Dr. Nicole Sundene
Hormonal Acne and Eczema were frustrating problems I personally battled twenty five years ago. No matter what I tried, the acne and eczema would never fully go away. My skin continued to worsen, until I learned about the importance of balanced Female Hormones, Nutrition, and Naturopathic Medicine for acne and eczema in Naturopathic school. I finally was empowered to discover the diet and lifestyle that works best for my hormonal, sensitive, skin type and treat the hormone imbalance. I then began to learn how to test for and treat and treat the different types of hormone imbalance that cause acne with natural medicine as I walk women through the nutrition process in my "Hormonal Acne Diet Program."
I still remember the day my Naturopathic Dermatology professor explained the link between acne and hormones, nutrition, the microbiome and the skin and everything I was battling made perfect sense! The light bulb went off and I followed the instructions the Naturopathic Doctor mapped out and received amazing RESULTS!
My hormonally triggered allergic itchy inflamed skin was suddenly less sensitive to allergens and chemicals. While I am still chemically sensitive and food sensitive to this day, balancing my hormones and nutrition has greatly improved my skin. I am now less reactive to foods and chemicals in general thanks to Naturopathy!
As my skin improved I was finally able to quit using all the different prescription creams and antibiotics the Dermatologist was prescribing for my acne, hives, eczema, and allergies. I was truly shocked and amazed I could finally manage my annoying itchy painful skin symptoms. I no longer needed to take antibiotics or use steroid creams. My skin was no longer itchy or painful. I worked for three Dermatologists for eight years and nothing they prescribed ever gave me a lasting result. My skin was hooked on prescription drugs! At one point I had four different prescriptions I regularly had to apply. It was horrible!
HOLISTIC ACNE AND DERMATOLOGY TREATMENTS REQUIRE WE TREAT THE ROOT CAUSE!
Nothing brings me greater JOY today as a Naturopathic Doctor but to see my patients heal their skin by treating the ROOT CAUSE. I would like to take a few minutes to explain what this process entails so that patients know whether or not they will be able to follow the recommendations of their Holistic Dermatologist.
If you are tired of relying on expensive Dermatology creams and prescription medicines... and open to making some diet and lifestyle changes, you are the #1 perfect type of patient for me to help! If you are not open to making diet changes, I will not be able to help you. I have struggled to make the changes to, I understand it takes time for some of us, but if you are not open on working towards the new diet with me then I will likely not get a good outcome by enrolling you in to my Holistic Dermatology practice in Scottsdale. I never want to waste anyone's time or money when there are plenty of patients that seek the valuable women's health and hormone care I provide, and desperately need my Alternative Dermatology services to solve their mysterious dermatology condition. Sometimes women are stuck on a certain style of diet that is completely wrong for their skin or are so busy googling skin remedies they cannot focus on doing what I need them to do. While my process is simple and time tested to provide amazing results it does not work when the patient does not follow what I say to do. It's really that simple!
CAN YOU HELP ME WITH HORMONAL ACNE OR HOLISTIC DERMATOLOGY VIA TELEMEDICINE?
I am often asked this question several times per day. YES! Whether you need a Holistic Dermatologist in Arizona or whether you need to work via Telemedicine I am able to help patients with most skin conditions that are wiling to change their diet and take supplements. Simply snap photos of your skin condition and send them to me if you are unable to come in or do not live in Arizona. I can still help you over the phone via Telemedicine, I just cannot prescribe any hormones. In the event I discover you would need a hormone prescribed for your skin condition, I would make a recommendation you can take for your local Family Doctor. Itchy or painful Hormonal Skin conditions such as acne, eczema and psoriasis are my favorite conditions to help women with.
I would be happy to help you with any acne, cystic acne, psoriasis, eczema, dermatitis, scalp psoriasis or seborrheic dermatitis, hives or itchy skin! Please consider giving Naturopathic Medicine a try! It is works very well for patients that are SERIOUS about addressing the ROOT CAUSE of their acne, eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, hives and itchy skin.
HOW DOES HOLISTIC DERMATOLOGY WORK WITH NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE?
Please keep in mind my Holistic Dermatology treatments are focused on treating the ROOT CAUSE of your skin problem and while I will prescribe natural remedies to apply to your skin... that is just "Slapping a Band-aid" on your dermatology complaint and it is not going to provide a lasting result. When we don't listen to the symptoms and understand why they are there the body just continues to scream louder and louder with the symptoms somewhat like an angry toddler when you cover your hand over their mouth to make them stop screaming. We all know when we remove our hand they will generally just scream louder and louder until they are "heard" and "understood."
When patients come to see me as their Holistic Dermatologist and they think I am going to just prescribe them some magical root from the Rain forest to cure their hormonal skin condition then we sometimes cannot realistically get a good result with Naturopathic Dermatology because that is not how it works. Incorrect nutrition causes imbalanced hormones especially Female Hormones and it is impossible for me to correct the hormone imbalance without the use of bioidentical hormones when the patient refuses to change their nutrition and work to a more Naturopathic Diet and lifestyle that helps them live itch free in their skin again. I struggle to make diet changes but know that the reward of feeling good in my skin is far greater than eating a few things that make me sick. My own personal triggers I have found are not even foods I enjoy eating but foods I thought were "Health Foods" and was eating them regularly to be healthy. So imagine my shock when I realize that these foods were creating eczema, psoriasis and inflammation in my skin?
The problem with your outside is on the inside. When I teach my new Dermatology patients their new diet for "their body," many choose to never return to their old way of eating because they feel so much better on the fuel that is correct for their body. Imagine having your skin improve AND feeling better, thinner and more energetic? That is what my Naturopathic diet for my skin does for me.... My weight is actually 25 pounds less than in my twenties when I had acne! I weighed 165 pounds when I was graduating college in 1999, and now easily maintain my weight at 140. So the benefits of thinking in a holistic manner for your skin are far greater than just improving your skin!
I only want patients to enroll in to my practice that will be my next Dermatology success story. I can confidently say after practicing Holistic Dermatology for over fifteen years that patients that are willing to follow my instructions will get better with their skin condition and those that are not on the same page as me and won't follow my instructions just don't get better. Many new patients erroneously feel we should be applying only topical treatments or are stuck in an allopathic naturopathic medicine model that treats each symptom with an herb rather than treating the underlying cause of the symptoms with an herb. When we give a patient an herbal medicine, vitamin or supplement for their skin symptom we are "Slapping a band-aid" on the skin problem in the exact same way that steroids and antibiotics do not address the underlying cause. In Naturopathy "Tolle Causom" is one of our most important healing principals because the patient WILL NEVER EVER EVER GET BETTER....Until we treat the cause!
In my fifteen years of experience successfully treating dermatology patients that is what all of my success stories have in common. They trust me to investigate the underlying cause of their itchy skin and they trust me to implement a plan that will address treating the root cause of their skin problems. Please do not take away my "Joy of fixing your skin" if you know you won't be able to change your diet to whatever I say you need to eat and remember to take your supplements as prescribed.
Holistic Dermatology is very complex and when hormone driven, is never usually what the patient thinks or suspects.... which is why it is difficult for me to help patients in Holistic Dermatology that do not understand this key concept and are not committed to finding and treating the underlying cause of their skin condition with natural medicine.
DO NATURAL TREATMENTS WORK FOR ACNE?
I know you all want me to prescribe herbs to apply to your skin and I will. I promise we will also do this. I promise we will still use 100% natural eczema treatments, natural acne treatments and natural treatments for psoriasis. However, I also promise that if you treat the hormone imbalance you will not need to continue to apply natural or prescription topical products. To me as a "Holistic Dermatologist" that is the ultimate goal... I want my patients to not have to apply anything to their skin. I know what a vicious frustrating loop that is and wasted years of my life fruitlessly applying things to my skin when ultimately the problem with my skin was brewing on the insides and I needed to treat my skin from within.
WHO WILL BE SUCCESSFUL WITH HOLISTIC DERMATOLOGY?
If you are able to precisely follow my directions, then I am able to help you with your Dermatology condition. I do not treat patients with skin cancer or provide minor surgery in my office. You would need to see an MD Dermatologist for skin cancer and have it properly removed.
IS HOLISTIC DERMATOLOGY SAFE FOR MY CHILD?
This is a top question we get every day. Can you help my teen daughter with her hormones and acne? Is it safe? As a mom myself, I can say with great confidence that Naturopathic Medicine is by far safer and better for your child than prescription drugs. Why would we want to put your undeveloped teen daughter on birth control pills or antibiotics? First of all birth control pills are causing osteoporosis from inhibiting female hormones needed for bone formation as well as other developmental markers.
Birth control pills do not fix the problem, they mask it. They also do not work when the hormone imbalance is not caused by female hormones and is originating elsewhere in the endocrine system.
Naturopathy is safe, effective and provides lasting solutions for children with itchy skin and acne. Pediatric Dermatology has been a passion of mine for years and it usually is about the child's diet and something wrong with the inside. Giving your child steroids, accutane or antibiotics is not good for their overall health and completely unnecessary if they are a good patient. Accutane can cause liver damage and suicidal thoughts.
WHAT TEENAGERS CANNOT BE HELPED WITH HORMONAL ACNE?
If your child has hormonal acne and you do not think they will make diet changes or remember to take supplements and you are not capable of enforcing this there is also little sense for parents to waste their time and money with Naturopathy. Although it can be helpful we will not see a result with chronic skin problems until we treat the ROOT CAUSE and heal the skin from the inside out. Generally children are my most compliant Dermatology patients because it makes complete sense to them that what they eat impacts their skin. They want to feel good in their skin. Many teen girls are my best acne patients because they feel such saddening shame with their skin.
Teens can also be stubborn though, so lets make sure they are on board with working with me! 😉
HORMONAL ACNE DIET AND NUTRITION
The most common causes of hormonal acne I see in my practice are from female hormone imbalance and insulin resistance. My "Hormonal Acne Diet Program" works to address both of these issues. We must treat the skin at it's Root Cause with the right nutrition and correct foods. I also help guide you through the process of eliminating and testing trigger foods that are starred for a reason in my program. As many triggers are very individualized and certain skin triggers that affect me, may not impact you.
Therefore my diet program will help give your skin a break from these trigger foods so that you can test them after being off them to see if this causes an acne flare within 1-7 days of eating the trigger food.
HOW DO YOU HELP PATIENTS AS AN ACNE DOCTOR?
With my Complete Naturopathic "Hormonal Acne Diet Program" and Telemedicine or In clinic hormone testing to determine the cause of the hormone imbalance impacting the skin we can work together to improve hormonal acne. Since I rarely prescribe medicine or hormone for acne, this is an easy thing for me to work with you on if you are not in Arizona. I do help patients out of state conduct hormone testing.
I am a living breathing success story for treating hormonal acne, eczema and psoriasis with natural medicine and nutrition. If you truly want lasting solutions then I believe in my heart that Naturopathic Medicine is the only answer! The only way out of hormonal acne is through my hormone testing process and "Hormonal Acne Diet" program. If you are not making significant progress with my program, then you definitely need to sign up to work with me so we can figure out why.
I would be happy to help you feel good in your skin again! Simply visit my SCHEDULE page and lets get working towards perfect skin before you end up with permanent scarring like I have!
Dr. Nicole Sundene, NMD
Dr. Sundene is a Naturopathic Doctor in Scottsdale, Arizona, and is considered a Female Hormone Expert in Women's Health and Bioidentical Hormones. She specializes in Holistic Women's Health for Menopause, Thyroid, Hashimotos, PMS, Perimenopause, Autoimmune, Postpartum, Chronic Fatigue, Depression, Anxiety, Food Allergies, Digestion, Dermatology , Acne, Psoriasis, Eczema and Adrenal Hormonal Conditions. In 1999 she began working for a Hormone Doctor prior to starting Naturopathic Medical School. With over 22 years of experience in both Prescription and Natural women's health and hormones she presents to women the best integrated health solutions for their Chronic Disease. She has been an Herbalist for over 27 years and enjoys teaching women how to use herbs to balance their hormones, nutrition and optimize their health. Dr. Sundene relies on blood testing for her hormone metrics. The hormone testing is covered per the patient's insurance plan and conducted at certain points in the woman's menstrual cycle. To learn more about Hormone Testing for Women Visit: Bioidentical Hormones. Follow Dr. Sundene on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for more tips on Women's Health, Female Hormones and Naturopathy!
Dermatology Anti-Aging Tip: What’s bubbling in today’s cauldron you ask? Doc’s Secret Dermatology Potion: Licorice Root, Ginger and Blackberries! The secret to having beautiful skin free of acne, eczema, dermatitis and psoriasis is finding creative ways to get more berries and antioxidants such as licorice and ginger into your diet. Today I will share my secret "Anti-Aging Dermatology Potion" and explain the benefits of each herb for the skin.
Berries are high in flavonoids and vitamin C that help protect our skin from damage by free radicals. Anti-oxidants are also important to prevent the loss of collagen, the layer behind our skin that helps our skin to look plump and youthful.
Collagen is what women pay a lot of money to their Dermatologist to inject under their skin but you can build it naturally with herbal medicine.
A 2013 a Dermatologist research study by The Journal of Preventive Medicine, concluded that ginger provides anti-inflammatory benefits to the skin via its active ingredient gingerol. This is why my Dermatology patients notice how much better their skin appears when using my “Gingerberry Blaster.” This is what lead me to finding this research about the benefits of ginger for the skin!
Using ginger regularly helps the skin’s appearance and ability to heal faster as ginger is also a “Vulnerary Herb” or wound healer. A 2017 Dermatology research study from The Journal of Phytochemistry demonstrated that 6-shogaol a component of ginger actually helped protect skin cells from UVB light and aids skin regeneration once damaged by free radicals. This is amazing news for Dermatology patients that struggle with skin cancer and those that want to prevent skin cancer. Instead of just relying on putting sunscreen on the skin we can also improve the skin by internally taking ginger.
Another 2020 Dermatology study on ginger concluded that 6-shogaol may be protective against damage to melanocytes and a potential therapeutic agent for Vitiligo as well as Skin Cancer Prevention. So if you are constantly out in the sun or even often, my Gingerberry Blaster Recipe is an excellent “Daily Dermatology Ritual.”
Did you know that licorice was also found successful in improving acne and Rosacea vs a 0.02% Triamcinalone cream in a 2018 randomized Dermatology trial published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology.
Many people do not believe I am 45, and I attribute that to relying on herbal medicine to treat my own acne and eczema along with clean eating! My skin looks better now than it did at age 20. Click on my Free Holistic Dermatology Presentation to see for yourself and learn more about how I use Naturopathic Medicine to treat many chronic Dermatology conditions at the ROOT CAUSE:
#“Holistic Dermatology: Acne, Eczema and Itchy Skin” simply follow the link:
www.DermatologyDetective.com
Dr. Nicole Sundene
Holistic Dermatologist
Dr. Nicole Sundene, NMD
Dr. Sundene is a Naturopathic Doctor in Scottsdale, Arizona, and is considered a Female Hormone Expert in Women's Health and Bioidentical Hormones. She specializes in Holistic Women's Health for Menopause, Thyroid, Hashimotos, PMS, Perimenopause, Autoimmune, Postpartum, Chronic Fatigue, Depression, Anxiety, Food Allergies, Digestion, Dermatology , Acne, Psoriasis, Eczema and Adrenal Hormonal Conditions. In 1999 she began working for a Hormone Doctor prior to starting Naturopathic Medical School. With over 22 years of experience in both Prescription and Natural women's health and hormones she presents to women the best integrated health solutions for their Chronic Disease. She has been an Herbalist for over 27 years and enjoys teaching women how to use herbs to balance their hormones, nutrition and optimize their health. Dr. Sundene relies on blood testing for her hormone metrics. The hormone testing is covered per the patient's insurance plan and conducted at certain points in the woman's menstrual cycle. To learn more about Hormone Testing for Women Visit: Bioidentical Hormones. Follow Dr. Sundene on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for more tips on Women's Health, Female Hormones and Naturopathy!
Dr. Nicole Sundene
Scottsdale Naturopathic Doctor
Food Sensitivity Testing is much different than Food Allergy testing. IgG Food Sensitivity Testing is primarily what I use in my Naturopathic women's health practice as I find it very helpful for many chronic disease conditions such as neurological, behavioral, gastrointestinal, and dermatological.
Beware of cheap food sensitivity tests I have seen on Facebook, they resulted in not providing me with any of the information I expected to see with the foods I normally react to and the foods that are safe. This is a test that should be ordered by your Naturopathic Doctor, and not online, and oftentimes the #1 reason I am struggling to get my patient better because I do not have the correct information about the best nutrition for their body. "Yes I did that test and it said to eliminate ___________" Which later turns out to be totally false and unhelpful.
Why does this matter?
Food is the biggest form of inflammation in the body so we have to get each individual patients nutrition right and understanding which foods may or may not be triggers is an imperative piece of the process as I explain in my own story of "Why I Became a Naturopathic Doctor" and described going from doctor to doctor to Dermatologist, to Gastroenterologist, to Psychiatrist, to no avail.
Looking at Food Sensitivities and Triggers helps you take less supplements and herbs because you are eating the foods that are right for your individual body type and constitution. This helps us get to the "Root Cause" of health symptoms.
Should I test for IgE allergy or IgG allergy?
While I do occasionally order IgE allergy testing this is a different type of allergy, or a true allergy. Whereas IgG reactions are generally more of a sensitivity and do not generally cause severe symptoms unless a lot of the offending food is consumed at once. Although I do have women that tell me they will never eat the food again because it makes them so sick!
FOOD SENSITIVITY SYMPTOMS:
IMPORTANT NOTE: You do NOT need to have ANY stomach symptoms to have food sensitivities! This is oftentimes the #1 reason my patients are not successful with Naturopathic Medicine and my Functional Medicine nutrition principles because they assume they "do not need this test because my digestion is fine and I have no digestive issues."
I have most commonly been told this by women with Anemia and Osteoporosis, yet it turns out to be exactly why they are not absorbing calcium, magnesium, vitamins iron, and minerals.
Yet, I find it very difficult to remove inflammation without a ton of supplements and herbs when patients have multiple symptoms of food sensitivities but decide not to proceed with the testing. The testing is essentially the fastest most efficient way I help my patients with chronic disease symptoms feel better.
Food sensitivity testing is a miraculous thing in my Naturopathic opinion as it helps us custom tailor the diet to the individual.
Back in the 80's I always complained of stomach aches and fatigue and therefore often went to the doctor. Spending so much time at the doctor for my stomach aches is probably a huge part of "Why I Became a Naturopathic Doctor." My doctor would run a chem panel and CBC and say I had anemia and tell my mom to give me more Wheaties for the iron. The stomachaches would get worse and back to the doctor we would then go. Again and again.
Unfortunately, we did not have fancy Food Sensitivity Testing back in the 80's and had he run a simple blood test on me he could have told me to STOP eating Wheaties because I have a severe gluten allergy which was causing my fatigue stomach aches, and malabsorption picture contributing to the anemia.
Now I can live free of stomach aches and have learned that too much gluten also triggers migraine headaches and eczema. So if I did not do a Food Sensitivity Test I would be on a dozen prescription medications to treat all my different symptoms caused by the reactive foods. This was the case in the 90's until I found Naturopathic Medicine and learned to treat my stomach pain at THE ROOT CAUSE. Even natural medicines and herbs can pile up when we ignore the patient's diet. At one point working in a health food store, I managed to switch all my prescription drugs to natural medicines to control my symptoms. Yet I was still taking a lot of natural medicines to treat each individual symptom while failing to address them at their Root Cause.
Symptoms from food sensitivities can last hours to days and remain in the system much longer than IgE allergies. While IgE allergies may come on swiftly and leave suddenly with treatment, IgG sensitivities can linger and create prolonged inflammation. My patients can be affected for 1-7 days after consuming the food which makes it much more difficult to pinpoint than a peanut allergy that comes on very quickly after consumption.
Clinical studies have found the elimination of IgG positive foods specific to the individual helpful in improving irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, ADHD, epilepsy, autism, and even cystic fibrosis. The mechanism of action is the reduction of inflammation from foods the patient is sensitive to. This reduces inflammation, phlegm, and swelling which tend to worsen most chronic disease states.
Many patients are led to believe they have had their “food allergies” tested but this was done via IgE allergy testing by an MD or allergist by a blood draw or skin prick testing. Rarely has the patient been properly tested for Food Sensitivity or IgG reactions by their MD which can cause a completely different set of symptoms.
In Naturopathy we often use the term “Food Allergies” incorrectly when what we are really referring to are “Food Sensitivities,” or foods that you can eat in small amounts that will not require the use of an epipen such as in a true food allergy. Patients with true food allergies generally have breathing problems, dermatology skin rashes, and hives and require treatment with Benadryl and epinephrine. Whereas patients with food sensitivities have a wider range of symptoms that can occur which we will discuss today.
Think of most food sensitivities more like “food hangovers.” Generally, patients feels fine and happy while eating the food, it is the next day or next few days when we see the reaction. While you are not going to die from eating the food, nor will you need an Epipen for food sensitivity, instead a wide array of annoying symptoms from dermatology, mental health, inflammation, diarrhea, constipation, IBS, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, and autoimmunity can be impacted by the regular consumption of foods that are inflammatory specific to the individual.
FOOD SENSITIVITY TEST KIT REVIEWS
While I am not going to say bad things about certain food sensitivity test companies, many of them are total garbage and not worth the piece of paper they are printed on. Whatever you do if you think you have food triggers, please do not buy a random test. Please do not test your food sensitivities with some food test kit on Facebook, as often those are not accurate and there are only four food sensitivity test companies that I trust as a Naturopathic Doctor.
I have tried many of the commercially available food sensitivity tests and found them to be completely inaccurate in confirming the foods I already know I am sensitive to. I was left very disappointed, confused, and upset I had wasted my money on inaccurate tests. I was even more upset that I wasted my time eliminating foods that did not cause a reaction at all when I challenged them by eating high amounts of the food three times daily for three days after being completely off of it for three weeks.
If you want to have your food sensitivities tested you should not do this alone but under the guidance of a skilled Functional Medicine Doctor or Naturopathic Doctor.
Otherwise, we will not be able to heal your body from the food sensitivity and you will need to continue to avoid the food for a long time when better options exist. A good Naturopathic Doctor will help you determine the root cause of the food sensitivities and help heal your gut so you can return to eating the food moderately.
Food Sensitivity Testing is simple to conduct via a quick finger poke. When you receive your test kit in the mail, be sure to write the date of collection on the test kit, and fill in the correct number of circles fully to avoid test rejection. The blood should dry at least four hours before mailing to the food testing company.
Oftentimes it is difficult for me to help patients as a Naturopathic Doctor when they are not able to check their food sensitivities. This is because food sensitivities, are different for each patient, and create a lot of inflammation. I can only prescribe so many supplements and herbs to combat this inflammation which also becomes expensive and time-consuming. Or as one of my colleagues likes to say "I cannot out supplement your crappy diet." The more complicated the symptom picture and amount of supplements the patient requires, the more likely we are missing something very critical at the foundation. The foundation of health is the patient's nutrition.
By identifying trigger foods that cause food reactions we can reduce inflammation, heal the ROOT CAUSE of the food sensitivities and return the patient to a normal diet over time. Most patients can eat the foods they are sensitive to on occasion while some patients prefer to strictly avoid anything that may cause them to feel sick or inflamed.
To request your Food Sensitivity Test kit prior to your new patient visit, simply call the office at (480) 837-0900. If you are out of state we can work with you via telemedicine. Simply call to order your Food Sensitivity Test kit and then we will review the results at your new patient telemedicine visit four weeks after you have mailed the test in. While I am unable to prescribe medications to patients outside of Arizona, the majority of what I do as a Naturopathic Doctor rarely involves prescribing medications. Therefore it should be relatively easy to address your Food Sensitivities via Telemedicine and work to cure the underlying leaky gut syndrome that tends to cause them.
Please allow the lab 3-4 weeks to process your sample to provide us with the results of your Food Sensitivity Test. We recommend scheduling your dietary counseling visit to review the results and develop your new allergy-free diet at least four weeks after you send your test kit in.
Dr. Nicole Sundene
(480) 837-0900
Dr. Sundene is a Naturopathic Doctor in Scottsdale, Arizona, and is considered a Female Hormone Expert in Women's Health and Bioidentical Hormones. She specializes in Holistic Women's Health for Menopause, Thyroid, Hashimotos, PMS, Perimenopause, Autoimmune, Postpartum, Chronic Fatigue, Depression, Anxiety, Food Allergies, Digestion, Dermatology , Acne, Psoriasis, Eczema and Adrenal Hormonal Conditions. In 1999 she began working for a Hormone Doctor prior to starting Naturopathic Medical School. With over 22 years of experience in both Prescription and Natural women's health and hormones she presents to women the best integrated health solutions for their Chronic Disease. She has been an Herbalist for over 27 years and enjoys teaching women how to use herbs to balance their hormones, nutrition and optimize their health. Dr. Sundene relies on blood testing for her hormone metrics. The hormone testing is covered per the patient's insurance plan and conducted at certain points in the woman's menstrual cycle. To learn more about Hormone Testing for Women Visit: Bioidentical Hormones. Follow Dr. Sundene on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for more tips on Women's Health, Female Hormones and Naturopathy!
Dr. Nicole Sundene, NMD
Holistic Dermatology & Hormones
Cystic Acne is a form of Hormonal Acne that tends to NOT follow the normal program when it comes to what is helpful for my typical acne patients.
Both the internal treatments from a Naturopathic standpoint, and the topical treatments vary quite differently in my mind and it is very important to get this skin condition under control with the proper treatments that work for cystic acne rather than lumping acne patients into a “one sized fits all” treatment plan that always fails the poor cystic acne patient.
The real Dermatological problem with cystic acne is it is occurring DEEP within the skin, and therefore most topical treatments are completely useless as they will not penetrate deep enough to be effective.
Cystic acne often does not rise to a head as normal acne, and attempting to pop cystic acne will cause scarring, as I have received from my own frustrating battle with cystic acne I share in "My Personal Acne Story."
Furthermore, so many of my cystic acne patients are in pain, frustrated, and desperate that they are constantly picking at their cystic acne and using mechanical scrubs.
If you do not learn anything from me today please learn that you should PLEASE THROW any mechanical scrubs into THE GARBAGE CAN if you have cystic acne and not use them. They will aggravate this condition and generally just dry out the top layers of the skin without addressing the problem at "The Root Cause."
Cystic acne is a very complicated chronic disease condition to treat in my experience, and is always multifactorial. Identifying all of the triggers from diet, hormone imbalance, and environmental causes must be addressed in order for cystic acne to permanently resolve.
As a female hormone specialist, I have seen many patients over the years with cystic acne, and there is always some form of hormone imbalance occurring between the female hormones, the pancreatic hormones, thyroid, and/or adrenals. Occasionally some women have imbalances in all of the aforementioned hormone systems.
The other issue with hormones and acne is that most of the MD's I worked for over eight years do not have the understanding of female hormones, and fine-tuning them that I have, and even if they know how to order your hormone panel (most do not) they don't know what numbers are optimal, and they lack the Naturopathic tools that I have to address the hormone imbalance.
The other issue with an MD treating your cystic acne, is they only know how to prescribe hormones, they don't know how to balance them. Generally, I do not prescribe hormones for cystic acne, which would be the only thing they would know how to do for you. Hormone excess is generally the issue at hand, herbs and natural supplements they don't know how to prescribe are then used to treat the hormone imbalance to clear up cystic ane.
A skilled women's health and hormone doctor is mandatory to diagnose the root cause of the cystic acne and order the correct lab panel that addresses all the hormones that can be potentially out of balance. My lab panel for this is generally 5-7 pages. Patients often tell me their MD just "Checked all their hormones," and all I see is a TSH, and or a testosterone level.
If we also do not address the diet and make dietary changes there is generally NO HOPE for me to improve your cystic acne. Just taking hormones is generally not enough, most hormone diseases I see occur because of digestive issues, as in Functional Medicine we call Digestion the “Mother of Hormone Imbalance,” so I never want someone to enroll in my practice and expect me to help their cystic acne, if they are not willing to make dietary changes.
It will simply be a waste of everyone's time and I only want patients to sign up to work with me that are willing to let go of whatever preconceived notions of diet they have and work to eat the diet their body is directing them to follow via signals from their skin.
Naturopathic Medicine will fail patients that cannot make diet changes, and it is important that patients know that up front so they can either work in conjunction with a counselor to assist me in enforcing gradual dietary changes needed by the body, or simply not sign up for Naturopathic services if you are reading this and thinking… “Nope, nope, nope…not gonna do it lady….”
Trust me, I feel your pain with diet changes and have struggled to cure my own cystic acne over the years. It was my 3rd year in Naturopathic school that I sat in on a lecture about cystic acne and realized I was doing everything wrong trying to apply things to my skin WAS USELESS as the professor described, and I needed to change my nutrition completely. It was only when I changed my nutrition, that my cystic acne cleared up. When I cheat on my nutrition too much around the holidays guess what happens?
It comes right back!
I still struggle with some of the dietary choices but I am able to them 80-90% of the time so that my skin is now clear. So this is something I live every day myself. I know it works, I get amazing long lasting results with patients that astonish and wow their friends and family with their beautiful glowing skin!
I have had also a few failures treating cystic acne because parents enroll their teenager without asking them first if this is something they are willing to try to do. Have your teenagers read my blogs on acne and let them decide if they will be able to do it or not. Many are enthusiastic, and are really excited to learn about the option of Naturopathic Medicine!
With that being said, many of my teenagers are some of the most diligent compliant acne, eczema, dandruff, and psoriasis patients! Most of us adults tend to have more food hang ups and habits than teens, and many children are very intuitive with their body and are excited to have all the right information. Kids also think it makes perfect sense that the food they eat is making their skin bad and they are more open to making changes with proper instruction and follow-up. I can work with picky eaters, as I was that way too. If you can get your child to commit to 2-4 weeks of diet changes their cystic acne will clear up and they will see the benefits of the diet changes, that is when they will be the most motivated to follow it for the long run.
How to care for your cystic acne:
Use all mild products that are hypoallergenic and free of parabens, phthalates, and xenoestrogen agents as hormonal acne can be made worse by these fake hormone chemicals.
Use a mild peel on your skin at bedtime that is not a mechanical scrub. Never scrub acne prone areas! Scrubbing your acne just spreads the bacteria causing acne around your skin and makes it worse!
It is better to exfoliate daily with a gentle peel such as beta, alpha and glycolic acids. Aloe vera is also a natural exfoliator and perfect for my cystic acne patients to use as their “spot treatment” as I discuss in my blog, “Dr. Nicole’s #1 Acne Potion.”
Apply “Dr. Nicole’s Acne Potion” to your problem areas before moisturizing and 2-5 times daily to reduce inflammation to your acne lesions
Apply a very light moisturizer to your skin that is hypoallergenic and free of parabens and phthalates as I discussed also above. None of your products should have these hormone mimickers as it is the #1 thing messing up hormonal acne and cystic acne for some of my female patients!
Go to an esthetician for monthly facials and ensure they are following my instructions as above and guiding you to the right trusted paraben and phthalate free organic products that will be the best for your type of acne.
Keep in mind that with cystic acne, “Less is more.” I often think of the movie Tommy Boy, where he sets his sale on fire, and completely loses his sale because he is overly aggressive and stressed out.
This is how I was before I learned the best treatment for cystic acne. I had a lengthy ritual of bedtime treatments and morning treatments I would apply to the cysts, and in hindsight I was really aggravating my skin. Less is more!
I hear and see this happening often with my cystic acne patients, and as a hormone doctor that endured a long battle of cystic acne which I explain in my blog, “My Battle with Adult Acne,” I know how frustrating it is and how it can even impact your self esteem and cause low self esteem.
While I never judge anyone that has acne, I know it caused me to hide and avoid events that required me not to wear make-up like pool parties, hiking, and camping with friends. I was privately horrified with how my skin looked and always had a giant boil forming on my chin or jaw line as well as general acne breakouts.
As the first step for your cystic acne treatment, please stop using harsh peels, mechanical scrubs, and oily products on your face. All of these will make your skin much worse, and you need to get the right topical and internal treatments, and a diagnosis for your flavor of hormone imbalance, so that we can prevent you from having permanent scarring on your face.
Did you know I find many different types of hormone imbalance causing cystic acne? It is not a one sized fits all treatment process, and I am more of a "Dermatology Detective."
I used to work for a Dermatologist that would actually shoot steroids into my cystic acne, so I know how miserable it can be. But, what I have learned from that is that our skin is simply sending us messages in the form of a skin problem, once we listen to the message and address the physical imbalance…. The skin problem goes away. That is then how I work my way out of a job as your “Holistic Dermatologist.”
If you have cystic acne and want to prevent scarring to your skin, simply pop over to my SCHEDULE page to treat yourself to a Naturopathic visit. I would be happy to help!
Dr. Nicole Sundene
(480) 837-0900
Dr. Sundene is a Naturopathic Doctor in Scottsdale, Arizona, and is a Female Hormone Expert in Women's Health and Bioidentical Hormones. She specializes in Holistic Women's Health for Menopause, Thyroid, Hashimotos, PMS, Perimenopause, Autoimmune, Postpartum, Chronic Fatigue, Depression, Anxiety, Food Allergies, Digestion, Dermatology, Acne, Psoriasis, Eczema, and Adrenal Hormonal Conditions. In 1999 she began working for a Hormone Doctor prior to starting Naturopathic Medical School. With over 23 years of experience in both Prescription and Natural women's health and hormones, she presents to women the best-integrated health solutions for their Chronic Disease.
She has been an Herbalist for over 28 years and enjoys teaching women how to use herbs to balance their hormones, nutrition and optimize their health. Dr. Sundene relies on blood testing for her hormone metrics. The hormone testing is covered per the patient's insurance plan (not Medicaid) and conducted at certain points in the woman's menstrual cycle. To learn more about Hormone Testing for Women Visit: Bioidentical Hormones. Follow Dr. Sundene on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for more tips on Women's Health, Female Hormones, and Naturopathy!
Dr. Nicole Sundene
Thyroid hormones impact a variety of roles in the body. Right before my thyroid went into hypothyroidism or low thyroid function, I was suffering from a variety of bizarre symptoms as I tell in my tale of "Why I Became a Naturopathic Doctor."
What happened a few years after all the sudden onset skin problems, allergies, depression, ADHD, and stomach aches was my start of taking thyroid hormone. First I was put on synthetic levothyroxine which was only somewhat beneficial for energy, but I was still tired and it did not fix my skin, hair, or aid with weight loss.
Next I saw a Naturopathic Hormone Doctor and started the better Armour thyroid and began to feel back to "normal." This is when many of the symptoms went away for good. My body was not happy because my thyroid level was too low. This is a genetic condition that runs on both sides of my family. Some thyroid patients need hormones, and some do not and just need nutritional or herbal support.
However, I do not believe in waiting until official hypothyroidism or Hashimoto's has occurred and my patient is forty pounds overweight with cystic acne boils all over their face to begin treatment, as this makes zero sense to me as a bioidentical hormone doc.
With mild symptoms as listed below we can use natural vitamins, supplements, and herbs, and natural thyroid gland. Most women feel better on natural thyroid gland, or NDT "Natural Dessicated Thyroid," yet few doctors want to deal with prescribing it because it IS annoying for them to have to conduct hormone labs twice a year to monitor it, and prescribing levothyroxine only requires one test per year.
While everyone knows that hypothyroidism causes fatigue, hair loss, and weight gain, my patients are often shocked to realize a lot of the medications they are taking is a result of their thyroid being sub-optimally dosed. So today I want to review less common symptoms of hypothyroidism that can occur from lack of proper thyroid medication management, thyroid deficiency, borderline hypothyroidism, and un-diagnosed hypothyroidism.
Many women actually already have all of these symptoms and truly do have hypothyroidism yet their Family Doctor checks just their TSH (a third of a minimal thyroid panel) and tells them their thyroid is fine. Meanwhile, after I have checked the remainder of the missing minimal thyroid test panel I find deficient or completely missing actual thyroid hormones. If you have the below symptoms this is not okay! If you are just getting this as a routine screening a TSH is fine with your check up. But it is not sufficient in my opinion to decipher if your hormone levels are actually sufficient.
Ladies, please look at your labs and if your doctor is just checking your TSH, they are doing you a grave disservice! This is a sign the doctor barely understands the basics about hormones and you should just stop asking them to manage your hormones. Visit my schedule page, and make an appointment with me immediately so we can conduct proper hormone testing, especially important if you are undiagnosed with a cluster of the below symptoms.
Just checking TSH is eighties medicine that should be drop kicked out to pasture with prescribing women synthetic “Horsey Hormones” prescribed in the nineties for hot flashes.
This is not modern preventive medicine in Women's Health. We have better natural things!
First of all spot testing just one hormone when a woman has hormonal symptoms is like mammogramming one breast, looking in one ear, and one eye and assuming the other half is fine. Women are complicated and need a complete female hormone panel with their thyroid. TSH should be used only as a screening tool, as it is actually testing the brain’s messenger, TSH to check what the thyroid.
This is as grossly unhelpful and inaccurate as testing FSH, to determine what a woman's estrogen levels are. FSH is a message the brain sends down to the ovaries to make more hormones. This would be considered completely stupid for me to do by any doctor I have ever worked with in the past twenty years. MD or ND. So why is everyone obsessed with this minimalist TSH testing and synthetic thyroid hormones? Why and ew?
The truth is that most MD's do not want to deal with natural hormones and have been brainwashed against them in the eighties, when they were told they are dangerous by the synthroid rep, despite my hearing time and time again from women that they feel better on natural thyroid hormones verses synthetic synthroid or levothyroxine.
Synthetic hormones and lack of proper thyroid testing is failing women at a rate faster than I can work to keep up with, so I am writing this blog and I ask that you please share this with your girlfriends that need to know so women can be educated up front about the following symptoms that indicate you may have low thyroid function, hypothyroidism, Hashimoto's or suboptimal thyroid dosing from T4 monotherapy aka Levothyroxine.
These symptoms are likely to erupt in the forties and fifties with perimenopause and menopause as female hormones suppress thyroid function when too high or too low.
LOW THYROID SYMPTOMS: HYPOTHYROIDISM
HIGH THYROID HORMONE SYMPTOMS: HYPERTHYROIDISM
Isn’t it interesting how some of the thyroid symptoms occur when the thyroid dose is either too high or too low like shortness of breath, fatigue, hair loss, nerve pain, and moodiness?
No matter how the thyroid ball bounces, getting thyroid hormone dosed correctly is imperative in Women’s Health. Especially in my patients that are menopausal , perimenopausal, or have PCOS, Insulin Resistance, or PMS as very few doctors understand the interconnection of adrenal, thyroid and female hormones that occurs at menopause, and oftentimes I hear women “just don’t feel right” until I get the entire “Spider Web” of interconnected hormones corrected.
Need my help testing hormones and correcting thyroid function? That is one of my favorite things to do as a Female Hormone Specialist and thyroid patient myself. Getting the thyroid perfected is one of the most important ways to help women feel energetic, fit, happy and optimal!
Dr. Nicole Sundene
(480) 837-0900
Dr. Sundene is a Naturopathic Doctor in Scottsdale, Arizona, and is considered a Female Hormone Specialist in Women's Health and Bioidentical Hormones. She specializes in Holistic Women's Health for Menopause, Thyroid, Hashimotos, PMS, Perimenopause, Autoimmune, Postpartum, Chronic Fatigue, Depression, Anxiety, Food Allergies, Digestion, Dermatology , Acne, Psoriasis, Eczema and Adrenal Hormonal Conditions. In 1999 she began working for a Hormone Doctor prior to starting Naturopathic Medical School. With over 22 years of experience in both Prescription and Natural women's health and hormones she presents to women the best integrated health solutions for their Chronic Disease. She has been an Herbalist for over 27 years and enjoys teaching women how to use herbs to balance their hormones, nutrition and optimize their health. Dr. Sundene relies on blood testing for her hormone metrics. The hormone testing is covered per the patient's insurance plan and conducted at certain points in the woman's menstrual cycle. To learn more about Hormone Testing for Women Visit: Bioidentical Hormones. Follow Dr. Sundene on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for more tips on Women's Health, Female Hormones and Naturopathy!
Dr. Nicole Sundene, NMD
Scottsdale Naturopathic Doctor
"Hi Dr. Nicole, How can I make fish taste less fishy? I know you want me to eat fish for my ADHD but I hate the way it smells. Please help!"
Jennifer B Cave Creek, AZ
Hi Jennifer! Thanks for the great question. I also hate the smell of fish. I never ate it until I went to Naturopathic Medical School and realized the importance of Omega-3's for brain health. A Naturopathic Doctor, "Dr. Bruce" taught me this recipe. This recipe is fast and easy to make. You can use any kind of fish that is low in mercury.
If I can make this recipe as a very busy Naturopathic Doctor, then ANYONE can make this recipe. Combining the simple whole foods ingredients of salmon with Rosemary is not only an amazing tonic for the cardiovascular system, but also imperative for ADHD, memory loss and concentration as well. The omega-3's in salmon are very important for dry skin, psoriasis, eczema, shiny thick hair, and many dermatology conditions!
The omega-3 oils combine nicely with the anti-oxidant and circulatory properties of Rosemary to give your brain a much-needed mental boost! This is brain food at its finest! Try eating this salmon for lunch to have a productive afternoon at work. This is the perfect recipe for someone with ADHD.
Dr. Nicole’s Rosemary Memory Salmon
Growing Rosemary in your yard or garden is one of the most low-maintenance herbs possible. Simply plant in a sunny location, water if you remember, and pinch back as needed! Rosemary makes for fabulous, inexpensive shrubbery and each time you prune some back you can use it to make a recipe! Be sure to stop by and visit your rosemary often, pinch off a sprig to smell or chew on throughout the day as a potent antioxidant that boost your immune system, mental health, memory, and brain! Check out my blog on Rosemary for more information about its benefits.
Thank you for your questions about Holistic Women's Health. Please send them to me on a postcard and remember if your Naturopathic question cannot fit on a postcard you need to SCHEDULE an appointment with me! Always check with your Naturopathic Doctor before using new herbs, especially when combining them with medication. You need someone that is an Integrative Health expert such as myself that is trained and experienced in doing this!
“There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance.” ~William Shakespeare, Hamlet
~Dr. Nicole Sundene
(480) 837-0900
Dr. Sundene is a Naturopathic Doctor in Scottsdale, Arizona, and is considered a Female Hormone Expert in Women's Health and Bioidentical Hormones. She specializes in Holistic Women's Health for Menopause, Thyroid, Hashimotos, PMS, Perimenopause, Autoimmune, Postpartum Depression, Chronic Fatigue, Depression, Anxiety, Food Allergies, Digestion, Dermatology , Acne, Psoriasis, Eczema and Adrenal Hormonal Conditions. In 1999 she began working for a Hormone Doctor prior to starting Naturopathic Medical School. With over 23 years of experience in both Prescription and Natural women's health and hormones, she presents to women the best-integrated health solutions for their Chronic Disease. She has been an Herbalist for over 28 years and enjoys teaching women how to use herbs to balance their hormones, nutrition and optimize their health. Dr. Sundene relies on blood testing for her hormone metrics. The hormone testing is covered per the patient's insurance plan and conducted at certain points in the woman's menstrual cycle. To learn more about Hormone Testing for Women Visit: Bioidentical Hormones. Follow Dr. Sundene on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for more tips on Women's Health, Female Hormones, and Naturopathy!
Dr. Nicole Sundene
Holistic Psychiatry & Women's Health
Menopausal women recently reported in a June 2023 study feeling happier on saffron! Did you know that saffron has repeatedly been proven as safe and effective for anxiety, insomnia, and depression?
The world’s most expensive spice is not only delicious but important medicine. Saffron costs about twenty dollars per gram because the harvesting process is extremely tedious and each flower only produces three threads of saffron. Saffron is most commonly used in expensive and exotic dishes, Morrocan and East Indian cooking. The herbal medicinal components of saffron contain powerful antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, beta carotene and mental health benefits!
The stigma is actually the female reproductive part of the plant which is why its pigments are full of nutrition and antioxidants to attract bees, butterflies, and pollinators. After the crocus blooms the red stigmas come out shortly after.
Saffron is a warming spice used in risotto, boulibasse, and paella that is plucked from the crocus flower. The saffron stigmas are then dried for use in cooking or as medicine.
Since so many of my mental health patients have been asking me about saffron, I wanted to share the latest saffron research. We have two new research studies on saffron released in June of 2023! These studies again confirm that saffron made menopausal women happier, and was also safe and effective for anxiety and depression.
Ever since 2014 I have been using saffron on my patients, when I read the research study showing saffron as effective as Prozac for depression. Another study found saffron was safe and effective when combined with the common antidepressants Prozac, Zoloft, and Celexa, and provided a mood boosting synergistic effect. This is important because there is often grave concern in the holistic psychiatry community that too many medications or herbal supplements may cause "Serotonin Syndrome" which can cause dangerous High Blood Pressure. This did not happen with these medications plus saffron!
Researchers also found saffron was as effective as Ritalin for children with ADHD, with less side effects and potential for stunting of growth. When I worked in conventional medicine, we were always measuring kids on ADHD medications for fear the medication would stunt their growth, and it often did. So this is a good first option to try along with my "ADHD Diet" as oftentimes kids don't need us to kill a fly with a cannonball when they cannot concenterate or hold still, and something gentle and safe like saffron plus an omega-3 rich diet, and food trigger removal is all a lot of the kids I treat for ADHD need. Then I work with their psychiatrist to taper them down from their Adderall, Ritalin, or ADHD medication.
My own experimenting with saffron on many patiens has resulted in it being a totally beneficial and benign substance that lifts mood with little side effects.
It is so safe that researchers used it in breastfeeding women with postpartum depression and found it to be a safe and effective natural antidepressant for depressed new moms. This is important in my women’s health practice as many new moms are depressed yet also terrified of taking a prescription drug while breastfeeding. In mild to moderate cases of postpartum depression saffron is safe and effective. As well as beneficial when combined with Zoloft in severe postpartum depression. Although most of my mom's need saffron, along with correcting hormone imbalance and nutritional deficiencies that occur postpartum as I discuss on that blog.
The worst thing that happens with saffron that I see happening in my practice is that patients decide they feel fine on saffron, are no longer depressed, and then mistakenly think they don't need to take it anymore.
Especially when the saffron pharmacy doesn't text you a million times to refill your saffron, pick up your saffron, and then continuously threaten to put your saffron back on the shelf if you don’t pick it up today like our pharmacies do with prescription antidepressants. So within 1-2 weeks after forgetting to take saffron my patients do report going right back to their depressed blah slumpy state.
So if you do choose to start saffron put it on autoship please! Saffron in capsules is not super expensive, so figure out how many capsules you need each month of it and put it on autoship when you order your Vitamins.
Other things to consider with saffron is that it shown to be effective for many conditions. Having a synergistic benefit is generally a good thing, except when the patient or their doctor is not aware of how saffron may be impacting certain medications and medical conditions.
Many research studies have been conducted on saffron safety and efficacy. Researchers also found saffron helpful for ADHD, Insomnia, Diabetes Type 2, Alzheimer’s, Stroke Recovery, Allergies, Asthma, Macular Degeneration, Diabetic Eye Disease, Poor Libido, Erectile Dysfunction, and improves Cholesterol, Blood Pressure, and Chronic Pain. The mechanism of action appears to be that saffron is a potent anti-inflammatory herbal medicine that likely works by improving optimal gene expression.
So keep in mind that you should be supervised by a Naturopathic Doctor if you have medical conditions, or are taking any medications while using saffron as generally I DO need to adjust patient’s medications down. Especially for Anxiety, Depression, Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol, and Pain. While these are basically good problems to have, a Naturopathic Doctor should be monitoring blood work and blood pressure to ensure your numbers do not become too low as either extreme of too high or too low of blood pressure and blood sugar are not good.
Now keep in mind another key point about using saffron, is that if you use it alone it is likely not powerful enough for the severe depression cases I treat. This is when I use it as an “Adjunctive Therapy” as it was found safe and effective to combine synergistically with Prozac, Zoloft, and Celexa. It is afterall just a food. But still be careful, especially with things like depression. I would never want to give someone false hope with severe depression that this will be the only medicine they will need.
Saffron is best for mild and moderate depression and safe as an adjunctive therapy to most prescription antidepressants. Which is important since I commonly hear that antidepressants help my patients somewhat, but do not get their mood to 100%. Until we add saffron!
Saffron also helped reverse the poor libido side effects many patients on antidepressants experience which makes sense considering that it traditionally has been prescribed and studied for male erectile dysfunction. So things that help men's erectile dysfunction generally help women on antidepressants and/or in menopause that have zero libido.
With the epidemic of mental health issues plaguing the public I continue to regularly blog about mental health, thank you to everyone that follows me and shares my posts on their social media. It brings me great joy as a Women's Health Doctor to see my male friends even sharing this important news for women!
I have a lot of mental health patients in my practice that can look very well put together and can put on an amazing show. Only their doctor knows they are anxious, depressed, spinning out in constant panic attacks, battling PTSD or even suicidal.
Together we can fight this mental health epidemic. I am asking for everyone’s help as I cant do it without you. Please help me by sharing my posts, text them to your depressed friends. This is free information. While I prefer everyone to work with me so I can properly help them, I also know many people are not aware of other options to prescription drugs, and do not feel "normal" on antidepressants, yet need to take something.
I do also understand that many people cannot afford medical care right now or are unemployed. I also want to bring awareness of this powerful yet gentle and safe natural remedy for depression. So to save our loved ones we all have to do this together.
The other dangers are using cheap fake forms of saffron. Please stick with doctor recommended reputable sources for your supplements, I prefer the Life Extension brand available to my patients in Fullscript, be careful with the Happy Saffron brand as it contains soy, a high dose of zinc, and carnuba wax. So the Life Extension "Optimized Saffron" choice is what I prescribe to my patients as it has 88.25mg of PURE saffron in it. Most depression studies used only 30mg of saffron. So this product is a healthy pure source of saffron, I see it effectively working for my patients, it is double the researched dose, and I trust Life Extension uses reputable sources that are not full of lead as many herbs from India and China are.
Most research studies I have listed below used 15 mg for children and 30mg for most adults. Some studies did use up to 100mg of saffron! So now I am buying myself several bottles and wondering how amazing I could feel mentally and sleep better at night by trying a full 100mg! Crocus petals were also studied to be effective for mental health, if you do grow this plant.
Thank you for sharing my important holistic nutrition recommendations for depression, anxiety, and PTSD, Everything is free to read and relatively inexpensive on my blog “Depression Tips” and my "ADHD Diet" is critical for all mental health patients to follow as it contains a high amount of Omega-3's while eliminating trigger foods.
Read more about “Anxiety Herbs”, like Schisandra and Ashwaghanda for more of my favorite mental health natural remedies.
Visit my SCHEDULE page to treat yourself to a Naturopathic visit, so we can get to the “Root Cause” of mental health and chronic disease. I would be happy to help!
Dr. Nicole Sundene, NMD
Dr. Sundene is a Naturopathic Doctor in Scottsdale, Arizona, and is considered a Female Hormone Specialist in Women's Health and Bioidentical Hormones. She specializes in Holistic Women's Health for Menopause, Thyroid, Hashimotos, PMS, Perimenopause, Autoimmune, Postpartum, Chronic Fatigue, Depression, Anxiety, Food Allergies, Digestion, Dermatology , Acne, Psoriasis, Eczema and Adrenal Hormonal Conditions. In 1999 she began working for a Hormone Doctor prior to starting Naturopathic Medical School. With over 22 years of experience in both Prescription and Natural women's health and hormones she presents to women the best integrated health solutions for their Chronic Disease. She has been an Herbalist for over 27 years and enjoys teaching women how to use herbs to balance their hormones, nutrition and optimize their health. Dr. Sundene relies on blood testing for her hormone metrics. The hormone testing is covered per the patient's insurance plan and conducted at certain points in the woman's menstrual cycle. To learn more about Hormone Testing for Women Visit: Bioidentical Hormones. Follow Dr. Sundene on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for more tips on Women's Health, Female Hormones and Naturopathy!
References:
By Dr. Nicole Sundene, NMD
Scottsdale Naturopathic Doctor
Naturopathic Medicine is amazing because we actually have medicine that builds you up and helps you be healthier, stronger and more protected from viruses. As a Naturopathic Doctor, I especially love do prescribe the herb Astragalus membranceus to my immunodeficient patients because it is a wonderful immune system “shield” for the winter months.
Avoiding sick people at home, the work place, and social functions is nearly impossible so protecting yourself with proper hand washing, and ensuring that your immune system is properly boosted at all times against whatever the latest virus is going around is an easy enough thing to do.
Many years ago one of my first patients came to see me for constant sickness working as a teacher. Every year it was the same thing.... the kids would get sick then she would get sick and end up with a horrible case of pneumonia. I didn't give her a fancy 12 point Naturopathic treatment plan I simply advised she take 2 capsules of astragalus root twice daily during the school year.
Guess what? She still has not had pneumonia for over 12 years now! Isn't that amazing? Just one little herb has kept my patient out of the hospital for twelve years in a row! When before she met this herb she was in the hospital with pneumonia at least once a year if not twice a year requiring IV antibiotics and missing a month of work at a time.
Now she goes on a vacation to Hawaii every year because she can afford to use her PTO for something fun and not an annual month in the hospital!
Just another reason to love the magic of herbal medicine and Naturopathy!
Astragalus also may be beneficial to the cardiovascular system and lungs. It is an adrenal adaptogen herb that helps the overly stressed and exhausted patient and is indicated for patients that are feeling weak and worn down. So it is perfect for our public servants that have had to deal with a lot of stress and be forced to adapt to a lot of changes.
Be sure to use the root of this plant. Always work with a licensed Naturopathic Doctor or Herbalist that knows what they are doing as not every herb is the right choice for each patient! Some patients with autoimmune disease do not react well to astragalus.
To boost the immune system astragalus can be taken in capsule or tincture form, or a simple tea can be made by simmering 1 heaping tablespoon or ½ stick of the dry root per 8 oz cup of water for about 15 minutes. Astragalus tea can be added to soups, or cooked in to brown rice for an edible immune system treat. I drink this regularly in my "Invincible Mommy Tea" recipe since it is anti-inflammatory and can be helpful for those with chronic pain, chronic fatigue, asthma and poor kidney function.
According to Chinese medicine theory, herbs that engage the shield should not be used once one is actually ill. The analogy is that when “your house is infested with robbers you want to open up all the windows and doors to drive them out”.
Astragalus is a great way to lock down your doors and windows to prevent the winter “robbers” from getting in. Once ill however it is best to use a different kind of herb than this general immune system tonic. Stay tuned for my next blog on how to use the common spices in your kitchen as potent antiviral medications should actually fall ill to a virus and your preventive plan is not enough!
Please do not take Astragalus or other cytokine inducing herbs if you have an autoimmune disease such as Hashimoto's, Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Multiple Scerlosis, Psoriasis, or Scleroderma. This may worsen your immune system. Please check with your Naturopathic Doctor before starting any new herbs. If you need my help simply pop over to my SCHEDULE page to treat yourself to a Naturopathic Doctor visit. I would be happy to help!
Dr. Nicole Sundene, NMD
Dr. Sundene is a Naturopathic Doctor in Scottsdale, Arizona, and is considered a Female Hormone Expert in Women's Health and Bioidentical Hormones. She specializes in Holistic Women's Health for Menopause, Thyroid, Hashimotos, PMS, Perimenopause, Autoimmune, Postpartum, Chronic Fatigue, Depression, Anxiety, Food Allergies, Digestion, Dermatology , Acne, Psoriasis, Eczema and Adrenal Hormonal Conditions. In 1999 she began working for a Hormone Doctor prior to starting Naturopathic Medical School. With over 22 years of experience in both Prescription and Natural women's health and hormones she presents to women the best integrated health solutions for their Chronic Disease. She has been an Herbalist for over 27 years and enjoys teaching women how to use herbs to balance their hormones, nutrition and optimize their health. Dr. Sundene relies on blood testing for her hormone metrics. The hormone testing is covered per the patient's insurance plan and conducted at certain points in the woman's menstrual cycle. To learn more about Hormone Testing for Women Visit: Bioidentical Hormones. Follow Dr. Sundene on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for more tips on Women's Health, Female Hormones and Naturopathy!
Dr. Nicole Sundene, NMD
Scottsdale Naturopathic Doctor
Bloating and constipation in women can be hormonally triggered with PMS each month. Or very commonly can be caused by low stomach acid. I will share my stomach acid test today so you can do this and know if you just need to supplement with HCL or hydrochloric acid.
Bloating in women that does not change or go away should be addressed by a doctor as on rare occasions bloating can be a symptom of Ovarian Cancer, and therefore we should not ignore this symptom in women's health. First, run a simple stomach acid test, if your stomach acid is not low and therefore causing bloating, you should see your Naturopathic Doctor to determine the Root Cause.
To test if you are deficient in stomach acid try this:
STOMACH ACID TEST:
1tsp Baking Soda
2-4 oz Water
Mix together and drink.
Results:
If you burp in 2 minutes you have sufficient stomach acid.
If you burp in under 5 minutes you have low stomach acid.
If you don't burp at all or only have a tiny burp, then you are very low in stomach acid and need to supplement as we will discuss today.
I will also review the hormonal causes of bloating and constipation in women.
Bloating can occur with PMS and Perimenopausal Hormone Imbalance.
Constipation is a frustrating Women's Health condition that can be related to hypothyroidism, PMS, hormone imbalance, diet, stress, and anxiety from a Naturopathic perspective. The best Naturopathic Doctor will work to understand the ROOT CAUSE of constipation from a Mind/Body/Spirit perspective.
While many women are simply under too much emotional stress or "Fight, Flight, Fright" or in too much of a hurry to relax and eliminate their bowels the #1 Hormone Imbalance symptom related to constipation is hypothyroidism. Hashimoto's Thyroiditis will especially cause constipation when the patient is in a low thyroid state and diarrhea when in an Autoimmune thyroid storm. Chronic constipation and straining can cause hemorrhoids.
Constipation refers to the incomplete (small stools) or infrequent (fecal mass remains in colon longer than the normal 24-72 hours after meal ingestion) passage of stools, as well as difficulty passing stools.
The condition can be acute or chronic.
Small rabbit pellet shaped stool is a hallmark symptom of magnesium deficiency and lack of fiber.
Lack of hydration also commonly causes constipation.
Most people experience constipation from time to time, but usually lifestyle changes and improved dietary habits can help relieve the symptoms and prevent recurrences.
There is no standard for frequency of bowel movements, but most physicians recommend 1-2 bowel movements daily (based upon the frequency that is generally observed among healthy people who eat a high-fiber diet).
In nature, animals defecate every time after they eat, so stress, school and being in a work environment can commonly cause women to help their stool in. While we are working to discover the root cause the simplest treatment is to take magneisum oxide (not citrate which is the good magnesium I discuss in my "Magnesium Deficiency" blog) as this poorly absorbed form actually draws more water in to the colon to work as a natural stool softener.
I also recommend that women struggling with constipation drink strong coffee in the morning and not black tea which is constipating. Avoid cooked carrots and cooked vegetables and instead opt for more fresh raw vegetables and fresh fruit.
There are four categories of constipation
Functional constipation: Caused by insufficient dietary fiber and water, inadequate exercise, etc.
Neurogenic or “spastic” constipation: Increased narrowing of the colon with small, ribbon-like stools caused or exacerbated by obstruction, stress, nervousness or anxiety (as in cases of cold, pain, grief, fear, etc.)
Constipation can also result from a repeated voluntary resistance of the urge to move the bowels, such as children holding their stool at school or women holding it at work. There may be some food allergies, as to milk or wheat, associated with this type of constipation. Drugs, stress, and certain medical conditions can also decrease the natural peristaltic motion of the gut smooth muscle and increase the tendency for constipation. Low back pain, exacerbated by straining, may contribute.
Atonic constipation (“lazy bowel”): This is a muscular weakness in the rectum and sigmoid colon, caused most often by laxative abuse. Other medical conditions such as hypothyroidism, Hashimoto's, pregnancy, emphysema, and electrolyte imbalances (in the blood that supplies the muscles of the rectum) may also result in this type of constipation. Calcium carbonate use as I discuss in my "Osteoporosis" blog also can cause constipation.
Mechanical or “obstructive” constipation: Can be caused by fecal impaction, SIBO, candida overgrowth, lesions that obstruct the bowel (tumor, pregnant uterus, fibroids, ovarian cysts, endometirosis), inflammation (irritable bowel disease) or spasm from pain in the colon, rectum or anus.
Constipation can give rise to many different ailments, including appendicitis, halitosis (bad breath), body odor, coated tongue, depression, diverticulitis, chronic fatigue, gas, headaches, hemorrhoids, hernia, indigestion, insomnia, malabsorption, obesity, varicose veins, and the development of intestinal cancer.
Regular bowel movements are important in the body’s detoxification process, as the colon serves as a holding tank for waste matter. Antigens and toxins from an unbalanced gut flora population may play a role in the development of many types of chronic disease.
Note: Your naturopathic treatment for constipation will vary according to the type of constipation you have. The dietary recommendations and guidelines below contain foods to which some individuals may have allergies, intolerances and sensitivities.
In those cases, those foods should be avoided. Dietary choices should be modified to meet your personal dietary needs. Consult your Naturopathic Doctor for further information regarding nutrition and your individual medical condition.
Dietary Recommendations and Considerations
In general, eat a high-fiber whole foods diet that includes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. The most efficient colon movers contain a combination of soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber dissolves in water, forming a gel that coats the intestinal wall. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water, but rather soaks water up like a sponge as it passes through the intestine, helping to prevent constipation.
Foods highest in soluble fiber include adzuki beans, barley, dried beans and peas, beets, cabbage, carrots, oats, okra and some fruits, especially apples, apricots, bananas, blackberries, blueberries, citrus, cranberries, figs, grapes, melons, peaches, pears and prunes. Psyllium, slippery elm (Ulmus Fulva) and marshmallow (Althaea Officinalis) are also high in soluble fiber.
Foods highest in insoluble fiber include cereals and whole grains, seeds (like ground flax, soaked chia seeds, or psyllium seed powder), and the skins or peels of many fruits and vegetables.
Avoid dairy products, soft drinks, meat, refined carbohydrates, sugar and processed foods, salt, alcohol and coffee.
Drink more water. This is particularly more important when adding more fiber to your diet. Drink at least 64 ounces daily. Rule-of-thumb for water consumption: one third of your body weight in ounces plus 8 ounces for each cup of coffee or tea (diuretics), plus 8 ounces for each one half hour of exercise daily.
Many women are always nervous or even scared to tell me about their constipation or IBS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms. Please read my article about "Why I Became a Naturopathic Doctor," so you feel reassured that you can safely discuss these important symptoms that we should not be ignoring.
Think of your Women's Health Doctor as a car mechanic for women. We are here to help you fix your problems and feel optimal! If you need my help with your constipation, or think it is related to Hormone Imbalance, simply pop over to my SCHEDULE page to treat yourself to a Naturopathic visit!
Dr. Nicole Sundene
(480) 837-0900
Dr. Sundene is a Naturopathic Doctor in Scottsdale, Arizona, and is a Female Hormone Expert in Women's Health and Bioidentical Hormones. She specializes in Holistic Women's Health for Menopause, Thyroid, Hashimotos, PMS, Perimenopause, Autoimmune, Postpartum, Chronic Fatigue, Depression, Anxiety, Food Allergies, Digestion, Dermatology, Acne, Psoriasis, Eczema, and Adrenal Hormonal Conditions. In 1999 she began working for a Hormone Doctor prior to starting Naturopathic Medical School. With over 23 years of experience in both Prescription and Natural women's health and hormones, she presents to women the best-integrated health solutions for their Chronic Disease. She has been an Herbalist for over 28 years and enjoys teaching women how to use herbs to balance their hormones, nutrition and optimize their health. Dr. Sundene relies on blood testing for her hormone metrics. The hormone testing is covered per the patient's insurance plan (not Medicaid) and conducted at certain points in the woman's menstrual cycle. To learn more about Hormone Testing for Women Visit: Bioidentical Hormones. Follow Dr. Sundene on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for more tips on Women's Health, Female Hormones, and Naturopathy!
References:
Balch, Phyllis and James. Prescriptions for Nutritional Healing, 3rd edition. 2000. Avery.
Barber, Mary C. and Whiteford, Sara C. Super Smoothies. 2000. Chronicle Books.
Escott-Stump, Sylvia. Nutrition and Diagnosis-Related Care, 4th edition. 1998. Williams and Wilkins.
McIntyre, Anne. Drink To Your Health: Delicious Juices, Teas, Soups and Smoothies That Help You Look and Feel Great. 2000. Gaia Books Ltd.
Dr. Nicole Sundene, NMD
Holistic Psychiatry & Hormones
This is an easy ADHD Tea recipe to make that helps improve focus and concentration. I like to drink this in the afternoon as a “pick me up” when I need mental focus, but don’t want to drink caffeine and have it cause insomnia from drinking it after 2 pm. Remember that caffeine stays in your system for 12 hours and you don't want to drink it too late in the day.
Instead, you can give your brain a healthy refreshing boost with my "ADHD Tea" as I fondly refer to it. It is common for women suffering with hormone imbalance such as perimenopause, PMS, Adrenal Fatigue menopause, Hashimotos, and hypothyroidism to experience brain fog. By working to test and identify the hormone imbalance and correct nutrition, I have been able to help many women off of their ADHD medications over the years.
Correcting hormone imbalance with Bioidentical hormones and herbs can help women to improve their focus.
Nobody should ever suddenly stop taking their ADHD meds, but as a Naturopathic Doctor that used to take ADHD medication in the 90's I rely on this herbal formula instead to help me concentrate. The good news is that the main side effects are anti-aging! Gotu kola, Ginkgo and Rosemary are amazing longevity herbs to include regularly in your regime.
Combine equal parts of the following herbs:
1 part Ginkgo biloba
1 part Rosemary
1 part Gotu Kola
1 part Mint
1 part California Poppy
Combine all herbs together to make your tea blend then let it steep at 2 Tbl of tea blend per 8 oz boiling water. Keep covered for 15-20 minutes. By covering the tea you preserve the essential oils that provide the flavor from mint. Which are super important to effectively cover up the Rosemary flavor!
Ginkgo has multiple research studies that it aids cognitive function.
Rosemary is also a great herb for concentration and memory.
Gotu kola is an anti-aging herb that I like to use for to boost collagen production and as an anti-inflammatory for the brain, skin, and arthritic joints.
California Poppy is a weird choice as a nervine gentle sedative herb ....I am sure you are thinking....WHAT?!! But what I have found treating my own ADHD and many adults and children with ADHD over the years, is that sometimes we need herbs to calm us down instead of speed us up.
Nervine herbs help my ADHD patients with racing minds. Many of my ADHD patients have a paradoxical reaction to herbs I give them at bedtime. Instead of the sedatives calming them down it revs them up. They find they are up vacuuming at 2 am on Valerian when most of my other patients are knocked out.
As a result of this, I have learned over the years to add just a little tiny bit of a mild sedative to my patient’s ADHD regime and that can often help slow the mind down so it can fully focus.
Ashwaghanda and Schisandra are also great herbs for this purpose!
Drink 2-3 cups of ADHD tea throughout the day to feel awesome, help focus, and fight the aging process. Never combine ginkgo with blood thinners as it is also a blood thinner and this is utterly dangerous!
This ADHD formula is cardiotonic and therefore may impact patients' high blood pressure medications if used regularly enough. If you take medication, you will then need to work with an Integrative Health Naturopathic Doctor that can help you monitor your blood pressure and taper the dose down if there is too much of a synergistic benefit between these herbs and cardiac medications.
Otherwise, I generally find these herbs very beneficial to my hypertension patients!
If you need help with your ADHD simply pop over to my SCHEDULE page to treat yourself to a Naturopathic visit!
Dr. Nicole Sundene
(480) 837-0900
Dr. Sundene is a Naturopathic Doctor in Scottsdale, Arizona, and is a Female Hormone Expert in Women's Health and Bioidentical Hormones. She specializes in Holistic Women's Health for Menopause, Thyroid, Hashimotos, PMS, Perimenopause, Autoimmune, Postpartum Depression, Chronic Fatigue, Depression, Anxiety, Food Allergies, Digestion, Dermatology , Acne, Psoriasis, Eczema and Adrenal Hormonal Conditions. In 1999 she began working for a Hormone Doctor prior to starting Naturopathic Medical School. With over 23 years of experience in both Prescription and Natural women's health and hormones, she presents to women the best integrated health solutions for their Chronic Disease.
She has been an Herbalist for over 28 years and enjoys teaching women how to use herbs to balance their hormones, nutrition and optimize their health. Dr. Sundene relies on blood testing for her hormone metrics. The hormone testing is covered per the patient's insurance plan and conducted at certain points in the woman's menstrual cycle. To learn more about Hormone Testing for Women Visit: Bioidentical Hormones. Follow Dr. Sundene on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for more tips on Women's Health, Female Hormones, and Naturopathy!
