Dr Richard Firshein: My Guru

Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR

Dr Richard Firshein, DO, is a renowned New York-based board-certified family physician, clinician, researcher, writer-editor, publisher, teacher, educator, in integrative/mind-body/nutritional medicine, as also anti-aging and precision-based medicine. He’s a gifted wordsmith too. He writes on health, wellness and specialised medical subjects, for the lay and specialist reader, with a dainty flourish, as also simplicity, precision, and clarity.

I first got to know Dr Firshein, in 1998, when I read his much-acclaimed book, Reversing Asthma — rated as one among the ‘Best 100 Books of the Last Century.’ I was immediately drawn to his ideas.

I was so impressed that I sent him an E-mail, suggesting that I’d be delighted in doing a story on his ‘hands-on’ asthma treatment plan — as outlined in the book.

I received a swift, positive response from Mary Angela Lauricella, his secretary, and now a good friend. I sent them a handful of questions. Dr Firshein responded promptly. My story appeared in ‘Sunday Review’ of The Times of India.

It did not take long for me, thereafter, to establish a regular channel of communication with him. As luck would have it, I happened to be one of the first writers that received a review copy of his yet another landmark work, The Nutraceutical Revolution [2000]. I reviewed the book — and, I also wrote an in-depth article on his classy work on reversing asthma in a medical journal I edited at that point in time.

I admire Dr Firshein’s astounding range of work, and also his writings. He is, doubtless, my guru in integrative/mind-body/nutritional medicine.

I admire him too for his amazing erudition and humility. He has always been gracious, allowing me to using his writings in every magazine, or website, that I’ve edited and published — including ThinkWellness360 — with a generous riposte, “It’s fine, please go ahead.”

Dr Firshein was enormously kind to offer me the publishing rights for the India edition of The Nutraceutical Revolution, in its fully updated, expanded edition — The Vitamin Prescription [For Life].

I was enormously delighted — but, after giving it my best shot, I felt it was much, much better to bringing out the book, under a good, full-fledged imprint. It happened. The book was published, for the Indian and South-East Asian markets, a few years ago. It was, without question, a dream-come-true for me.

To cut a long story short — this was the least that I’d do for Dr Firshein, my guru and much-respected friend.

Dr RAJGOPAL NIDAMBOOR, PhD, is a wellness physician-writer-editor, independent researcher, critic, columnist, author and publisher. His published work includes hundreds of newspaper, magazine, web articles, essays, meditations, columns, and critiques on a host of subjects, eight books on natural health, two coffee table tomes and an encyclopaedic treatise on Indian philosophy. He is Chief Wellness Officer, Docco360 — a mobile health application/platform connecting patients with Ayurveda, homeopathic and Unani physicians, and nutrition therapists, among others, from the comfort of their home — and, Editor-in-Chief, ThinkWellness360.