Member Spotlight

Dr. Nunez Schmidt has a Gastroenterology and Dermatology focused telemedicine practice in Puerto Rico.

What inspired you to become a Naturopathic Physician and why/how do you focus on Gastro?

A desire to understand the root cause of common chronic conditions led me to naturopathic medicine. During undergrad, I took classes on botanical medicine and nutrition that taught me how those were key tools in preventive medicine. Trying to learn more about naturopathic medicine, I did a summer of research at NUNM where we studied the antimicrobial properties of various herbs. During that summer we also had an introduction to naturopathic modalities and felt like I found a practice in healthcare that aligned with my principles. Learning about the digestive system and how its function is crucial to overall health, led me to focus my studies on Gastro. I get excited about learning more about the microbiome and its role on health, which is why my practice focuses on optimizing microbiome balance and digestive health for overall wellness and treating chronic skin conditions.

Describe your practice? (what GI diseases do you focus on and what modalities do you use)

I see patients via teleconsultations and, given my scope in PR, most patients come to see me already having a diagnosis and being worked up by a specialist.

I mostly treat functional GI issues. I have noticed I am the provider to see when patients have been fully worked up and “everything seems to be fine” but they still have symptoms, that's usually when I step into their care. I see a lot of  IBS, SIBO, pancreatic insufficiency, GERD, MCAS, and serve as adjunctive treatment for patients.

I do a lot of microbiome restoration and the modalities I use are lifestyle modification, nutrition and herbs.

How has GastroANP impacted your practice?

As a student, learning about gastroenterology with the wonderful Dr. Megan Taylor, I knew that I wanted to focus on GI conditions which led me to GastroANP. The association has impacted my practice, introducing me to leading experts in the field that opened the opportunity to all the mentorships, preceptorships and conferences I could attend to expand my knowledge on the topic. Learning from various mentors that I met in GastroANP has provided me with the knowledge, tools and enthusiasm to practice the medicine I do today. It has been essential to my formation as a doctor focused on GI conditions.

Where did you go to ND school?

Bastyr University- Kenmore, WA

What do you like to do outside of work?

Being creative in the kitchen, dancing, traveling and going to the beach.

Where do you practice and what is your practice site?

Puerto Rico: https://www.dranunezschmidt.com/

Dr. Nunez Schmidt, ND

 

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