MICHELLE P. BROWN, M.D. (DrBrown@lemuriahealth.org)

Co-founder/Medical Director

A graduate of Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Dr. Brown completed her General Surgery residency with distinction in Connecticut and New York. After several years as a practicing surgeon, Dr. Brown began to study various modalities in complementary/alternative medicine. She arrived in the Monterey area in 1997.

During her tenure on the Central Coast, she has had an active medical practice. In addition, Dr. Brown has been equally engaged in the Monterey Bay community, serving on several boards and as a frequent keynote speaker throughout the area.

Dr. Brown is committed to enhancing her medical education and practice with her mission to provide excellent, sound and healing methods to help her patients attain optimal health. She recently completed her certification in Environmental Medicine with plans to implement treatments targeting a growing population of people exposed to toxic loads of contaminants in the environment.

Adjunct to her medical practice, Dr. Brown enfolds various holistic medical themes to serve as a conference lecturer, educator, writer and group facilitator.

SUDY DOSTAL

Management Services Operator/Co-creator

Suzanne “Sudy” Dostal never dreamed that one day she would run a complementary health care clinic in Monterey, California. But like so much in her life, unexpected events emerged as new opportunities – and the challenge to develop the skills to make them a success.

Over the years, Sudy’s life has been packed with accomplishments. After graduating from Scripps College in Claremont, California, she traveled to Africa and worked as an ethnologist intern with Dr. Louis Leakey, the famous archeologist, and his son, Richard Leakey. Returning home to Carmel Valley, California, attending film school in France, Sudy built an impressive career in the entertainment industry, working in, producing and writing for network television and the feature film industry. Along the way, she also established her own business, Retro-Reproductions, which reprints vintage theatrical movie posters, starting with those she first collected when she was a student in Paris.

Then, several years ago, in the midst of her thriving career, Sudy’s mother faced a critical illness. Later, her brother was diagnosed with stomach cancer, and died soon after. In helping both her mother and brother during these difficult times, Sudy experienced firsthand the limitations of traditional medicine. She also recognized the need for a clinic that puts the patient first and that seeks sound alternatives to complement conventional medical approaches.

In 2003, Sudy teamed with Michelle P. Brown, MD, to co-found the Lemuria Health Institute, in Monterey, California, which offers integrative and interventional medical care to those who suffer from acute and chronic pain and stress. The focus at Lemuria Health is on providing harmony, wellness, healing tranquility, and overall rejuvenation. Today, Sudy manages all of the business and creative affairs for Lemuria Health.

AIMÉE SHUNNEY

Licensed Naturopathic Doctor (ND)

Aimée Gould Shunney, licensed Naturopathic Doctor (ND), was born in Yonkers, New York and grew up in Connecticut. She was graduated cum laude from Vanderbilt University with a BA in psychology and minors in theatre and women's studies. After college, Dr. Shunney moved to Portland, Oregon and worked for 3 years in shelters and psychiatric treatment facilities for adolescent girls. It was this heart-opening experience that propelled her into Naturopathic Medicine. She had come to believe that there had to be more available than the conventional options usually offered for healing. This led her to research alternative healing systems, and ultimately led her to the National College of Naturopathic Medicine, where she graduated in 2001.

Dr. Shunney blends conventional medical diagnosis and treatment with the use of natural therapeutics, including dietary and lifestyle counseling, nutritional supplements, herbal medicine, homeopathy and bio-identical hormones. Dr. Shunney also has extensive training in drug/herb and drug/nutrient interactions. In addition, she is proud to be one of a very small but growing group of providers certified in the Arvigo Techniques™ of Maya Abdominal Massage. This gentle yet powerful and effective technique is an exceptional treatment modality for many women’s health, digestive and urinary tract issues.

Before relocating to California in January 2006, Dr. Shunney was in private practice in Brooklyn, NY and Greenwich, CT.   In addition, she implemented and directed the Health Education and Wellness Program at Long Island College Hospital, also in Brooklyn, that served over 3000 people during her time there. She currently sees patients in Santa Cruz and Monterey, where she specializes in Women’s Health and Family Medicine.

A natural and dynamic teacher, Dr. Shunney has lectured extensively to laypeople, medical students and physicians, as well as appearing regularly on local radio and television. She is also a featured lecturer, writer and in-store guest for New Leaf Markets in Santa Cruz.

Dr. Shunney is currently pursuing postgraduate studies in Women's Health with Dr. Tori Hudson at the Institute for Women's Health and Integrative Medicine in Portland, Oregon.

For more information, please visit www.drshunney.com.