been practicing for just under four years, I have come to say that what got me this far was persistence and perseverance. A lot of what I've come to understand has been from failures and challenges, where normally, I would like to say that I would give up. I've had moments where I think, 'What if...' rather than, 'What did I learn?' from these challenging times. The more I developed my self-awareness of these thoughts, the more I was able to change the way I perceived my situation to include growth, opportunity and a flourishing mindset. Mindset is so important.
Ultimately, you have to let passion drive you.
Is there anything else you would like to share with Winner Magazine readers?
I am more than happy to offer a complimentary 15-minute Meet and Greet/Discovery session to Winner Magazine readers in BC interested in learning more about how I can help them and their health goals. Readers can find me at www.DrRomiFungND.com or search "Dr. Romi Fung, ND" on Google, Instagram or Facebook.
We thank Dr. Romi Fung for sharing these insights and experiences with Winner Magazine's readers, as well as for the generous Meet and Greet/Discovery offer. If you are looking for Naturopathic Medical Services in Richmond, BC, we would recommend reaching out to Dr. Romi Fung!