Sign In

Eric Fishman, MD

Founder and CEO of MONQ, Aromatherapy Anywhere

Eric Fishman, MD is a multifaceted professional with a diverse background in medicine, entrepreneurship, and wellness. He is the Founder and CEO of MONQ Therapeutic Air, a company he established in August 2014 in the Greater Nashville Area, Tennessee.1

Professional Background

Dr. Fishman's career spans several decades and includes:

Medical Practice::

  • He is a holistic physician and orthopedic surgeon.
  • Founder and President of Gold Coast Orthopedics from 1988 to 2010, leading a 12-physician group in South Florida.1
  • Specialized in hand and wrist surgery, treating over 50,000 patients.1

Entrepreneurship::

  • Founded MONQ, which produces aromatherapy devices and products.1
  • President and CEO of EHR Scope, LLC since 2004, a company that recommends efficient software applications to medical practices.1
  • Founded several other ventures, including The Eloquent Physician & The Eloquent Orthopedist, Physical Therapy Associates, and Aroostook Orthopedics.2

Wellness and Alternative Medicine::

  • Certified yoga instructor, having completed 200 hours of training at Kula Yoga Shala in Jupiter, Florida.1
  • Developed MONQ Aromatherapy Anywhere®, offering various aromatherapy blends and experiences.2

Education

  • MD from Albert Einstein College of Medicine (1975-1978).1
  • BS in Biology from State University of New York at Stony Brook.1
  • Completed Orthopedic Surgery residency at the University of Arizona, College of Medicine.1

MONQ

As the founder of MONQ, Dr. Fishman combined his medical expertise with his interest in aromatherapy. MONQ offers personal aromatherapy diffusers, Roll-On essential oil blends, and Therapeutic Fragrance® bottled blends.2 The company has sold over 1,000,000 products worldwide.1

Dr. Fishman's vision for MONQ was to create a portable, simplified aromatherapy experience to help people manage stress and feel better.3 He emphasizes the proper use of MONQ products, recommending users experience the blends through a retro-nasal breath rather than inhaling directly into the lungs.3

Highlights

Feb 6 · linkedin

Pharmaceutical Companies and the Burgeoning Aromatherapy Industry Part I

Pharmaceutical companies, like tobacco companies, provide various products to billions of people around the world.

It is understood that the aim of all pharmaceutical companies is to improve the health of the populations they serve, while many of the tobacco companies consider themselves to be “pleasure” companies. What if, just maybe, pharmaceutical companies could continue to improve the health of the populations they serve and become pleasure companies simultaneously?

We all understand that there is a huge movement worldwide right now to migrating away from treating dis-ease, and towards maintaining wellness.

As that growing trend unfolds, it seems reasonable to believe that there will be increasing resistance, at least from many patients, and thus increasingly from many physicians, to trying to improve the population’s health with drugs, rather than maintaining the population’s wellness with a wider variety of non-pharmaceutical methods.

A recent article in the New York Times addressing “Medical Meditation” and “Clinical Yoga” states that “more than one-third of American adults now supplement or substitute mainstream medical care with treatments long considered alternative.”

In my humble opinion, it will be exceedingly difficult for pharmaceutical companies to monetize yoga, guided imagery, meditation or massage therapy, all alternative therapies that are growing extraordinarily rapidly, yet are not saleable physical products.

Aromatherapy, however, is a different story.

Pharmaceutical companies have spent, and earned, billions of dollars extracting and marketing the “essence” of various chemicals, various compounds, various plant extracts, and turning them into very powerful, and in fact life-saving pharmaceuticals, aka drugs.

However, enter 2024, and the sea change mentioned above is in full swing in the mindset of many adults. And, while there is no doubt that the pharmaceutical industry is alive and well, continuing to keep the populations it serves alive and well, there are some concerning signs. For instance a recent NIH article showed that “37% of Americans chose not to fill a prescription because of cost.”

However, financial non-compliance is not an issue with alternative therapies, which cost a fraction as much. Aromatherapy formulations are included in those treatments that are exceedingly inexpensive in comparison.

Continued in Part II Below...

Feb 6 · linkedin

Pharmaceutical Companies and the Burgeoning Aromatherapy Industry Part II (Please see Part I, Immediately Above)

Of course we need to acknowledge some structural hurdles, including the fact that aromatherapeutic products tend to have dozens of compounds in each one. These dozens of different terpenes clearly lead to a barrier to straightforward research, particularly when compared to classical pharmaceuticals, where thoroughly analyzing one chemical may be sufficient.

However, working through this dilemma will be so immensely valuable that once efforts are aimed at this research it may dissolve as quickly as many of the current pharmaceutical formulations once ingested.

Enter MONQ. Now Breathable Aromatherapy.  Soon a Breathable Pharmaceutical?

I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce MONQ, an aromatherapy company I founded 10 years ago.  It does not produce drugs.  It’s products do not evaluate or treat any medical conditions, nor are they intended to do so.

However, I believe that MONQ has aided in the wellness of hundreds of thousands of our consumers, and I learn of new instances of life changing examples on a daily basis.

Imagine what the backing of a pharmaceutical company, both with their expertise, and their funding, could do to the aromatherapy industry, and how much more wellness there would be.

This could be a lucrative game changer for the pharmaceutical industry and it seems we are already heading in that direction.  Stay tuned for more on this topic in the coming days.

Related Questions

What inspired Eric Fishman to transition from orthopedic surgery to aromatherapy?
How did Eric Fishman's experience as a yoga teacher influence his approach to MONQ?
What are some of the most popular MONQ products and their benefits?
How does MONQ ensure the quality and safety of its essential oil blends?
What challenges did Eric Fishman face when founding MONQ?
Eric Fishman, MD
Eric Fishman, MD, photo 1
Eric Fishman, MD, photo 2
Add to my network

Experience

Founder and CEO at MONQ
President and CEO at EHR Scope, LLC; Yoga Teacher; Founder and President at Gold Coast Orthopedics

Education

MD in Medicine from Albert Einstein College of Medicine; BS in Biology from State University of New York at Stony Brook; ORS in Orthopedic Surgery from University of Arizona, College of Medicine

Location

Nashville, Tennessee, United States