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Natural Awakenings Twin Cities

SuNu: An Integrative Approach to Health and Fitness

Dec 27, 2013 09:08PM ● By Michelle Hamburger

Vicky Luedtke

SuNu is a family-focused health cooperative specializing in integrative medicine. Founded in 2011, SuNu, which means “new beginnings” in Sanskrit, is composed of two wellness centers in Minnetonka and Minneapolis (Linden Hills) and a fitness center in St. Louis Park.

SuNu offers numerous treatment services to people seeking a simplified approach to their natural health needs. “We have many healing modalities under one roof,” says Vicky Luedtke, a kinesiology practitioner and one of SuNu’s founders. “Instead of people going to different places for their care, we like to think of ourselves as a one-stop-shop.”

The company culture states: “SuNu is a place of healing. Come here often, stay awhile. Know that you are listened to. Invest in your health. Be your most authentic self, for your family, for our future. Treat yourself. You deserve to be well.”

Luedtke says SuNu’s practitioners work together to create treatment programs that are tailored to individual patients. “We don’t believe that one modality works for everyone,” she explains. “We work hard to know each of our patients separately.” SuNu’s treatment modalities include chiropractic, nutrition response testing, acupuncture, naturopathic medicine, craniosacral and massage.

SuNu has expertise in hormone balancing, infertility, pre and post-natal care and pediatric medicine as well. “We have a lot of patients who have been trying to get pregnant for a long time and have spent a lot of money on infertility treatments with no results,” Luedtke says. “It has been incredible to provide treatment and after a little while see them finally become pregnant.”

Once pregnant, patients are guided through their entire pregnancies by SuNu practitioners. “Two of our chiropractors are pediatric specialists and will attend home births or go to birth centers to offer chiropractic support,” says Luedtke, “Additionally, some of our massage therapists are also doulas and can help during the delivery process. We encourage a lot of babies here.”

SuNu’s fitness center is the most recent addition to SuNu Wellness. SuNu Fitness is a traditional fitness center open to both patients and the general community, and offers exercise classes, personal training sessions, health workshops and nutrition consulting.

Though SuNu Fitness does not provide medical treatments, clients reap the benefits of SuNu’s health expertise. Non-patients receive knowledgeable advice on dieting and fitness goals, and SuNu patients can take classes and attend workshops without the risk of conflicting opinions. “Patients can feel comfortable with their treatment plan knowing that staff are educated on what they should and shouldn’t be doing,” says Luedtke.

One of SuNu’s growing patient populations is fitness competitors, who often have a laundry list of health concerns. “The heavy training causes adrenal stress and even though the diet is right on, symptoms like headaches, bloating, hormonal imbalances and fatigue are common,” she explains. “We assist with both pre-show training and post-competition recovery.” She says this level of service is not easily found at other clinics or fitness centers.

Luedtke anticipates that SuNu will continue to expand across the Metro area in coming years. She adds that SuNu centers are very involved in the local community and the positive response has been a driving force behind their ability to grow their patient base and services.

SuNu regularly schedules community spa nights for people to meet practitioners, get to know staff and sample any of SuNu’s services for free. Luedtke says spa nights are a fun and low-pressure way to introduce new treatment modalities and show visitors what SuNu can do to begin their journeys to vitality. “We restore people’s health and energy every single day and it’s amazing,” she says.

SuNu Wellness Centers are located at 12455 Ridgedale Dr., Ste. 203, Minnetonka, and 4279 Sheridan Ave. S., Minneapolis. SuNu Fitness is located at 6333 Cambridge St., Ste. 104, St. Louis Park. For more information or appointments, call 952-314-7035 (Minnetonka), 612-767-4680 (Minneapolis) or 612-986-2922 (St. Louis Park); email [email protected] or [email protected]; or visit SuNuWellness.com or SuNuFitness.com.

Michelle Hamburger is a freelance writer and can be reached at [email protected].