Meet Dr. Sydney Schroeder | Naturopathic Doctor & Jazzercise Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Sydney Schroeder and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Sydney, why did you pursue a creative career?
Many may not correlate creativity with a career in medicine, but I have learned otherwise since starting my journey in Naturopathic and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). I knew I wanted to be a doctor since I was 16 years old, but I never knew that medicine could also be creative. I grew up around many creatives in my family – artists, photographers, makeup artists, singers, musicians, etc. I have always loved expressing my creative side with singing, dancing, drawing, and painting, but medicine is my passion. I am so thankful to have found Naturopathic medicine, because it combines my creative side with my passion for healing and optimizing health.

In Naturopathic medical school, we learn that while patients may have the same diagnoses, their presentation of the disease or syndrome varies. Every person has the same basic anatomy and physiology, but genetic expression, environmental and social factors, mental health, nutrition, and lifestyle all contribute to different presentations in patients. This is why Naturopathic doctors learn several modalities including lifestyle and nutrition, mind-body medicine, spinal manipulation, homeopathy, botanical medicine, TCM, acupuncture, hydrotherapy, IV therapy, minor surgery, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, etc. By learning all of these modalities, we get to tailor our treatments to our patients. For me, I love providing acupuncture, cupping, facial cupping, tui na massage, gua sha, botanical medicine, and nutrition/lifestyle recommendations.
Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share
a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am a licensed Naturopathic doctor and the owner and founder of LunaSol Naturopathic, PLLC. I am currently finishing my second doctorate in acupuncture, which is deepening my knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), acupuncture, and Chinese herbs. In my practice, I provide house calls in the Tempe, Arizona area and focus on the use of acupuncture, cupping, tui na, and facial cupping, as well as lifestyle, supplement, botanical medicine, and homeopathy recommendations in order to increase my patients’ quality of life and reduce chronic disease risk.

When I was starting my practice, the name naturally came to me as it integrates my fluency in Spanish with yin and yang, the foundational concept in TCM. “Luna” and “Sol” are the Spanish words for “moon” and “sun,” respectively. The moon and sun, like yin and yang, represent two separate phases, or dualities, that exist only as a result of the other. Optimal health occurs when the natural ebb and flow of yin and yang occur. My goal with LunaSol Naturopathic is to provide balancing treatments to resolve my patient’s symptoms by treating the root cause. While the treatments are therapeutic, true healing requires work on the patient’s part. I empower and educate my patients on how they can optimize their own health with recommendations and lifestyle changes.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My 19-year-old sister and best friend Lauren Jean is currently in her second semester at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA (follow her @laurenjeansoul and check out her music on all streaming platforms). Whenever she has a chance to visit me, we love to try different restaurants, coffee shops, and experiences in the Tempe area. On one of her most recent trips, we had a coffee date at Luana’s, ate at Cornish Pasty, and visited the Botanical gardens. When she visits this summer, our itinerary includes walking around the Uptown Farmer’s Market, eating at Golden Pineapple, visiting the Musical Instrument Museum, and boating on Bartlett Lake. What I love the most about living in Phoenix is that there are so many food options and activities. There is never a dull moment if you are looking for something to do.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I dedicate this shoutout to my little brother Cory who has introduced me to Naturopathic medicine and has shown me that life is too short to not find a reason to smile.

My brother was born with a rare mitochondrial disease and diabetes insipidus. He has never walked or talked and was in and out of the hospital his entire childhood. He has been through multiple surgeries, countless procedures, and pain I could never fathom. When I was 15 years old, my brother stayed in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) for 51 days straight. This was a very difficult hospital stay as he nearly died 3 times and left the hospital with a trach and g-tube. At the time, I was contemplating my career path after high school and thought I wanted to go into research. The PICU doctors convinced me to become a doctor and asked me to return to job shadow. I returned the following summer and fell in love with medicine as a career. I continued returning every summer to job shadow for multiple weeks in several different departments, including the emergency department. That is where I fell in love with emergency medicine, which inspired me to become an emergency medicine technician and firefighter during college. After my own health scare with a deep vein thrombosis during my senior year of college, I changed my lifestyle and nutrition in order to lose weight and prevent reoccurrence of blood clots. Due to these experiences, I realized that medication and conventional medicine is necessary to save lives, but Naturopathic medicine is necessary for preventive care and to improve quality of life.

I would also like to give a shoutout to my mom Ria, dad Bob, sister Lauren Jean, fiancé Danny, my mentor Dr. Alexis, and my Jazzercise families for the endless support. From the beginning, my parents instilled belief in my dreams, showed me great work ethic by example, and provided a loving and caring environment for me to flourish in my dreams. My sister is my biggest cheerleader and best friend. We are there for each other whenever we need someone to listen and we celebrate each other’s accomplishments no matter how big or small. My fiancé has supported me through every achievement and obstacle for the past 3+ years. He constantly makes me laugh and lends an ear when I need to vent. I’m so grateful to be marrying my best friend and that we get to experience life together. My mentor and boss Dr. Alexis hired me as her assistant in 2018 when I was still in medical school. Along the way, I have learned so much about optimal blood test results and how to tailor treatment plans to the patient and their specific needs. She has helped me improve my own health and navigate owning my own practice. Finally, I would like to give a shoutout to my Jazzercise families in Celina, Ohio and Tempe, Arizona. I can’t thank Tonya enough for supporting my health journey and helping me get certified as an instructor in Ohio. I am grateful for my boss Rhonda who opened her arms to me when I was searching for a studio as I was moving to Tempe for medical school. She has been supportive and understanding of my insane schedule with school and has spread the word about LunaSol Naturopathic since I first started the practice.

Accomplishments can only occur with a supportive team and I am so lucky to have such amazing people in my life.

Instagram: @lunasolnaturopathic

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/drsydneyschroeder

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LunaSolNaturopathic

Image Credits
Daniel Padilla