How’s Your Digestion?
October 13, 2009 by Kitchen Table Medicine
Filed under Acidophilus, Detox, Diarrhea, Diet Tips, Digestion, Dr. Jody Stanislaw, Kitchen Sink
By Dr. Jody Stanislaw Food is one of the greatest pleasures in life. But how often do you actually think about the fact that the nutrients contained in the food you eat are what become your skin, your lungs, even your heart, and every other part of your body?! (You’ll think again the next time you reach for some chemical ridden processed food, won’t you?) And how can you make sure you’re absorbing the valuable nutrients contained in your food? By having great digestion! This means you have an easy and complete bowel movement first thing in the morning (and ideally after lunch and dinner as well…but if you at least have one every morning, you’re doing well), your belly feels comfortable after you eat without any bloating or pressure, and gas is a rare occurrence. So how do you rate? Digestive complaints (also referred to as GI complaints, which stands for gastrointestinal) are among the most common reasons Americans go to the doctor. Read more
Dr. Nicole Sundene, NMD is a licensed Naturopathic Medical Doctor at Fountain Hills Naturopathic Medicine 16719 E Palisades Blvd, Suite 205, Fountain Hills, AZ 85268.She believes we should utilize natural medicines to treat the root cause of disease rather than just treating symptoms, as symptoms are a message of imbalance sent from the body and will persist until they are properly addressed.
For appointments please visit http://FHnaturopathic.com for more information about Naturopathic Medicine services.
©KitchenTableMedicine.com, LLC ™
Superfoods! Superfoods? And Superfood Supplements?
August 19, 2009 by Kitchen Table Medicine
Filed under American Sickcare System, Anti-Aging, Antioxidants, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Diet Tips, Dr. Jody Stanislaw, Fruits and Veggies, Kitchen Sink, Lifestyle Tips, Pediatrics, Superfoods
By Dr. Jody Stanislaw, Naturopathic Physician
Superfoods! I’m sure you’ve heard the buzz. But what exactly is the buzz all about anyway? What are superfoods? Do you really need to eat superfoods? What are the benefits? How do you choose which superfoods are best for you? Well, wonder no longer. Lets get right to the answers…
No surprise to anyone is the fact that humans today are busier and have more on their plate, so to speak, than ever before. We eat on the run, often literally standing up. We grab ready made meals as we rush to our next appointment. We finish meals in minutes, gulping down food that not only have we not been fully present for as we chew but have barely even chewed fully before swallowing. Read more
Dr. Nicole Sundene, NMD is a licensed Naturopathic Medical Doctor at Fountain Hills Naturopathic Medicine 16719 E Palisades Blvd, Suite 205, Fountain Hills, AZ 85268.She believes we should utilize natural medicines to treat the root cause of disease rather than just treating symptoms, as symptoms are a message of imbalance sent from the body and will persist until they are properly addressed.
For appointments please visit http://FHnaturopathic.com for more information about Naturopathic Medicine services.
©KitchenTableMedicine.com, LLC ™
We would Love your Feedback! Thank You!
August 13, 2009 by Kitchen Table Medicine
Filed under Dr. Jody Stanislaw, Kitchen Sink
Hello! KitchenTableMedicine.com is expanding and we would love your input!
I am Dr. Jody, the new Director of Advertising for Kitchen Table.
In order for Dr. Nicole and other exciting new, contributing authors like myself to continue to provide you with all of the latest and greatest in natural health news and lifestyle tips, we need to expand our list of sponsors.
But before doing so, we would love your input about what type of products you would like for us to review and who your favorite companies are!
Thus, we would be full of gratitude for you to take just a minute to answer our quick and easy, 10 question reader feedback survey.
Thank you!
Dr. Nicole Sundene, NMD is a licensed Naturopathic Medical Doctor at Fountain Hills Naturopathic Medicine 16719 E Palisades Blvd, Suite 205, Fountain Hills, AZ 85268.
She believes we should utilize natural medicines to treat the root cause of disease rather than just treating symptoms, as symptoms are a message of imbalance sent from the body and will persist until they are properly addressed.
For appointments please visit http://FHnaturopathic.com for more information about Naturopathic Medicine services.
©KitchenTableMedicine.com, LLC ™
Best Blood Glucose Meter!
March 17, 2009 by Kitchen Table Medicine
Filed under Diabetes, Dr. Jody Stanislaw, Reader Questions
By Dr. Jody Stanislaw, Naturopathic Physician and Diabetes Expert
What is the best blood glucose monitor?
The Flash Freestyle Meter is my favorite, and what I personally use.
Having had diabetes since 1980, I can vividly remember the time in which blood testing didn’t even exist. The only way I could monitor how much glucose was in my blood was by examining how much had spilled over into my urine over the past several hours.
At just seven years old, I peed into a cup 2-4 times per day, put a dropper full of it into a test tube along with this little chemical tablet, and then watched it fizz into a joyful, deep blue color when my sugar level was normal, or into a depressing orange color if is was too high.
So think about that…there was no way to ever really know what the blood glucose level was at any particular moment. Thus every test was only an average of what the blood glucose had been over the past several hours. Challenging for ideal control, to say the least!
Thank goodness for the invention of home glucose monitoring! Even though the first blood test strips took two minutes to present the result (which was manually read comparing the colored strip to a color chart), I was thrilled to no longer have to deal with peeing in a cup (especially when spending the night at friends’ houses!).
Eventually, meters were introduced and my first one was about the size of a VHS tape. Of course, over the years they have become smaller and faster. And now, finally, I think I’ve discovered my favorite meter of them all: the Freestyle Flash.
There is a dizzying array of meter choices out there, so I certainly have not tried them all; but let me tell you why I like this one so much. It’s small so it easily fits into my tiny diabetes supply bag that I carry with me wherever I go, or even in the tiny pocket of my running pants when I go for a jog.
The result appears in 2-3 seconds. It uses the tiniest amount of blood of any meter I have ever tried. But the thing that makes it stand out to me as my favorite of all is something so simple but sooooo convenient: it has a light!
After years of struggling to test my blood sugar in the dark at a movie theater, driving in a car at night, or in bed in the middle of the night (or countless other places when the light is dim), I am overjoyed that a meter company finally has taken the time to think about how they could take that extra step in helping make our lives easier.
I cannot tell you how wonderful this simple extra feature is! As soon as the strip is inserted, a little light illuminates the strip (so wonderful…thus even in poor light, I know exactly where to add my drop of blood), and then as soon as the adequate amount of blood has been taken into the strip, the light on the strip turns out (thus clearly telling me that I can confidently take my finger away), and then the screen lights up, thus easily allowing me to see my results!!
I LOVE this meter! Thank you, Abbott, for going the extra mile in realizing how valuable this ‘little’ extra feature is!
All the best to you,
Dr. Stanislaw
After being diagnosed with Type I diabetes at the age of seven, Dr. Jody Stanislaw has grown a special interest in diabetes and helping others live a healthy and vibrant life.
If you have any further questions about diabetes you are welcome to leave them in the comments section.
Dr. Nicole Sundene, NMD is a licensed Naturopathic Medical Doctor at Fountain Hills Naturopathic Medicine 16719 E Palisades Blvd, Suite 205, Fountain Hills, AZ 85268.She believes we should utilize natural medicines to treat the root cause of disease rather than just treating symptoms, as symptoms are a message of imbalance sent from the body and will persist until they are properly addressed.
For appointments please visit http://FHnaturopathic.com for more information about Naturopathic Medicine services.
©KitchenTableMedicine.com, LLC ™
When is the Best Time for Diabetics to Check their Blood Sugar?
March 10, 2009 by Kitchen Table Medicine
Filed under Diabetes, Dr. Jody Stanislaw, Kitchen Sink, Reader Questions
By Dr. Jody Stanislaw, Naturopathic Physician and Diabetes Expert
As a diabetic when is the best time for me to check my blood sugar?
Anytime is a good time to check your levels. The more you know about what your numbers are, the better in touch you are with your body. Learning how meals affect your blood sugar is important, regardless of whether it’s been 30 min or 120 min since you’ve eaten.
What you must understand is that things are always changing inside your body….food takes a long time to digest, and insulin takes time to work. So just because you are 100 two hours after dinner does not mean it will stay that way until you eat again. You are likely having an increase in your blood sugar levels at night because of one or both reasons:
#1) Your food hasn’t fully digested so some sugar from your meal has not yet entered your blood stream even 2 hours after the meal.
#2) Your medicine dose is too low to cover your needs while you are sleeping.
Personally, I do not like the unknown of what my dinner will do to my blood sugar levels while I sleep so I just avoid the problem by generally avoiding carbohydrates at dinner. Also, I prefer to eat at 5 or 6 pm as well and/or choose to eat only small amounts at dinner.
The best way to really know what your body needs is to test your blood sugar often. Learn what makes your numbers go up and what makes it go down….then you will be able to make informed decisions about what is good for your body and what is not. The challenging thing about diabetes is that there is no set answer that works everyday.
Everyday our activity levels are different. Everyday what we eat is different. So you just be informed as much as you can be with what makes your numbers go up and what makes them go down. And then you just do the best you can to make healthy decisions each day. Some days, your numbers will be better than others…that’s just the life of a diabetic. So being informed about how your blood sugars react based on the different choices you make each day is a very wise thing to do.
All the best to you,
Dr. Stanislaw
After being diagnosed with Type I diabetes at the age of seven, Dr. Jody Stanislaw has grown a special interest in diabetes and helping others live a healthy and vibrant life.
If you have any further questions about diabetes you are welcome to leave them in the comments section.
Dr. Nicole Sundene, NMD is a licensed Naturopathic Medical Doctor at Fountain Hills Naturopathic Medicine 16719 E Palisades Blvd, Suite 205, Fountain Hills, AZ 85268.She believes we should utilize natural medicines to treat the root cause of disease rather than just treating symptoms, as symptoms are a message of imbalance sent from the body and will persist until they are properly addressed.
For appointments please visit http://FHnaturopathic.com for more information about Naturopathic Medicine services.
©KitchenTableMedicine.com, LLC ™
Dr. Jody Stanislaw, Naturopathic Physician
August 19, 2008 by Kitchen Table Medicine
Filed under Dr. Jody Stanislaw, Guest Posts, Kitchen Sink
Meet Dr. Jody Stanislaw a new author at the Kitchen Table!
You may follow her column by clicking here.
Dr. Jody Stanislaw is a Naturopathic Physician, receiving her doctorate degree from Bastyr University. Located in Seattle, Bastyr is the most acclaimed of the four accredited natural health medical schools in America, where physicians are trained to heal disease via natural and complementary treatments.
As the diabetes columnist for KitchenTableMedicine.com, her expertise in diabetes not only comes from her professional training but from her own personal experience as well. Having been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of seven, her passion towards improving the health and well-being of others stems from successfully overcoming her own challenges of living with this chronic disease.
Focusing on the best food choices for optimal health throughout her lifetime has given her expertise in good nutrition and in knowing the ideal foods for achieving balanced blood sugar levels. Yet spending so much time thinking about food led her to have unhealthy eating patterns during her childhood. As a result, she also has a passion for helping others heal from disordered eating patterns, which is common amongst both type 1 and type 2 diabetics.
One of her core beliefs in life is everything that happens in life is a teacher, always full of rich opportunities for personal growth. This empowering perspective is a key element present in all of her work and teachings.
She also enjoys helping others strengthen what she calls the Four Pillars of Health: nutritious food, adequate rest, regular movement, and a healthy spiritual and emotional life. Just as important as the sturdiness of each leg of a four legged table is for creating balance, if even one of these areas of life is weak or lacking, optimal health cannot exist. Each of these key areas is equally important for allowing a strong foundation for good health in one’s life.
And lastly, a bit about her background…Having grown up in the Northwest, she is an avid outdoor enthusiast. Hiking in the Cascades, snow skiing in the Rockies, water skiing, biking, and practicing yoga are the activities she enjoys the most for keeping her body fit. She also delights in continually expanding her mind regarding the myriad of ways humans can and do chose to live their lives, via visiting foreign cultures. She traveled throughout Europe while living in Italy in 1993, backpacked through Australia in 1997, and left her hometown of Seattle to work with patients from all over the world at a health resort in Thailand during 2008.
This latter experience led her to realize that when people are out of touch with what they love about life and are lacking experiencing joy on a regular basis, no herbs or supplements or food plan will succeed in achieving the optimal health they are truly looking for. This revelation inspired her to write a book to address this issue. It is a story that will act as a catalyst for helping readers become clear on what is holding them back from truly loving their life.
After writing for six months in Bali, Indonesia in 2009, she is now back in Seattle, finishing her book. Stay tuned to KitchenTableMedicine.com for the announcement of the publication of this wonderfully adventurous and inspiring story!
Dr. Nicole Sundene, NMD is a licensed Naturopathic Medical Doctor at Fountain Hills Naturopathic Medicine 16719 E Palisades Blvd, Suite 205, Fountain Hills, AZ 85268.She believes we should utilize natural medicines to treat the root cause of disease rather than just treating symptoms, as symptoms are a message of imbalance sent from the body and will persist until they are properly addressed.
For appointments please visit http://FHnaturopathic.com for more information about Naturopathic Medicine services.
©KitchenTableMedicine.com, LLC ™
