Chardonée Donald has been a valued member of the Kaplan Center team for over a year, bringing a wealth of knowledge and a unique approach to patient care. In this interview, she shares her experiences, insights, and personal journey that shape her practice.
Q: Reflecting on your time with us, what has been a key factor that makes you proud to be part of our team?
Chardonée: Over the past year, I have come to appreciate the true sense of teamwork at the Kaplan Center. Everyone here respects each other’s expertise, creating an environment where we learn from one another. This mutual respect and willingness to learn are crucial in healthcare, as we continually strive to better ourselves to improve the lives of our patients.
Q: Dealing with a wide range of emotions is part of healthcare. Can you describe a time when you had to adapt your approach to meet a patient’s emotional or psychological needs?
Chardonée: Adapting my approach to meet a patient’s needs is something I do regularly. I meet each patient where they are, as no two appointments are the same. Unlike the typical intake process, I conduct intakes with patients, asking questions to gather their background without overwhelming them. This approach helps me avoid triggering medical trauma. Listening intently often reveals critical details that might otherwise be missed, allowing me to piece together a complex puzzle. Building trust is essential, so I always ensure patients feel heard and safe, creating a peaceful atmosphere for them to express their concerns.
Q: In what ways have your personal interests or extracurricular activities helped shape your approach to patient care or team collaboration within our practice?
Chardonée: My work as a Certified Sickle Cell Medical Navigator with Sickle Cell Medical Advocacy Inc. has profoundly influenced my approach to patient care. Witnessing the daily struggles of Sickle Cell Warriors, including my husband, has taught me to never overlook symptoms, no matter how small. This experience has also deepened my understanding of preventative care and the impact of nutrition on health.
Interestingly, my dog Harmony’s battle with a Mast Cell Tumor last year provided valuable lessons in using foods, herbs, and teas for healing. These principles have applications in both veterinary and human medicine. Additionally, running my organic tea business, The Potter’s Kettle, has broadened my perspective, viewing sales as investments in health rather than mere transactions.
My strong faith and personal experiences with health challenges drive my commitment to individualized patient care. I focus on treating each patient as a unique individual, considering their specific needs and comorbidities. This approach, supported by my extensive educational background, sets me apart and is supported by my team at the Kaplan Center.
About Chardonée Donald, CHN, CNS, LDN, Certified Nutrition Specialist
Chardonée Donald is a Board-Certified Nutrition Specialist and Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist, currently a 3rd year Ph.D. candidate in the Integrative and Functional Nutrition Program at Saybrook University. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science with a Minor in Nutrition and a Master of Science in Human Nutrition. She is also a Certified Holistic Nutritionist. She completed her CNS credentials through the American Nutrition Association and has over a decade of experience in nutrition.
Her approach to care involves finding the root cause of disorders and treating them accordingly, often asking patients to commit to a long-term plan to undo years of damage. Chardonée’s background includes working in a health food store, caregiving for her grandmother with dementia, working with Baltimore County WIC, and educating patients on various complex conditions such as diabetes, gut dysbiosis, Mast Cell Activation Disorder, POTS, and Sickle Cell Disease.
Chardonée is passionate about reducing inflammation, addressing gut dysbiosis, and supporting overall health through nutrition. Her holistic and scientific approach ensures that each patient receives tailored care, recognizing the uniqueness of every individual.
Personal Interests and Community Involvement
Outside of her professional life, Chardonée is a devoted wife, bonus mom, dog mom, and active community member in Northern Virginia. She enjoys cooking, DIY health projects, painting, reading, rollerblading, and volunteering with her local church. She also serves as a Teaching Assistant in the Integrative and Functional Nutrition Program at Saybrook University and is CoFounder of the Nonprofit Organization On The Air Sickled Podcast with her husband, Sickle Cell Medical Navigator with SCMA, and over the next few months will be dedicating time to her case study on Sickle Cell Disease management and nutrition.
To schedule an appointment with Chardonée Donald, please call 703-532-4892.
We are here for you, and we want to help.
Our goal is to return you to optimal health as soon as possible. To schedule an appointment please call: 703-532-4892 x2
Chronic neck pain has been a growing problem since the arrival of handheld technology. “Text Neck,” also called forward head posture, is a condition caused by the repetitive stress placed on the cervical spine from looking down. In addition to chronic neck pain, bending your neck for too long may also cause upper shoulder pain, headaches, muscle stiffness and postural changes. But neck pain can also be an important clue to the existence of underlying health issues.
Looking down for an extended period of time puts you at risk of overstretching the supporting muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the cervical spine. These elastic structures should recoil back to normal, but there are many reasons why the connective tissue in the neck doesn’t rebound, including:
Disc problems – cervical discs can wear out and start to degenerate over time, making the neck feel painful and stiff.
Facet Arthritis – when cartilage that covers the ends of the facet joints wear out pain and stiffness can result.
Hypermobility Syndromes – neck pain, headaches, “heavy head” are all common symptoms of cervical hypermobility.
Hormonal Changes – cervical spine (neck) problems could be an indicator of low thyroid in women and low testosterone in men
Chronic Infection – untreated viral and bacterial infections can lead to painful inflammation of the neck muscles.
Altered Metabolism – Chronic neck pain has also been associated with metabolic syndrome and a high body mass index.
Nutritional Deficiencies – B12 and Vitamin D deficiencies can cause or worsen neck pain.
Emotional Stress – Many people “carry stress” in their neck which presents as pain and can cause real physiological changes.
Diagnosing & Treating Chronic Neck Pain
At the Kaplan Center, we’ll look at multiple areas of health to determine the root cause of your pain and all the factors that may be exacerbating your symptoms. Neck problems are best treated by a multidisciplinary team and comprehensive treatment is key to long-lasting results. Depending on your evaluation and test results, recommended treatments may include:
Osteopathic manipulation – Manual therapies are often used for treating chronic neck pain. Craniosacral therapy, visceral manipulation, myofascial release and strain/counterstrain are just a few of the techniques that we can use to rebalance and realign musculoskeletal, connective, visceral, and other body tissues to ensure optimal body function.
Physical therapy – Chronic neck pain can often be successfully treated with physical therapy. Our physical therapists can evaluate and treat your condition with strengthening and stretching exercises, as appropriate.
Acupuncture is thought to work by blocking pain messages to the brain with competing stimuli through the release of endorphins (the body’s natural painkillers) and the secretion of neurotransmitters, which affect one’s perception of pain.
Hormone replacement – When hormonal changes are the cause of your pain, hormone replacement therapy can help improve symptoms for both men and women.
Stress reduction – Mind body therapies can help lower stress.
Nutrition & supplementation – Positive dietary changes and supplementation will help correct deficiencies and can improve your pain symptoms and overall wellbeing.
Regenerative medicine therapies, including prolotherapy and platelet-rich plasma have been very successful in treating chronic neck pain related to texting and poor posture.
The treatments above can help relieve your immediate pain, promote long-term symptom relief, and help prevent future episodes of neck pain. In our experience, a combination of treatment strategies works best.
Don’t ignore the message, let us help you! Please give us a call today to make an appointment – 703-532-4892. Ext 2.
We are here for you, and we want to help.
Our goal is to return you to optimal health as soon as possible. To schedule an appointment please call: 703-532-4892 x2
The connection between nutrition and your physical health is unequivocal. Excessive sugar consumption can lead to obesity and is also linked to inflammation and other chronic diseases such as diabetes; a high intake of unhealthy trans-fats increases your risk of future cardiac events; deficiencies in essential vitamins can accelerate cellular degeneration, thereby heightening your susceptibility to cancers and other serious illnesses. While these connections may appear simplified, their validity is well-supported by scientific evidence.
Yet despite the growing body of research illustrating the connection between a nutritious diet and enhanced mood and cognitive function, your dietary habits are often disregarded as a factor contributing to your emotional distress.
Research is increasingly confirming that inflammation of the central nervous system is a key factor in many chronic conditions, including mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, and more severe disorders such as Major Depressive Disorder. Eating foods that are high in sugar and saturated fats can elevate inflammatory markers in your body and impact mental health by exacerbating anxiety, depression, and mood fluctuations. Dietary changes aimed at reducing inflammation and oxidative stress, as well as enhancing the gut microbiome — crucial for nervous system development and function — can substantially enhance your mental well-being.
If you would like to discuss strategies on how to improve your nutritional intake to optimize your mental and overall health, please give us a call today at 703-532-5892. We use a functional medicine approach to treatment; our goal is to treat the “whole you” so that all areas of your health are improved.
In the meantime, as the old saying goes, “you are what you eat,” so with your emotional wellbeing in mind, here are some dietary tips on how you can improve your mood and mental health.
1. Incorporate more foods rich in B-vitamins (B12, B6, Folate). B-vitamins are involved in a number of important processes in the brain: they support cellular energy production, proper functioning of the nervous system, red blood cell formation, DNA formation, and the regulation of hormones. Studies show that deficiencies in certain B vitamins can result in an increased risk of depression.
Foods rich in B vitamins include beans, lentils, raw spinach, asparagus, romaine lettuce, broccoli, avocado, fish, shellfish & eggs.
2. Talk to us about supplements. Even if you think you have a relatively healthy diet, supplements can provide additional support to your immune system and lower your risk of developing a host of inflammatory conditions, including depression.
Vitamin D (serotonin synthesis), vitamin C, magnesium (stress support), vitamin E (mood regulation), CoQ10, glutathione, and Omega-3 are additional examples of supplements with clinical applications in depression, anxiety and other mental health disorders.
3. Eat foods that provide gut support. One of the many neurotransmitters used by the brain is serotonin. Among its many functions, serotonin is involved in regulating mood. We now know that as much as 95% of serotonin is produced in the intestines so maintaining the integrity of your gut microbiome with a proper balance of good and bad bacteria will help keep the production of serotonin in balance as well.
Regularly eating foods like fermented vegetables, sauerkraut, miso, and bone broth will keep your gut microbiome stocked with good bacteria.
4. Eat high protein foods at every meal to support neurotransmitter production. Your body produces neurotransmitters by utilizing nutrients in the food you eat, primarily amino acids. For example, serotonin is a byproduct of the amino acid tryptophan; noradrenaline is made from the amino acid tyrosine, which is also converted to dopamine. Serotonin, noradrenaline (aka norepinephrine) and dopamine belong to a group of neurotransmitters called monoamines that play a major role in mood & cognitive function.
High protein foods like raw nuts, cold water fish, beans, and eggs, consumed on a regular basis, will ensure that your body is getting enough of the building blocks it needs to produce these important chemical messengers that will keep your mood stabilized.
5. When snacking, always balance carbs with fats and protein. Keeping your carbohydrate and protein intake in balance will help stabilize mood and mental clarity and while avoiding the peaks and valleys of blood sugar levels that can also lead to other serious conditions like insulin resistance and pre-diabetes.
What does a complete protein and carb combination look like? Try combinations like: hummus with celery, bell peppers and/or carrots; apple, pear, or banana with almond butter (or any nut butter); sunflower seeds and raisins.
6. Saffron and turmeric may support people with anxiety & depression. Foods with turmeric and saffron have for ages been eaten for medicinal support. A study published in Journal of Affective Disorders, reported that a treatment of curcumin (the active ingredient in turmeric) and saffron were effective at easing anxiety and depressive symptoms in people with major depressive disorder.
The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in turmeric and saffron help calm inflammation. Add them to your foods for flavor and anti-inflammatory benefits.
While more severe mental health conditions may necessitate treatments such as psychotherapy and medication, especially if your emotional well-being poses a risk of harm to yourself or others, your diet remains as an effective healing resource. When complemented by other strategies that address inflammation, such as exercise, meditation, and stress-reduction techniques, the result can be a brighter and more positive perspective on your life.
We are here for you, and we want to help.
Our goal is to return you to optimal health as soon as possible. To schedule an appointment please call: 703-532-4892 x2
Elizabeth Lipski, Digestive Wellness: How to Strengthen the Immune System and Prevent Disease through Healthy Digestion, 3rd ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2004)
Roth W, Zadeh K, Vekariya R, Ge Y, Mohamadzadeh M. Tryptophan Metabolism and Gut-Brain Homeostasis. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Mar 15;22(6):2973. doi: 10.3390/ijms22062973. PMID: 33804088; PMCID: PMC8000752.
A Conversation with Chardonée Donald: Embracing Holistic and Integrative Nutrition at Kaplan Center
/in Nutrition, Wellness/by Kaplan CenterChardonée Donald has been a valued member of the Kaplan Center team for over a year, bringing a wealth of knowledge and a unique approach to patient care. In this interview, she shares her experiences, insights, and personal journey that shape her practice.
Q: Reflecting on your time with us, what has been a key factor that makes you proud to be part of our team?
Chardonée: Over the past year, I have come to appreciate the true sense of teamwork at the Kaplan Center. Everyone here respects each other’s expertise, creating an environment where we learn from one another. This mutual respect and willingness to learn are crucial in healthcare, as we continually strive to better ourselves to improve the lives of our patients.
Q: Dealing with a wide range of emotions is part of healthcare. Can you describe a time when you had to adapt your approach to meet a patient’s emotional or psychological needs?
Chardonée: Adapting my approach to meet a patient’s needs is something I do regularly. I meet each patient where they are, as no two appointments are the same. Unlike the typical intake process, I conduct intakes with patients, asking questions to gather their background without overwhelming them. This approach helps me avoid triggering medical trauma. Listening intently often reveals critical details that might otherwise be missed, allowing me to piece together a complex puzzle. Building trust is essential, so I always ensure patients feel heard and safe, creating a peaceful atmosphere for them to express their concerns.
Q: In what ways have your personal interests or extracurricular activities helped shape your approach to patient care or team collaboration within our practice?
Chardonée: My work as a Certified Sickle Cell Medical Navigator with Sickle Cell Medical Advocacy Inc. has profoundly influenced my approach to patient care. Witnessing the daily struggles of Sickle Cell Warriors, including my husband, has taught me to never overlook symptoms, no matter how small. This experience has also deepened my understanding of preventative care and the impact of nutrition on health.
Interestingly, my dog Harmony’s battle with a Mast Cell Tumor last year provided valuable lessons in using foods, herbs, and teas for healing. These principles have applications in both veterinary and human medicine. Additionally, running my organic tea business, The Potter’s Kettle, has broadened my perspective, viewing sales as investments in health rather than mere transactions.
My strong faith and personal experiences with health challenges drive my commitment to individualized patient care. I focus on treating each patient as a unique individual, considering their specific needs and comorbidities. This approach, supported by my extensive educational background, sets me apart and is supported by my team at the Kaplan Center.
About Chardonée Donald, CHN, CNS, LDN, Certified Nutrition Specialist
Chardonée Donald is a Board-Certified Nutrition Specialist and Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist, currently a 3rd year Ph.D. candidate in the Integrative and Functional Nutrition Program at Saybrook University. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science with a Minor in Nutrition and a Master of Science in Human Nutrition. She is also a Certified Holistic Nutritionist. She completed her CNS credentials through the American Nutrition Association and has over a decade of experience in nutrition.
Her approach to care involves finding the root cause of disorders and treating them accordingly, often asking patients to commit to a long-term plan to undo years of damage. Chardonée’s background includes working in a health food store, caregiving for her grandmother with dementia, working with Baltimore County WIC, and educating patients on various complex conditions such as diabetes, gut dysbiosis, Mast Cell Activation Disorder, POTS, and Sickle Cell Disease.
Chardonée is passionate about reducing inflammation, addressing gut dysbiosis, and supporting overall health through nutrition. Her holistic and scientific approach ensures that each patient receives tailored care, recognizing the uniqueness of every individual.
Personal Interests and Community Involvement
Outside of her professional life, Chardonée is a devoted wife, bonus mom, dog mom, and active community member in Northern Virginia. She enjoys cooking, DIY health projects, painting, reading, rollerblading, and volunteering with her local church. She also serves as a Teaching Assistant in the Integrative and Functional Nutrition Program at Saybrook University and is CoFounder of the Nonprofit Organization On The Air Sickled Podcast with her husband, Sickle Cell Medical Navigator with SCMA, and over the next few months will be dedicating time to her case study on Sickle Cell Disease management and nutrition.
To schedule an appointment with Chardonée Donald, please call 703-532-4892.
We are here for you, and we want to help.
Our goal is to return you to optimal health as soon as possible. To schedule an appointment please call: 703-532-4892 x2
“Text Neck Syndrome” Is No Joke; Your Chronic Neck Pain is Trying to Get Your Attention
/in Conditions/by Kaplan CenterChronic neck pain has been a growing problem since the arrival of handheld technology. “Text Neck,” also called forward head posture, is a condition caused by the repetitive stress placed on the cervical spine from looking down. In addition to chronic neck pain, bending your neck for too long may also cause upper shoulder pain, headaches, muscle stiffness and postural changes. But neck pain can also be an important clue to the existence of underlying health issues.
Looking down for an extended period of time puts you at risk of overstretching the supporting muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the cervical spine. These elastic structures should recoil back to normal, but there are many reasons why the connective tissue in the neck doesn’t rebound, including:
Diagnosing & Treating Chronic Neck Pain
At the Kaplan Center, we’ll look at multiple areas of health to determine the root cause of your pain and all the factors that may be exacerbating your symptoms. Neck problems are best treated by a multidisciplinary team and comprehensive treatment is key to long-lasting results. Depending on your evaluation and test results, recommended treatments may include:
The treatments above can help relieve your immediate pain, promote long-term symptom relief, and help prevent future episodes of neck pain. In our experience, a combination of treatment strategies works best.
Don’t ignore the message, let us help you! Please give us a call today to make an appointment – 703-532-4892. Ext 2.
We are here for you, and we want to help.
Our goal is to return you to optimal health as soon as possible. To schedule an appointment please call: 703-532-4892 x2
Food and Mood – These Dietary Recommendations are Positively Uplifting!
/in Nutrition/by Kaplan CenterThe connection between nutrition and your physical health is unequivocal. Excessive sugar consumption can lead to obesity and is also linked to inflammation and other chronic diseases such as diabetes; a high intake of unhealthy trans-fats increases your risk of future cardiac events; deficiencies in essential vitamins can accelerate cellular degeneration, thereby heightening your susceptibility to cancers and other serious illnesses. While these connections may appear simplified, their validity is well-supported by scientific evidence.
Yet despite the growing body of research illustrating the connection between a nutritious diet and enhanced mood and cognitive function, your dietary habits are often disregarded as a factor contributing to your emotional distress.
Research is increasingly confirming that inflammation of the central nervous system is a key factor in many chronic conditions, including mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, and more severe disorders such as Major Depressive Disorder. Eating foods that are high in sugar and saturated fats can elevate inflammatory markers in your body and impact mental health by exacerbating anxiety, depression, and mood fluctuations. Dietary changes aimed at reducing inflammation and oxidative stress, as well as enhancing the gut microbiome — crucial for nervous system development and function — can substantially enhance your mental well-being.
If you would like to discuss strategies on how to improve your nutritional intake to optimize your mental and overall health, please give us a call today at 703-532-5892. We use a functional medicine approach to treatment; our goal is to treat the “whole you” so that all areas of your health are improved.
In the meantime, as the old saying goes, “you are what you eat,” so with your emotional wellbeing in mind, here are some dietary tips on how you can improve your mood and mental health.
1. Incorporate more foods rich in B-vitamins (B12, B6, Folate). B-vitamins are involved in a number of important processes in the brain: they support cellular energy production, proper functioning of the nervous system, red blood cell formation, DNA formation, and the regulation of hormones. Studies show that deficiencies in certain B vitamins can result in an increased risk of depression.
Foods rich in B vitamins include beans, lentils, raw spinach, asparagus, romaine lettuce, broccoli, avocado, fish, shellfish & eggs.
2. Talk to us about supplements. Even if you think you have a relatively healthy diet, supplements can provide additional support to your immune system and lower your risk of developing a host of inflammatory conditions, including depression.
Vitamin D (serotonin synthesis), vitamin C, magnesium (stress support), vitamin E (mood regulation), CoQ10, glutathione, and Omega-3 are additional examples of supplements with clinical applications in depression, anxiety and other mental health disorders.
3. Eat foods that provide gut support. One of the many neurotransmitters used by the brain is serotonin. Among its many functions, serotonin is involved in regulating mood. We now know that as much as 95% of serotonin is produced in the intestines so maintaining the integrity of your gut microbiome with a proper balance of good and bad bacteria will help keep the production of serotonin in balance as well.
Regularly eating foods like fermented vegetables, sauerkraut, miso, and bone broth will keep your gut microbiome stocked with good bacteria.
4. Eat high protein foods at every meal to support neurotransmitter production. Your body produces neurotransmitters by utilizing nutrients in the food you eat, primarily amino acids. For example, serotonin is a byproduct of the amino acid tryptophan; noradrenaline is made from the amino acid tyrosine, which is also converted to dopamine. Serotonin, noradrenaline (aka norepinephrine) and dopamine belong to a group of neurotransmitters called monoamines that play a major role in mood & cognitive function.
High protein foods like raw nuts, cold water fish, beans, and eggs, consumed on a regular basis, will ensure that your body is getting enough of the building blocks it needs to produce these important chemical messengers that will keep your mood stabilized.
5. When snacking, always balance carbs with fats and protein. Keeping your carbohydrate and protein intake in balance will help stabilize mood and mental clarity and while avoiding the peaks and valleys of blood sugar levels that can also lead to other serious conditions like insulin resistance and pre-diabetes.
What does a complete protein and carb combination look like? Try combinations like: hummus with celery, bell peppers and/or carrots; apple, pear, or banana with almond butter (or any nut butter); sunflower seeds and raisins.
Read: Snack on This!
6. Saffron and turmeric may support people with anxiety & depression. Foods with turmeric and saffron have for ages been eaten for medicinal support. A study published in Journal of Affective Disorders, reported that a treatment of curcumin (the active ingredient in turmeric) and saffron were effective at easing anxiety and depressive symptoms in people with major depressive disorder.
The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in turmeric and saffron help calm inflammation. Add them to your foods for flavor and anti-inflammatory benefits.
While more severe mental health conditions may necessitate treatments such as psychotherapy and medication, especially if your emotional well-being poses a risk of harm to yourself or others, your diet remains as an effective healing resource. When complemented by other strategies that address inflammation, such as exercise, meditation, and stress-reduction techniques, the result can be a brighter and more positive perspective on your life.
We are here for you, and we want to help.
Our goal is to return you to optimal health as soon as possible. To schedule an appointment please call: 703-532-4892 x2
References:
Gorbachev D, Markina E, Chigareva O, Gradinar A, Borisova N, Syunyakov T. Dietary Patterns as Modifiable Risk Factors for Depression: a Narrative Review. Psychiatr Danub. 2023 Oct;35(Suppl 2):423-431. PMID: 37800271.
Ma Q, Xing C, Long W, Wang HY, Liu Q, Wang RF. Impact of microbiota on central nervous system and neurological diseases: the gut-brain axis. J Neuroinflammation. 2019 Mar 1;16(1):53. doi: 10.1186/s12974-019-1434-3. PMID: 30823925; PMCID: PMC6397457.
Marx W, Moseley G, Berk M, Jacka F. Nutritional psychiatry: the present state of the evidence. Proc Nutr Soc. 2017 Nov;76(4):427-436. doi: 10.1017/S0029665117002026. Epub 2017 Sep 25. PMID: 28942748.
Petridou ET, Kousoulis AA, Michelakos T, Papathoma P, Dessypris N, Papadopoulos FC, Stefanadis C. Folate and B12 serum levels in association with depression in the aged: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Aging Ment Health. 2016 Sep;20(9):965-73. doi: 10.1080/13607863.2015.1049115. Epub 2015 Jun 8. PMID: 26055921.
Elizabeth Lipski, Digestive Wellness: How to Strengthen the Immune System and Prevent Disease through Healthy Digestion, 3rd ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2004)
Roth W, Zadeh K, Vekariya R, Ge Y, Mohamadzadeh M. Tryptophan Metabolism and Gut-Brain Homeostasis. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Mar 15;22(6):2973. doi: 10.3390/ijms22062973. PMID: 33804088; PMCID: PMC8000752.
Lopresti AL, Drummond PD. Efficacy of curcumin, and a saffron/curcumin combination for the treatment of major depression: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. J Affect Disord. 2017 Jan 1;207:188-196. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2016.09.047. Epub 2016 Oct 1. PMID: 27723543.