Sound Integrative Health Blog

A low carb, high fiber, nutritious treat to satisfy your sweet cravings. Ingredients: 3 tablespoons of Chia Seeds  1 cup of almond milk or coconut milk   1/2 tsp of vanilla extract  1 1/2 tsp of maple syrup   Layering:   Fresh fruit: I recommend sliced kiwis or blue berries (or both) Granola clusters    Directions:  In medium bowl whisk all the ingredients together. cover and refrigerate overnight. serve in a glass layering with fresh fruit and/or granola clusters .  Inspired by Angela Landon, Oh She Glows

One of my favorite all-time herbs is Urtica Dioica known as Nettle. I was introduced to this herb why doing a trail run in Marin County, Northern California when I turned a corner too fast and was stung by one of its infamous needles. Little did I know that this plant who I was "cursing" was one natures best medicines . When I started my training as a Naturopathic Medicine student, one of my mentors, the late Dr. Bill Mitchell talked about Nettle root extensively. He stated it has some of the best antihistamine properties of all the plants because it is rich in plant sterols, fatty acids, and lignans which basically act like a fire extinguisher for inflammation especially with seasonal allergies. If you suffer from grass or tree allergies, try some Nettle root tea from Traditional Medicinals. Or stop by Herban Wellness in Kirkland and ask for a tea to be made up. Enjoy a cup in the morning and again in the evening and let me know if you see a reduction in your allergy symp

Nutrition is highly individualized and often a philosophical debate among friends and family. What's important with nutrition is to find your right approach that your body responds to.  One of the more recent, yet ancient, approaches is a return to the Paleolithic Diet which mimics the diet of the hunter/gather society.  There are many different subtypes of the paleolithic diet but the commonality is elimination of grains and most sugar from the diet.  The diet emphasizes ample non-starchy vegetable intake, mild-moderate fruit intake, moderate to high animal protein intake , and mild/moderate healthy fat intake. Mark Sissom who wrote Primal Blueprint is one of the leaders behind the movement toward a paleolithic diet and he publishes a blog called Mark's Daily Apple. Sissom state that this approach when combined with short duration intense cardiovascular exercise and strength training reduces the likelihood of developing the triad of obesity, diabetes, and some risk factors

Ms. Liad Auslander is a pre-med student at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. majoring in Applied Kinesiology and minoring in Psychology. Her hobbies include music and dance. She will be spending this summer in the Seattle area to be with her family and intern with me. Since a young age, she has always had a keen passion for medicine, and was offered the privilege to continue working towards her goals with us. She is looking forward to working with the clinic for the summer! Liad will be likely at our clinic on Tuesdays and Thursdays for a portion of the day. She will be shadowing me and helping with various functions of the clinic visit. Docere (Doctor as Teacher) is a key principle of Naturopathic Medicine and I welcome the opportunity to help Liad learn and grow. As well I am sure I will learn from her. Please join me in making her feel comfortable. As always with interns we will ask your permission for them to be in the visit with us. You always have the right to o

I share some seasonal allergy tips here today on my podcast

Using patterns of the Lactulose Hydrogen Breath Test to Make Decisions regarding antibiotic therapy in IBS with Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) is an increasingly diagnosed pathophysiologic process that involves normal bacterial flora of the colon being irregularly and excessively translocated to the small intestine. In additions some will acquire SIBO by breakdown in mechanisms that normally clear bacteria from the small intestine such as the migrating motor complex. Once this bacteria has set up in the small intestine it can cause bowel transit dysregulation (diarrhea, constipation, or both), bloating, excess wind, and abdominal discomfort. Many top researchers feel it might be the underlying component of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. It is diagnosed by clinical symptoms combined with the Lactulose Hydrogen Breath Test (LHBT) which measures the production of Methane and Hydrogen case being emitted from the small intestine after