ABOUT
Before becoming a Naturopathic Doctor, I spent ten years teaching in the alternative secondary school system with the Vancouver School Board. My students were bright, interesting teenagers who, for many different reasons, didn’t thrive in mainstream education. I often credit those students with giving me the courage to change careers myself and pursue a different way of looking at health and medicine.
My interest in science had always been there. I graduated from UBC with a degree in Cell Biology and Genetics in 1996 before completing my Bachelor of Education the following year. Eventually, that science background, my experience as an educator, and my interest in looking beyond conventional approaches brought me to naturopathic medicine.
I graduated from the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine in 2011 and have been practicing in Vancouver ever since.
1996
UBC — Cell Biology & Genetics
1997
Bachelor of Education
2011
Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine
TODAY
15 years in Vancouver practice
My perspective as a physician has also been shaped considerably by my experience as a patient.
While I was still in naturopathic medical school, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. For years I had experienced fatigue, difficulty losing weight, menstrual irregularities and other symptoms without understanding why. It was more comprehensive testing through the student clinic that finally provided an explanation.
That experience stayed with me. It taught me the importance of listening carefully when someone knows that something has changed in their body—even when the initial testing doesn’t provide an obvious answer.
Finding Remission and How It Shapes My Practice
Years later, my own health became complicated again. In 2020, testing led to the discovery of mold and mycotoxin exposure, beginning what would become a much longer journey through environmental illness. I immersed myself in the research and pursued additional education in environmental medicine while working through the same questions many of my patients face: Why am I still experiencing symptoms? What are we missing? What else should we test? And, most importantly, what can we actually do about it?
Finding and addressing hidden mold in my own home took time, and recovery has not been a perfectly straight line. But the experience has profoundly influenced the way I practice medicine.
Today, I bring 15 years of clinical experience—and the perspective gained from treating thousands of patients—together with my background in science, conventional medical knowledge and naturopathic medicine. I use detailed laboratory investigation when appropriate and draw from prescription medications, nutritional and botanical medicine, supplements, diet and lifestyle interventions. I’m particularly interested in thyroid and hormone health, digestive disorders, autoimmunity, environmental illness, weight management and the complicated cases where several of these areas overlap.
I don’t expect every health problem to have a simple answer, and I don’t believe good medicine means committing to one particular philosophy of treatment.
"My goal is to understand what is happening, determine what we can reasonably change, and build a treatment plan that makes sense for the individual sitting in front of me."
My own Hashimoto’s is one example of why I believe that distinction matters. I may always require thyroid medication because of damage that occurred before the underlying drivers were addressed—and I’m completely comfortable with that. For me, successful treatment isn’t about avoiding medication at all costs. It’s about using the right tools, for the right reasons, while improving health wherever we can.
2022
Thyroid antibodies moved into remission and have remained below the laboratory reference range
~25%
Of her peak medication requirement — down from the height of her illness
Outside of the clinic, I spend as much time as possible with my three adult children and my Bernese Mountain Dog, Charlie. You’ll often find me on the trails with Charlie, at a hot yoga class, or on the water ocean canoeing—both solo and with my team.
Book an initial consultation and let’s figure out what’s actually going on.
Dr. Luis is practicing naturopathic care virtually and in-office and continues to provide aesthetic treatments at Skin Method for BC residents.
Located within Skin Method Clinic:
#103-853 Richards Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 3B4
Monday | 10:00am – 6:00pm | In-Office
Tuesday | 9:00am – 4:00pm | Virtual/Phone
Thursday | 12:00pm – 6:00pm | Virtual/Phone
Friday | 9:00am – 4:00pm | Virtual/Phone
Wednesday | 11:00am – 7:00pm | In-Office
Dr. Luis is practicing naturopathic care virtually and in-office and continues to provide aesthetic treatments at Skin Method for BC residents.
Located within Skin Method Clinic:
#103-853 Richards Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 3B4
Monday | 10:00am – 6:00pm | In-Office
Tuesday | 9:00am – 4:00pm | Virtual/Phone
Thursday | 12:00pm – 6:00pm | Virtual/Phone
Friday | 9:00am – 4:00pm | Virtual/Phone
Wednesday | 11:00am – 7:00pm | In-Office