Dr. Nicole Sundene, NMD has worked in Primary Care and Women's Health for the past 20 years. She currently works as a Naturopathic Medical Doctor at Scottsdale Naturopathic Primary Care located in The Promenade Scottdale shopping center.
For the past 12 years she has worked as a Naturopathic Doctor in Women's Health, Bioidentical Hormones, Herbal Medicine, Nutritional Counseling. Dr. Sundene's integrated approach to medicine comes from her experience assisting many MD's in Family Medicine, ENT, Dermatology, Urology, Gastroenterology, Urgent Care, Urology and Women's Health from 1999-2007. Prior to that she worked for GNC health food store while going to school for a degree in Nutritional Biochemistry at Western Washington University.
Dr. Sundene practices an integrated style of both natural and prescription based Family Medicine as a result of her diverse experience. Her area of expertise involves the combination of herbs, nutrition and bioidentical hormones for balancing hormones in Women's Health conditions especially perimenopause, PMS, hypothyroidism and menopause. She also enjoys treating chronic skin complaints and digestive disorders. She enjoys mixing specialty teas and tinctures for patients that also have a passion for always using herbal medicine before medications.
Naturopathic Medical Doctors are licensed in Arizona to provide services similar to Family Doctors and Osteopathic Doctors. Naturopathic Doctors trained in Integrated Family medicine make ideal Primary Care Physicians as their goal is to always prescribe medications judiciously and only use prescription medications when diet and natural medicine alone is not realistic, and also while the doctor and patient are actively working to address the cause of disease. The doctor will then taper the patient off prescription medications when they are no longer necessary.
Dr. Sundene takes pride in always looking for the root cause of disease and restoring health so that her patients end up on the least amount of prescription drugs possible. Her mission is to provide a safe, private, personable, compassionate and educational environment for all patients challenged by chronic disease conditions.
As a classic Bastyr trained Naturopathic Physician, Dr. Sundene will perform a comprehensive new patient history, review of systems, physical exam and laboratory evaluation in order to develop a customized protocol for each family member. Dr. Sundene enjoys taking time to get to know each patient individually and is passionate about teaching patients prevention through healthy diet and lifestyle. She attained her medical degree from the #1 ranked medical school in the world for Naturopathic Medicine, Bastyr University. Dr. Jane Guiltinan, Bastyr Dean of Students, rated her as "One of the Top Ten Students of the 2007 Graduating Class." She completed a two year internship in Naturopathic Gynecology and Urology and enjoys helping women with related complaints due to the efficacy of natural treatments for these conditions. She trained directly with Bastyr University's top Gynecology instructors and Master Herbalists specializing in Women's Health.
In addition to her medical school training, she spent eight years working at an award winning hospital. Dr. Sundene is proud to have had the opportunity to train directly with the many talented Family Physicians, Internists and Pediatricians she assisted. She combines this experience to offer her patients the most comprehensive treatment options from both conventional and holistic perspectives. She has vast experience safely combing natural medicines with prescription drugs as well as tapering patients off medications gradually when they prefer to use only natural medicines or can no longer tolerate prescription drugs.
Dr. Sundene is committed to practicing science based natural medicine and continuously is researching medical literature and applying her findings to naturopathic healing philosophies. She takes a practical and conservative approach to medicine and works diligently to keep her patients on the least amount of prescription medications possible. Dr. Sundene believes the safest approach to hormone replacement therapy is to use the least amount of bioidentical hormones needed to control symptoms while addressing the underlying causes of hormonal imbalance with herbs and nutrition to improve the patient's quality and quantity of life.
Dr. Sundene especially enjoys the research involved in treating complex cases and providing chronic disease management with natural therapeutics. She is a professional member of the the Arizona Naturopathic Medical Association and the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians frequently attending their continuing education programs as well as seminars on gynecology and hormone replacement therapy.
Endocrine Disorders, Diabetes, Hypothyroidism, Adrenal Fatigue, Weight Management, Colds & Flu, Gastrointestinal Disorders such as IBS, Diarrhea, Constipation, Diverticulitis, Hemorrhoids, Food Allergies, Seasonal Allergies, Asthma, COPD, Geriatrics, Anemia, Immune Dysfunction, Eosinophilia, Aging and Memory Loss, Dementia, Alzheimers, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Lyme Disease, Arthritis, Autoimmune Conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis, RA, Lupus and Sjogren's, Stress Management, Mental Health Disorders such as Depression, Bipolar, Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Autism, Addiction, PTSD, OCD, and ADHD, Neurological Conditions such as Bell's Palsy, Balance Problems, Migraine Headaches, Tics, Vertigo, Restless Leg Syndrome, Sleep Disorders, Insomnia, High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol, TMJ, Dermatological Conditions such as Acne, Hair Loss, Eczema, Psoriasis, Seborrheic Dermatitis, Vitiligo, Urological Problems especially Chronic UTI, Overactive Bladder, Interstitial Cystitis Osteoporosis, Osteopenia, Infertility, Menstrual Irregularities, Menstrual Cramps, Yeast Infections, Hormonal Imbalance, PMS, Vaginal Dryness and symptoms of Menopause.