Bio: Niti is a health detective and trusted advisor who will help you and not just your symptoms. Her approach is mirrored in the practice’s name – Back2Basics – address the root cause and symptoms will disappear. Her mission is to create health and reverse disease by using both undo and redo buttons of functional medicine and functional nutrition. Since we are drowning in information, her goal is to not overload you but rather synthesize and give you practical strategies to attain exceptional outcomes. She will meet you where you are in your health and wellness spectrum and help you advance further. She believes that being healthy is not expensive, being healthy is priceless! Change your thought, change your life…
Tell us about what you have been up to since graduation? What are you doing now?
I graduated in the middle of the pandemic. Doors of fellow practitioners were shut tight leading me to start my own nutrition practice. Most roads have curves but that is what makes the journey interesting! I got an offer from a PT friend who moved to Dallas to start a wellness practice together and I jumped on that offer. Rest is history. Together we have built an integrative and functional practice creating health and wellness in the metroplex. In my Back2Basics Functional Nutrition practice, I provide the care that I saw missing in healthcare when my family and I needed it. I am on a mission to shift attention away from “disease management”—simply suppressing symptoms with drugs—to identifying and addressing the root cause of these conditions with nutrition, supplementation, and lifestyle change.
Where does your passion for functional medicine care stem from?
My passion for functional medicine stems from my family’s and my own personal health struggles! I wish I had found a root cause resolution practitioner who was affordable and could weave in nutrition when my health was going downhill. When traditional medicine failed while the root cause mitigation strategy helped me, I had a newfound passion = nutrition. I started my career as a physical therapist but came back to UWS after 15+ years to pursue my Master’s in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine instead of relying on Google university! Graduating from the best evidence-based program in the country, I am armed with the best tools to heal and create wellness.
What is your favorite memory from your time as a UWS student?
The deep dive into physiology, biochemistry and connecting the dots on the root cause of imbalances with Dr. Walsh, Dr. Hawrelak, Dr. Zwickey and Dr. Etcheverry are the most favorite memories from my time at UWS.
How did your time at UWS prepare you for your career and life?
Deciding to pursue my Master’s in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine is one of the best decision and hence transformational for my life and career. Learning from the best professors/practitioners from around the globe makes UWS students stand out in the crowd. My time at UWS and the evidence-based format of the program (even though I complained a whole lot when I was supposed to cite my research) has provided me with tools to heal and reverse chronic diseases which have reached pandemic levels. Knowing I am armed with all the right tools to heal, gives me confidence to practice and share wellness.
What was your favorite part about the online format of the program?
The online format of the program brings in a true 21st-century experience. My favorite part was the flexibility to learn on my own time when I am in the learning mindset with pre-recorded lectures and the ability to pause the lectures, soak in the wealth of information and take notes was a big plus. Also, the online learning environment has made it possible for UWS students to learn from the best instructors around the globe and not be restricted by their geographical location.
What is a piece of advice you’d offer to current UWS functional medicine students?
My advice to current UWS functional medicine students will be to not rush through the courses. Take your time and digest and absorb all the rich content we are offered at UWS. You are lucky to be learning from the best minds in the field of functional medicine.
What made you choose UWS over other schools?
While looking through the list of accredited programs on the certified nutrition specialist (CNS) website, the UWS’s Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine (HNFM) program immediately jumped out due to its unique program name. While doing more research and learning that HNFM is the only program with Institute of Functional Medicine (IFM) affiliation in the country I was convinced to pursue my masters at UWS. I loved how functional medicine was interwoven into the curriculum instead of just having one separate course in functional medicine.
What is your favorite way to relieve stress?
My favorite way to relieve stress is to dance it out with our traditional dance – Garba! I would like to share a Karma/Garba meme – “What goes around, comes around. That may not always be Karma. Sometimes it may be Garba!” Another favorite way of mine is Tapping/Emotional Freedom Technique.
