Author Archives: Cherylanne Skolnicki

Is Integrative Medicine For You?

I’ve had a number of questions lately about Dr. Stefanie Stevenson and the Integrative Medicine services she is providing to patients from her office in Montgomery, OH. I thought I’d address some of those questions here in case you are wondering about the same things!   Stefanie is such a warm and caring doctor; she’s one of those people who immediately puts you at ease and makes it very comfortable to share your whole story with her to provide the context she’ll need to give you the best possible medical care. I know so many people in Cincinnati are going to find healing through her consultations and recommendations; I hope you’ll be one of them! Here are some of the questions I’ve been getting…

 

 

Is Dr. Stevenson a medical doctor?

Yes! Dr. Stevenson describes herself as an Integrative Physician.  She is both an M.D. as a graduate of Johns Hopkins University Medical School and an Integrative Medicine Fellow affiliated with the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine (founded by Dr. Andrew Weil).

So what IS Integrative Medicine?
Integrative medicine (IM) represents a shift in thinking about what medicine really means.  Currently, the American medical system is one that treats disease and is compensated for doing exactly that.  IM, by contrast,  places its focus on health,  healing, and  preventative care – preventing disease before it occurs.  The evidence is clear that lifestyle – the way one eats, moves, and deals with stress –can be more effective than any pill.
As an integrative physician, Dr. Stevenson was trained to ask the question “Why is healing not happening here?  What is blocking the healing?”  Dr. Stevenson can help you enhance your wellness or address your medical condition by prescribing low-cost, patient-centered, very low risk treatments that center on nutrition, physical movement, enhancement of the mind-body connection, and common sense approaches to vitamins, supplements, and botanicals.
Who should see an Integrative Physician?
Anyone who is interested in enhancing his or her well-being or addressing a medical condition with a holistic approach to healing will benefit from seeing someone like Dr. Stevenson. This includes men, women and even children. She is equipped to address conditions and concerns like:
ADD/ADHD
Allergies
Anxiety
Asthma
Cancer
Cardiac care
Diabetes
Depression
Digestive Disorders
Fibromyalgia
Hypertension
Neck & Back Pain
Nutrition concerns
Reproductive health
Sleep disorders
Stress management
Weight management
…and many many more.
What’s the downside?
The downside, if there is one,  is that most health insurance companies do not cover this type of care (except perhaps through an HSA account). Patients therefore must pay the provider at the time of service, and as a culture, we’re just not used to that!
If you have specific questions about whether or not a consult with Dr. Stevenson may be the right choice for you, you can reach her directly by email at drstevenson@nourishyourself.com or by phone at 513-245-4224 ext 5.
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Apple Quinoa Salad

When September finally arrives with its overflowing bushel baskets of apples, I can hardly stop myself from adding them to…well…everything! Apples start showing up in neat slices next to my morning toast, they’re dipped in almond butter or sprinkled with cinnamon as a snack, they are diced with crunchy toasted almonds and thrown into salads at dinner, and they ceremoniously make their way into an apple crisp or a homemade apple pie on the first really chilly weekend of fall. If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, my family is going to be reeeeeally healthy this month! Given my love of all things apple (now that I seem to have outgrown my apple allergy – see post here), I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting ways to incorporate them into menus.

Here’s a recipe for a grain salad using protein-packed quinoa that is loaded with healthy mix-ins like apples, carrots, walnuts and dried cranberries. This makes a great vegetarian lunch or side dish at your fall dinner table. Enjoy it, in all it’s apple-y goodness.

 

Apple Quinoa Salad

 

Serves 6-8

 

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

2 tablespoons honey

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large granny smith apple (or other tart apple you prefer), diced

1 cup  diced carrots

1/3 cup dried cranberries

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted

salt & pepper

 

Directions:

1. Combine the quinoa and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer covered until all the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl, stir and let cool completely.

2. Whisk together the honey, lemon juice, and salt. Slowly whisk in the oil until well blended.

3. Once the quinoa is completely cool, add the apple, carrots, dried cranberries, parsley, and walnuts. Toss well. Add the dresssing and toss gently to coat the salad. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve at room temperature.

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Nut Free Shouldn’t Mean Nutrient Free

Note: This is a guest post by Dr. Stefanie Stevenson, an Integrative Physician who sees patients in Montgomery, OH. Dr. Stevenson has a special passion for the healthfulness of food served to children in schools. She is actively involved with The Sycamore Wellness Community, a Facebook group that provides information about good nutrition for children.  You can learn more about Dr. Stevenson’s services here.

 

All three of my kids started school last week, which means myhomework began as well!  After leafing through the four million forms  I needed to fill out, I came across a suggestion list for nut-free snacks.  It seems every year there is a child with severe food allergies in each of my children’s classrooms.  It is really not surprising since the incidence of food allergies has exploded in the last decade.  What I do find surprising is that many of the suggestions often provided for “safe” nut-free snacks are the very foods that may be playing a role in this explosion of food allergies.  This year I was really pleased that the list from my school offered healthy, natural choices. Too often, suggested nut-free snacks from various schools, parents, or coaches include items like:

Fruit Rollups/Fruit Snacks

Cheez-Its

Rice Kripsie Treats

Fritos

Sun Chips

Vanilla Wafers

Teddy Grahams

Many of these foods include ingredients  like soybean oil, genetically modified foods, partially hydrogenated fats, and high fructose corn syrup, all of which are indicators of poor quality foods.  Why do we think that nut free foods have to be nutrient free as well?

 

Instead, some easy ideas for safe and healthy nut free snacks include  fruits and vegetables, low fat dairy, and whole grains.  I often send in snacks like:

Fresh Strawberries

Mandarin oranges

Apple (whole or cut up with cinnamon)

Applesauce

Carrot sticks, cucumber slices, jicama matchsticks, or red pepper strips

Dried raisins, cherries, or mangoes

Air popped popcorn

A handful or two of low sugar breakfast cereal (i.e. Cheerios, Kashi Heart to Heart)

Triscuits or Ryvita crackers

Low fat mozzarella cheese stick

Pumpkin or Sunflower seeds

The snack you send for your child simply needs to carry them through for an hour or two until they get to lunch or until school is dismissed. It should be an added source of nutrients in their morning or afternoon to give them good quality energy for the next part of their day. I hope the suggestions I’ve included here will help you set them up for a successful, energy-filled school day!

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