The Art of Integrative Medicine

Greetings from Tucson, AZ! I just wrapped up my first Integrative Medicine fellowship conference thru the University of Arizona.

This week COMPLETELY reinforced my decision that integrative medicine is the wave of the future. We do not have a healthcare system in the US. We have a disease management system. There has to be a radical shift from our current perspective on healthcare. The obesity epidemic has no end in sight. There has to be a change, and I think the first step is for Western medicine to recognize that food can be the answer. Food is medicine, and how we fuel our bodies has a major impact on disease states.

Being surrounded by physicians that share this viewpoint was so inspiring. Although I've only been in practice a few short years, I already feel a little bit jaded about the current state of affairs. This week reminded me why I went into medicine. Not to hand out prescriptions and know that the side effects might outweigh the therapeutic benefit. To truly help patients, not just manage their disease and put a band-aid on their symptoms.

It was amazing! And I get to keep learning and working with these awesome classmates for 2 more years!

Some highlights from the conference:

We started out with a ceremony to learn each others' stories. While everyone gave a short intro of why they chose to do the fellowship, we were all tied together with yarn around our wrists. At the end of the ceremony one of the directors cut the yarn but left us all with bracelets. We were to wear them all week to symbolize togetherness and teamwork. She even told a story about how one of the previous fellows still wears part of his in a locket so many years later!

Dr Andy Weil, who is one of the founders of Integrative Medicine, and also the director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, spoke to us two times over the course of the week.  He is the creator of the anti-inflammatory diet, which is a huge component of the fellowship. He spent a lot of time discussing the diet with us, his thoughts on some current debates in the nutrition world (saturated fat for one), and also gave an introduction to botanicals and supplements. The botanicals lecture was fascinating, and I am excited to learn more about it over the course of the tow years.

Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid
This link will take you to Dr Weil's website, where the pyramid is interactive and will give you more information about the diet.

Dr. Shauna Shapiro is a clinical psychologist and researcher who has devoted her career to the concept of mindfulness. It is a type of medication that allows us to be more connected and present in each and every moment. Now, before this conference I knew the importance of meditation, but can honestly say I did not practice it myself. However, after listening to Dr. Shapiro speak, I can see why it is such an integral part of wellness.

Mindfulness

By far, my favorite session was entitled 'The Kitchen Table Farmacy' (how clever!) Dr Siri Chand Khalsa is one of the most amazing teachers that I've had the pleasure of interacting with. She is a physician and also an aruyvedic practitioner. Her approach to integrative nutrition is so in tune with what I believe and try to incorporate in my practice (she is completely plant-based, I am not). It truly was an honor to learn from her.  She brought us samples of her own recipes and creations based on her practice and everything was delicious! Her blog below has more information and tons of yummy recipes.

Dr. Chand Khalsa's blog

We also had several sessions on mind-body practices, like clinical hypnosis, movement therapy, and spirituality in medicine. In addition, we had a great session on motivational interviewing. All were very interesting and sparked great conversation among the fellows. I think we all left feeling inspired and excited to put into practice what we learned over the course of the week.

Sorry this was so lengthy, and if you are still reading, thanks! I will definitely write up something more in-depth about nutrition. I learned some great ways to make healthy eating a way of life and will be happy to share them with you!

xoxo

kate

Labor Day Happenings

Hi all!

Hope everyone had a relaxing and fun-filled 3 day weekend! I can't believe it is already September. this summer has flown by.

We are still doing some fun summer activities, like heading to the baseball game today to see the Indians take on the Tigers!

Update--they lost. Badly :( 

This weekend we had Garret's aunt Marilyn stay with us from Florida. It was great to see her and catch up.  We had the entire family over for a labor day cookout, and of course way too much food!

We made 2 different kinds of pasta salad which were a big hit.

The first was made with feta, artichokes, tomatoes, and called for store-bought balsamic vinaigrette. I made my own as it is cheaper and doesn't contain any added hidden ingredients or sugar. It's easy to do, just whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, some fresh lemon juice, and a little dijon mustard.

http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/easy-summer-pasta-salad/

The second one was a ranch pasta salad, made with yogurt and a little mayo as the dressing base. I used greek goddess seasoning from Penzey's instead of a ranch packet, because we didn't have any!

http://mrsschwartzkitchen.blogspot.com/2012/04/ranch-pasta-salad.html

I love finding new recipes that everyone enjoys, hope you try them out too at your next cook-out!

Time to paint our laundry room...we took advantage of a great Labor Day sale at Best Buy and got a new set that will be delivered tomorrow! I will post pictures soon.

xoxo

kate

Feeling Minnesota...

Hi Friends!

Hope everyone is enjoying the last days of summer! (boohoo!)

Garret and I just returned from a 5 day vacation with my family in Minnesota, the 2nd annual Kessler family vacation at the lake!

Last year my mom and her siblings rented a cabin on a lake in Minnesota for a week. It was so fun that they decided to do it again, and this year Garret was able to make it!

If you have never seen Minnesota in the summer, you are missing out! It is so peaceful and beautiful and it is definitely one of my favorite places to be when the weather is warm :)

Our five days were filled with boating, swimming, hiking and lots of competitive family gaming. 

Vacation is a time for letting go and enjoying yourself and your friends and family. Don’t worry, we did plenty of that! But balance is important in a healthy lifestyle, so I’ve got some tips to stay (somewhat) healthier during your travels

Healthy Travel Tips

1. Healthy Snacks
1. I always bring my own snacks when traveling. It’s cheaper than airport food, and you get to control what you are eating. 
2. My favorite choices are nuts, seeds, and fruit, fresh or dried. (make sure there is no added sugar). If it is a super long day of traveling, I like to bring small packets of almond butter and then buy a banana to put it on. Yum! If you want some more protein, you can bring the little foil packets of tuna, salmon, etc.
2. Drink Water. Lots of water! Planes are dehydrating! Any time the cart goes by ask for water! Avoid soda and other high-sugar, calorie-laden drinks.
3. Do something active every day. Even though all you want to do is lay on the beach and drink margaritas (nothing wrong with that) make sure you spend at minimum 20 minutes a day moving! On this vacation we did a 3 mile walk or run, every day. We also did the paddle-boat, hydrobikes, and my favorite, the SUP, or standup paddle board. 
1. I like to have a few 10-20 minute videos ready to go on my computer to do some body weight/toning or yoga at least 1-2 times during the vacation. There are tons of videos you can find on youtube, or sites like dailyburn.com, or barre3.com
2. Pinterest is also a great source to find travel/hotel type workouts that do not require any equipment. Check out my boards for some inspiration!
4. The main event
1. Focus on the in-season fruits and veggies. Make sure at last half of your plate is greens/veggies/fruits at every meal. This will help to fill you up and give you necessary nutrients that your body needs.
2. When ordering out, grilled, steamed, and baked items are all better choices than fried.
3. If you want something more decadent, share it! This goes for desserts, appetizers, lobster mac &cheese, etc. That way you do not feel deprived but also don’t feel the need to wear sweatpants the rest of the trip :)
5. Alcohol
1. Nothing wrong with kicking back with cold one (in moderation, of course)!
2. Avoid pre-mixed, frozen drinks. If you want, make your own with fresh fruit juice. 
3. Use this tip I learned from Bethenney Frankel (don’t judge me). For a “skinny” cocktail, mix whatever spirit you like with club soda, and then add a splash of juice.
1. for example: if you like vodka with cranberry juice. ask for vodka, club soda, and a splash of cranberry. Or if you like margaritas. ask for tequila, club soda, and then fresh lime juice.
4. Alternate alcoholic drinks with water. Trust me, you will feel better in the morning!

 I hope these tips can help you on your next trip! Speaking of, name one vacation spot you’ve always wanted to travel to. Mine is Greece! Someday…

xoxo

kate

Integrative Medicine

Today marks the first day of my fellowship in integrative medicine. Yes. More training. After 4 years of residency and 1 extra year of chief residency I decided to do more!

When I tell people about integrative medicine, the majority have a confused look on their face.

What is that exactly?

what is integrative medicine?


As a primary care physician, my job is to promote health and wellness. My goal is to prevent disease before it happens and unfortunately that is getting harder and harder to do. Access to healthcare is improving, but overall health and wellness is declining. Why is that? I have a few theories.  Most medicine today is symptom driven, rather than prevention driven.  Chronic diseases are not easily fixed in a 15 minute office visit! Nor does writing a prescription mean you are making headway in overall health.

Because of this, many people are not satisfied with their current state of health. This contributes to more and more patients diagnosing themselves after hours of internet research. In addition, many go on to try complementary approaches without the guidance of a physician or other healthcare professional, which could lead to all kinds of problems!

I've always been interested in overall wellness, nutrition, and other preventive medicine practices. I chose to go to an osteopathic medical school because I truly believe in whole person health.

The fellowship at the University of Arizona is a way for me to build on the practices I already believe in, as well as learn new approaches to help more people. It's a very exciting time for me, and I can't wait to share my experiences! You can learn more about my program below.

The University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine

What complementary or alternative approaches to medicine have you tried? Anything you would like to hear more about?
Leave a comment below and let me know!

I'll be back later this week with a Greek-inspired salmon taco recipe!

xoxo
Kate

Banana Bread

Hi friends! 

It's been a busy few weeks. How is it the end of July already???  I'm all geared up to start my fellowship in 2 weeks! Which reminds me, I need to tell you all why I picked this field of medicine. Soon!

In the meantime I wanted to share a new banana bread recipe that I stumbled upon. 

We had a few bananas that were a bit too ripe, and on our nightly dog walk Garret asked if I would make some banana bread. Unfortunately, we didn't have any eggs on head. But no fear! It's easy to sub flaxseed for egg in most recipes. 

To do this, all you need is a small bowl, ground flaxseed, and water.

Use 1 Tbsp flax + 2-3 tbsp water.

Mix together and let sit for about 5 min.

The mixture will sort of gel together and act as the binder in your recipe instead of an egg.

Easy peasy! 

It's great for baking for vegan friends and for those with egg allergies! 

Or, if you are like me and decide to bake at 9 at night and don't feel like running to the store 😉

This particular recipe comes from the lovely Dana at Minimalist Baker. I've tried a ton of her recipes and none of them disappoint! 

http://minimalistbaker.com/one-bowl-gluten-free-banana-bread/

I added Enjoy Life chocolate chips and used less honey since the bananas were super ripe (errr almost black).

Since we try not to do a lot of added sugar, I frequently will cut the sugar by a 1/4 to 1/2 in most recipes i find. Most of the time you can't even notice! 

What do you like to add to banana bread? I bet blueberries would be awesome in this one!

Xoxo

kate

Coconut Lime Blueberry Smoothie

I don't know exactly when my coconut obsession started, but I'm pretty sure it's here to say. Add lime, and I'm in heaven. Maybe it reminds of a nice island vacation?

I am a big fan of smoothies for breakfast, snacks, post-work out, etc. However, they can be a big sugar bomb if you aren't careful. There are tons of smoothies with juice as a base, but often times I think they are too sweet, so I tend to stay away from those. Especially those you can buy pre-bottled or at a smoothie shop. Too many use frozen yogurt, lots of juice, and who knows what else.

I would rather save money and make my own at home. Using the whole fruit helps increase the amount of fiber you get, and helps keep most of the nutrient value intact. I love adding lots of mix-ins to up the fiber and omega-3/healthy fat content. You can use chia seeds, hemp hearts, or ground flaxseed. It helps give the smoothie a bit more staying power than fruit only.

This smoothie gets its creamy texture from coconut milk and banana, and lots of antioxidants from ripe blueberries. It's filling, not too sweet, and tastes like summer!
Hope you enjoy!

Coconut Lime Blueberry Smoothie
serves 1

1 cup coconut milk (I used 1/2 from a can, and 1/2 from a carton)
1 large handful blueberries
Juice from 1/2 a lime
zest from 1/2 a lime ( you can omit but I think it adds so much flavor)
1/2 banana (more ripe = more sweet)
1 tablespoon flaxseed
ice (optional)

blend all ingredients together, add ice at the end if desired.

What is your favorite kind of smoothie?

Weekend Update

Why is it that weekends go so much faster than the rest of the week? It seems that is even more true in the summer. Oh well! We made sure to soak up all the sun this weekend . On Friday we met up with friends and family to see Dave Matthews, and it was great as always. Music is so much more fun to listen to at an outdoor venue!

Yay DMB!
P.S. If you like in Ohio and have never been to blossom for a concert. what are you waiting for??

On Saturday I had to work in the morning, and then we did some shopping for a bathroom remodel and grilled outside at home in the evening.
Sunday was spent doing yardwork and then playing beach volleyball. We almost got rained out, but luckily got in all our games. We went 1-2 which is pretty amazing for our team :)

Speaking of outdoors, I've got a recipe for a refreshing summer drink for you to try! 

Cucumber Margaritas
serves 1

3 baby cucumbers, peeled

Fresh lime juice from 1 lime, to taste

1.5 oz blanco tequila
1. 5 oz triple sec or cointreau
agave or simple syrup to sweeten if needed

first, peel and blend cucumbers with a small amount of water. You will get a gorgeous green colored puree that smells amazing.
add all ingredients to a shaker with ice.
shake it!
serve over ice

enjoy responsibly :)

How amazing is that color? All from fresh ingredients with no added preservatives or scary ingredients from a mix. It was so refreshing! I hope you will try it, let me know what you think! I am already dreaming up different purees to make next.

xo
kate