Pacific Naturopathic
Pacific Naturopathic Newsletter
 
2570 W. El Camino Real * Suite 111 * Mountain View, CA 94040 * 650-917-1121 
The Hernandez Center 
for Adjunctive Cancer Care

Number 60 June 2014



How to read the contents of this newsletter:  This newsletter announces the launch of the Hernandez Center for Adjunctive Cancer Care, a new service offered under our long-time clinic, Pacific Naturopathic.  As you read through the articles and meet the people involved we urge you to read between the lines, to go beyond language and trust what you feel.  If anything akin to 'hopefulness' arises within you, we'll know that we have successfully communicated our intentions. 

 

The Hernandez Center for Adjunctive Cancer Care is one of a kind.  Within the cancer treatment world there are various therapeutic approaches.  Conventional, mainstream care offers excellent diagnostic capabilities and chemical, surgical and radiologic treatment options. Alternative cancer treatment offers a variety of therapies, some proven and some experimental. Integrated cancer treatment offers all or part of the conventional medicine alternatives described above with some alternative modalities.  Although parts of these configurations exist with the Hernandez Center, where we place our emphasis is what distinguishes us from other approaches.  

 

First, look at the name of the Center: what does  "Adjunctive Cancer Care" mean?  The online Free Dictionary defines 'adjunctive' as "(in health care) an additional substance, treatment, or procedure used for increasing the efficacy or safety of the primary substance, treatment, or procedure or for facilitating its performance."  Let's interpret this from a Hernandez Center perspective.

 

In order to be a cancer patient at the Hernandez Center, a patient must already have a cancer diagnosis and have an oncologist as part of their health care team.  By California law, only an oncologist can treat cancer, hence, what we offer is 'adjunctive' to the primary treatment.  It is how we offer and what we offer that makes the difference. 

 

A major distinction is that our 'adjunctive' therapies are evidence based.  There is no guesswork, experimentation or anecdotal testimonials.  We are very conservative and careful.  Everything we do is proven and safe.  Scientific studies drive all our therapies.  Ask us why we do something and we'll present the evidence. 

 

The 'adjunctive' therapeutic approach at the Hernandez Center enhances the efficacy of therapies offered by your oncologist, strives to maintain your health during conventional treatment and contributes to a positive outcome.  We know that conventional treatment is hard on the body and our goal is to make it more effective while lessening its negative systemic impact.

 

We emphasize mental, emotional and spiritual health. The gist of the matter here is that we do not treat cancer, we treat people who happen to have cancer.  Many people dealing with a cancer diagnosis think they are OK on mental/emotional levels, but going more deeply brings profound understanding, acceptance and transformation of experience.  Strange as it may seem, our patients often tell us how grateful they are for having had cancer and they would not be who they are without the depth in consciousness that cancer brought them.  Yes, we offer cutting edge supportive nutrient therapies, but whether you live for an additional 30 days or 30 years, it is the quality of your days that determines your happiness.

 

Finally, why are we doing this now, after more than 20 successful years of offering Pacific Naturopathic services in the San Francisco Bay Area?  We have always had cancer patients in our practice.  In February, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that in the next 20 years, the worldwide incidence of cancer will increase 20 percent and that the cancers will be more virulent.  As if on cue, the WHO's press release was accompanied by a dramatic increase in the number of cancer patients who were requesting our services.  In response, we began focusing our energies and research efforts to meet the need.

 

Back to hope.  At the Hernandez Center our entire focus is on helping our patients stay healthy, upbeat and positive.  The truth is that the botanical and nutritional therapies we offer (including intravenous vitamin C), although 'adjunctive' in nature, have powerful documented actions in decreasing inflammation, reducing tumor load and attacking cancer stem cells.  Our mind/body approaches are focused on transformation of experience.  And our bodywork approaches help reduce muscular pain, resolve lymph drainage problems and relieve stress.  The hope we offer is not that of a miraculous cure, although we are definitely open to miracles, but the hope of a life lived to the fullest in dignity and understanding, for however long that may be.

 

Dr. Connie and Dr. Marcel

and the dedicated staff at the Hernandez Center 

 

***Please note that the Hernandez Center for Adjunctive Cancer Care is part of Pacific Naturopathic and that we continue to provide dedicated care to our non-cancer patients.

 

 

Dr. Connie's Musings
Dr. Connie in her Hawaii garden. Connie Hernandez, N.D., does new patient intakes and follow ups with established patients. She co-ordinates care, develops recovery plans, plans to prevent cancer in the first place, and plans to prevent recurrence if cancer has occurred. Read more about Dr. Connie's work here.
 
About a month ago, when I mentioned to friends that I would be spending the next three days at a cancer conference in Reno, I was met with condolences. People assumed that this would be a depressing and discouraging three days for me.  How wrong they were.

 

I came away from the conference fueled with new found hope and inspiration. I was so inspired by a Hungarian speaker at the conference that Dr. Marcel and I are traveling to Hungary in September to visit government sponsored clinics that are having amazing results using a novel form of water (taken internally, and also in baths) to treat conditions ranging from dermatitis to cancer. This appeals to us as naturopaths (one of our earliest interests was in the water therapy centers of the early 20th century) and to our "above all do no harm" medical mentalities. (There will be more on the Hungarian therapy in our October 2014 newsletter after we return from Hungary.)

 

Among conference attendees were many who were willing to turn their thinking inside out and upside down, and to admit that what was thought to be true is not true.

 

They were oncologists, immunologists, naturopathic doctors and integrative cancer care doctors and support teams. The presenters were doctors who, with passion and purpose, have risked their licenses and their livelihoods to pursue innovative technologies and therapies from around the world. They have traveled the world on their own time and their own dime preceptoring in out of the US clinics where cancer care is not governed by the dictates of the AMA, FDA, pharmaceutical interests and state and federal laws. (You will find many innovative cancer clinics beyond the borders of our country.)

 

For those of you who don't know, it is illegal in most States to treat cancer if you are not an oncologist. There are only a handful of states, Nevada being one, in which medical professionals are legally protected when utilizing innovative therapies that are not condoned by conventional mainstream standard of practice, even in attempts to save dying patients who have already been through and "failed" the sanctioned therapies.

 

It is, however, perfectly legal to practice adjunctive and integrative care for cancer patients who are under the care of oncologists.  That's what we do.  We work with you as part of your team. Our commitment to you is to bring to you what we already know and what we are learning as we go, within the scope of our licenses and the laws of the land.

 

And we are confident that there will be a transformational change in treatment for cancer in this decade.

 

Intravenous Vitamin C
- Powerful, Safe, Effective -
 
Corrine Wang, ND
Dr.Corrine with her niece, Nyla. Dr. Corrine does new patient intakes and follow ups with established patients. She is a key part of the development and implementation of the intravenous therapy program. Dr. Corrine also offers Reiki and cranio-sacral therapy. Read more about Dr. Corrine here.

 

Ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, is a powerful antioxidant, fights against infections, and boosts the immune system. Moreover, it has also been shown to provide many benefits for patients battling various cancers. 

 

In cancer care, large doses of ascorbic acid can be infused via intravenous therapy, allowing blood levels of ascorbic acid to reach much higher levels than can be possible with just taking ascorbic acid orally. Numerous studies have shown intravenous vitamin C to improve the quality of life of cancer patients, having direct cytotoxic effects on cancer cells, and even helping to potentiate some chemotherapeutic agents. 

 

How does it work?

 

Intravenous vitamin C interacts with iron and other metals to produce hydrogen peroxide within cells. In normal, healthy cells, an enzyme, catalase, can reduce the hydrogen peroxide to water, thereby protecting them from harm. In abnormal cells such as cancer cells, they produce small amounts of catalase and are thus unable to reduce the hydrogen peroxide within them. The hydrogen peroxide surge within cancer cells damages the DNA and mitochondria of cancer cells, shuts down their energy supply, and kills them directly.  Because this mechanism does not harm healthy cells, intravenous ascorbic acid can act like a targeted chemotherapeutic agent for cancer cells.

 

Additionally, studies are starting to show that vitamin C can act synergistically with some chemotherapeutic agents to make chemotherapy treatments more effective. Studies have shown this in drugs such as cisplatin, a platinum drug for various carcinomas, where the ascorbic acid helped to sensitize the cancer cells to the drug. 

 

Moreover, following chemotherapy treatments, intravenous ascorbic acid can help people feel better overall by decreasing side effects of chemotherapy.

 

The cancer patients at our clinic currently receiving intravenous vitamin C treatments range from early stage to late stage cancers and have reported numerous benefits from these infusions. Some have been using the treatments to keep them in remission and maintain a healthy immune system. Many others have been receiving treatments after their chemotherapy sessions to decrease side effects like nausea and fatigue and have mentioned that the infusions help to keep them feeling strong.  

 

Furthermore, intravenous vitamin C is tolerated very well by most people with few or minimal side effects, and people can feel the effects of the treatment right away, often even during the infusion.

 

Vitamin C is one of the main therapies we use with cancer patients at the Hernandez Center, but other intravenous solutions can also be utilized to help with different issues affecting cancer patients. We can tailor infusions to focus on immune support, decreasing inflammation, detoxification, nerve pain, or even helping to slow down weight loss in cancer patients.

 

Vitamin C and other intravenous therapies provide major therapeutic advantages to oral supplementation in many ways, especially when it comes to nutrient absorption and providing an immediate sense of well-being directly following a treatment.

 

For more information about intravenous therapies at the Hernandez clinic, please visit here. 

 

For more information about Dr. Corrine Wang, visit her page here.

 

 

 

Making Good Choices 
in Cancer Care
 
Elijah Free, Master Herbalist and Healer

Elijah stands near a rack of herbal tinctures he extracted. Elijah Free, Master Herbalist and Healer, is a long-term senior associate at Pacific Naturopathic.  His role in the Hernandez Center is muscular pain relief and formulation of high potency herbal extracts specific to cancer therapy. Read more about Elijah's work here.

 

How often have you read on the net or heard from someone all about the latest herbal discovery that there is a cure for cancer, and all you have to do is order some up and you or someone you love or know can be quickly and efficiently restored to health?

 

 I have been a practicing master medical herbalist for over thirty-five years. And I have to state, that there is no single herb or complex herbal formula that can be trusted to provide anyone with the promise that a remission of symptoms, never mind a cure, is an actual reality.

 

 Herbs are wonderful and miraculous forms of life. I have seen amazing healings take place on a regular basis for nearly four decades involving a remarkable number of problems.

 

But I have never witnessed people who have been diagnosed with a serious form of cancer recover on any kind of consistent basis using any one single herb or herbal formula.

 

Yes, of course, there are people who do recover using herbal therapies, but not on any kind of consistent basis that can be verified by a properly constructed medical study performed under strict scientific methods.

 

We can find stories that are all over the Web about this or that miraculous herb that has been found to aid in the eradication of cancerous cells. But how valid are these stories? Let's take a good look at an experience I had earlier this year.

 

As a Senior Associate at Pacific Naturopathic for over fourteen years, Dr. Marcel and Dr. Connie invited me to participate in The Hernandez Center for Adjunctive Cancer Care.

            

I undertook to make some single herbal tincture extracts, a main specialty of mine, that might be helpful. I began to search the Web and found one particular herb that was greatly written about.

            

The herb was graviola. It seemed to possess a reputation that was nearly biblical in proportion. It was purported to be able to halt most any cancer and restore health.

            

Well, that seemed too good to be true. But the original site that I read about graviola had quoted several major medical studies that gave the claims validity. I told Dr. Connie about what I had hoped to offer in our newly expanded endeavor.

            

Now, those of you that know Dr. Connie can probably imagine just what this scene must have looked like. I told Dr. Connie about the graviola and the studies listed on the website. She calmly smiled and handed me a book on adjunctive cancer care that had a very good section on herbs and their efficacy.

            

It had some quite interesting things to say about graviola. It seems that the people who owned the site that quoted the medical study so carefully, actually made up the medical study altogether. So when you do a search for graviola, thousands of sites quoting the original site about graviola come up in the search engine. This huge amount of sites that quote the original study makes it seem that there is a great fount of legitimate information about graviola and cancer.

            

In truth, there was no study ever undertaken. The owners of the site had lied and made up all of the information. Most likely because it brought in a lot of business-at the expense of what could be people's lives. To make matters worse, it appeared that graviola had side effects that could possibly cause neurological problems.

            

There are herbs that have been properly studied in actual medical studies performed at major clinics, universities and other recognized institutions. A short list of herbs that have been medically proven to provide some aid as adjunctive care are: turmeric (curcumin), cannabis, astragalus, sweet wormwood, and green tea extract.

            

And there are many more that have some reputation, but have not been properly studied. So, please remember, if you or someone you love or know thinks that they can radically rely on something you may have read on the net about how you too can heal overnight from cancer using a newly discovered herb-be careful! Herbs have been shown to be wonderful natural adjuncts to a good cancer care program, but should never be relied upon to accomplish the entire piece of work by themselves. 

 

Reducing the Odds
of Contracting Cancer

Connie Hernandez, ND
"Your mission: Be so busy loving your life you have no time for hate, regret or fear." ~ Karen Salmansohn

 

Read our dedicated website to understand the many ways we can help people who have a current cancer diagnosis, people who are helping people with cancer, people who are undergoing treatment for cancer and people who are recovering from cancer. I thought in this article I would address people who don't currently have cancer, but are fearful they might be faced with a cancer diagnosis in the future, and would like to assess and reduce the odds that that might happen, or treat very early on and in more intelligent ways if cancer turns out to be an issue.

 

In terms of assessment, there are cancer specific tests that can be run, in addition to less specific but very relevant tests assessing inflammation, hormonal balance, vitamin D levels, and so on.  Please see Dr. Marcel's article in this issue for a comprehensive look at some of the cutting-edge cancer testing done at the Hernandez Center.

 

Assuming there is no cancer, and that you want to keep it that way, what are some of the lifestyle choices that can help you?

 

Buy organic, non GMO foods whenever possible. The jury is definitively not out. Pesticides and other industrial chemicals present in our food supply are disruptive to human physiology.

 

Avoid artificial flavors and sweeteners, colors, and additives in products you ingest or use on your body. Whether you eat them, drink them complements of your plastic water bottle, or absorb them through your skin, these substances create problems in inflammatory pathways, blood sugar control, endocrinology and immunology.

 

Live a low carb lifestyle. Cancer cells feed on sugar. (See Nicole's article below for an explanation of what happens with cancer and sugar, and why a ketogenic diet is often used in cancer.) Fruit juice, dried fruit, refined grains, cereals, bread, candies, cookies, cakes, pies and sodas all wreak havoc with blood sugar. Surprisingly, so do artificial sweeteners.

 

Eat 5-7 servings of vegetables daily. The combination of a vegetable heavy diet and aerobic exercise cuts the risk of dying of breast cancer in half in early stage breast cancer patients.  We can extrapolate to other cancers.

 

Optimize Vitamin D Levels. Low levels of Vitamin D are correlated with many of the major cancers, particularly endocrine cancers such as breast and prostate cancer. Vitamin D levels are not optimal when simply within range. The range for 25 hydroxy vitamin D in the blood is 20-100, with optimal being between 60 and 80. For every incremental rise in vitamin D between 60 and 80, there is an incremental increase in disease free survival in breast cancer patients.

 

Balance hormones. Hormones play a role in virtually every process in the body, from blood sugar and blood fat metabolism to inflammation to immune system function. Even cancers not obviously related to hormonal metabolism often are. Good examples are malignant melanoma and colon cancer.

 

Quell inflammatory fires. Inflammation breeds cellular change. Treat inflammation wherever it is in your body. Our current favorite anti inflammatory herb is turmeric. See this link (Golden Milk Recipe) for a yummy way to incorporate turmeric in your daily diet.

 

Detoxify. Environmental pollutants are unavoidable in the modern world. These pollutants disrupt normal cell signaling mechanisms and wreak havoc on our DNA. One of our favorite modes of detoxification is through the use of infrared sauna, but we offer many other detox protocols, according to the needs and inclinations of our patients. Even the health food store "detox in a box" approach is a good beginning.

Before (L) cell phone radiation exposure and after (R) a 15-second phone conversation.  Yellow and red areas indicate thermal heating. 

Keep your cell phone at a distance from your head, and be aware of and avoid whatever electromagnetic pollution you can avoid in your environment. See the thermographic image below of someone's head before and after 15 seconds on the cell phone. The increase in red/orange/yellow colors indicates an increase in inflammation.

 

Exercise. Exercise helps oxygenate your blood, balance your hormones, stabilize your blood sugar, create positive emotions.

 

Address and transform emotional trauma. Much disease, cancer included, begins in the worlds of thought and emotion. Miracles happen with emotions are transformed. Seek help through EFT, hypnotherapy, matrix repatterning, energy medicines.

 

We can never control all the variables. We live in this world, breathe the air, swim in a sea of electromagnetic vibration, eat food from contaminated earth and water. However, be confident that by being proactive and by choosing well when you have the option of choosing, you will move towards an ever greater state of health and well being, and you will do much better facing whatever medical issue might confront you.

Cancer is Up Close and Personal

Connie Hernandez, ND
Dr. Connie (L) with her dear friend Jaquelyn McCandless. Jaquelyn died of pancreatic cancer earlier this year.

Cancer is up close and personal. It touches all of our lives. I never knew my maternal grandmother, who passed away from leukemia just before my parents were to marry. My oldest brother died of metastasized malignant melanoma. Another brother faced bladder cancer. My husband battled an aggressive prostate cancer. My dear friend, Jaquelyn McCandless,M.D, very recently passed away from pancreatic cancer.  At our Pacific Naturopathic Clinic, we find a rapidly growing influx of cancer patients.

 

One of our recent cancer patients came in with 7 members of her extended family. She was a young mother of 4 children. She had undergone treatment at Stanford for her metastasized cancer, and the treatment had been unsuccessful. She was ill, in pain, and suffering, and had been told she had little time left.  Desperate, her husband did the research and begged Stanford to provide I.V. Vitamin C treatments. Stanford refused, and they were asking for our help. The I.V. treatments DID help relieve her pain, and she was able to spend another 6 months with her family with a higher quality of life than she might have had otherwise. With this patient, we became committed to expanding our care and our outreach.

 

All of our patients are precious to us, but our patients with cancer are particularly precious to us. We find these patients to be inspirational, courageous, and eager for transformation of their health and their personal lives. Our goal at the Center is to offer an oasis of care to our cancer patients and their families that is therapeutically effective, emotionally supportive and compassionate.

Cancer Testing Offered 
at the Hernandez Center

Marcel Hernandez, ND
Dr. Marcel enjoys beach time near Pacific Naturopathic, Hawaii. Marcel Hernandez, N.D., does new patient intakes and follow ups with established patients. He co-ordinates care, develops recovery plans, plans to prevent cancer in the first place, and plans to prevent recurrence if cancer has occurred. With Dr. Corrine, Dr. Marcel coordinates the IV therapy program at the Hernandez Center. Read about Dr. Marcel's work with men here.

 

In line with our vision to offer cutting edge adjunctive cancer care, the Hernandez Center offers several tests to help monitor cancer therapy that are not found in conventional medicine. These tests indicate metabolic anomalies often associated with cancer and may point out the need for additional diagnostic procedures.

 

Thymidine Kinase-1 (TK-1)

 

TK-1 is an effective biomarker test used for early cancer detection and treatment monitoring.  TK-1 is an enzyme that can be found in most living cells.  TK-1 is responsible for DNA duplication during cell division and DNA repair.  As cancerous cells rapidly and aggressively divide, more TK-1 is released into the blood.  By regularly monitoring TK-1 levels in your blood, you can detect early on, indications of cancer formation before it is too aggressive to manage.  If you are presently going through cancer treatment, TK-1 testing will help monitor the effectiveness of treatment or if the cancer has become more aggressive.  If you are in remission, regular TK-1 testing may give you're the ability to detect a recurrence of cancer.  TK-1 can also be used as a screen for autoimmune disease or Vitamin B-12/Folate deficiency.  TK-1 is a simple blood test drawn in our office.  The analysis is performed by AML Diagnostics in Boca Raton, Florida. One article about the test may be found here. 

 

The Cancer Profile

 

The Cancer Profile is a battery of specific blood tests formulated for the early detection of cancer and for monitoring the success of ongoing cancer therapies. The profile is not site or organ specific; however, it will detect metabolic changes leading to or indicating cancer.  The analysis is performed by American Metabolic Laboratories in Hollywood, Florida.  Read about the profile  here. 

 

The profile is composed of the following tests:

 

HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) - HCG suppresses immunity and promotes cancer.

 

PHI (phosphohexose isomerase) - This enzyme regulates anaerobic metabolism.  PHI can be elevated in a developing or existing cancer in addition to heart attack, hepatitis, AIDS, sever hypothyroidism and traumatic muscle injury.  If these conditions are ruled out, then cancer may be the cause of the elevation.  PHI regulates cancer cell motility, spread and growth.  The enzyme also protects cancer cells from apoptosis (cell death).

 

CEA (carcinoembryonic antigen) - is an excellent broad spectrummcancer diagnostic and monitoring test.  

 

GGTP (gamma-glutamyltranpeptidase) - An enzyme which monitors the liver and bile systems, lungs, heart and kidneys.

 

TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) - Deatects high or low thyroid activity.  Many cancer patients, or those who are developing cancer, are hypothyroid.   The result is low oxyen metabolism.

 

DHEA-S (dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate) - Most cancer patients and those at risk for developing cancer have low DHEA-S blood levels, contributing to immune suppression.

 

R.G.C.C. Test (Research Genetic Cancer Center Test)

 

R.G.C.C. International GmbH is the leading company in analysis of circulating tumor cells as well as cancer stem cells.  Analyzing cancer stem cells and circulating tumor cells provides relevant therapeutic information about resistance, relapse, dormancy and spread of the disease.  Working with a blood sample, the lab isolates any tumor cells and cancer stem cells that are present  and performs sensitivity studies with both natural and pharmaceutical anti cancer agents, an excellent guide to what works and doesn't work with specific cancers.  Unfortunately the test is not yet available in the United States.  We draw blood in our office and send it express mail to the R.G.C.C. lab in Greece.  More information and research may be found here.

 

In addition to these specific cancer-related tests, Pacific Naturopathic/The Hernandez Center offers the full spectrum of conventional testing available through any doctor.  Additional specialty tests available through the Center may be found here.

 

  Nutrition for Chronic Illness                                 
Nicole Noceto
Nicole Noceto enjoys an active lifestyle.  In addition to front desk duties, Nicole offers therapeutic dietary counseling to patients at the Hernandez Center.  In the Fall, she will be offering individual yoga therapy instruction.

Dietary choices vastly contribute to our physiological functioning, as our survival depends on a healthy metabolism - the appropriate breakdown, distribution, and assimilation of nutrients in our bodies.  As the speed and efficiency of metabolic reactions are heavily influenced by what kinds of food we eat, our dietary choices directly determine the quantity and quality of nutrients that feed our cells, tissues, organs, and systems. 

 

While this may seem obvious to many, the link between nutrition and optimal wellness has long been ignored by the mainstream healthcare system in the U.S.  With minimal help from our conventional healthcare practitioners, it becomes up to us, as consumers, to make the 'healthy' choices at the grocery store; to sort through the conflicting information regarding diet and nutrition; to consult with professionals whom we trust.

 

There's enough to think about just to maintain a healthy body, but what if our health has been compromised by illness or disease? How much does this add to the burden of striving to eat well?  I hope to convey two major points in the remainder of this article - that using food as our vehicle to vibrant health does not have to be stressful or complicated!  With this in mind, I will also address a therapeutic diet that I have been researching, emphasizing its role in healing cancer.

 

Perhaps you have heard of the ketogenic diet - a high-fat, moderate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet that has been used as a medical nutrition therapy since the 1920's (initially to treat pediatric epilepsy and more recently to treat cancer, diabetes, obesity, and other ailing conditions).  The purpose of the ketogenic diet is to transition body cells from using glucose as a primary fuel source, to using ketone bodies - the byproduct of fatty acid breakdown.  In eliminating nearly all carbohydrates from one's diet, the body lacks any source of glucose (the usable form of starch and sugar), and instead, relies on ketones from fat metabolism to fuel cellular function.

 

Normal body cells have the metabolic flexibility to make this transition; abnormal cells (i.e. cancer cells) do not!  This is why the ketogenic diet has been utilized with such success.  Via nutrition, we are able to outsmart genetic mutation by starving cancer cells of their only fuel source - glucose!

 

I would like to emphasize this idea of a 'therapeutic diet,' such as the ketogenic. This way of eating is intended to be a therapy for bodies that need to heal from disease, and not necessarily for those otherwise.  In the absence of cancer or diabetes in particular, I do believe in the nutritional value of whole grains and legumes, in a proper balance with the other macronutrients...but that conversation is beyond the scope of this article.

 

The very foods we eat control, modify, and regulate our genetic expression.  This is hugely important to remember; our genetic destiny is ultimately determined by the lifestyles that we lead - of course, considering nutrition, but also attitude, beliefs, emotions, and habits - good or bad.  If we could learn to dissociate stress from cooking and eating well, we would by default, be a healthier population. To truly enjoy cooking as a nourishing practice is to appreciate the simplicity of our choices: eating food that is closest to its natural state.  Whether it's local, organic, in-season fruits & veggies, or pasture-raised, grass-fed meats, healthful cooking can be simple and fun.

 

As stewards of this planet, we must take an interest in being responsible operators of our mind-body machines.  As humans, we have the beautiful opportunity to understand our own inner workings, including the resources to constantly enhance our quality of life.  It is empowering to make significant lifestyle changes, especially when it comes to habitual eating patterns and food that sustains us. 

 

A Daily Practice for 
Managing Stress
 
Carlene Foldenauer, CCHT
Carlene on a walk near her coastal home. 
Carlene Foldenauer, CCHT, Hypnotherpapist, Energy Worker, Intuitive Guide, works with clients at Pacific Naturopathic on Tuesdays. Read about her work here.

Learning that you have been diagnosed with cancer can shake your world. The stress of making important healthcare decisions and dealing with the changes in your life can leave you feeling scattered, burdened and distressed. It is sometimes difficult to eliminate the stress, so it is important to learn techniques to handle it.

 

As a result of signing up for an intuitive program several years back, I learned a technique that changed my life, and helped me deal with stress during a particularly difficult time.  My teacher made it a requirement to do an hour-long meditation every day during the six-month program. The guided meditation that she provided on CD is worn and no longer plays from the many times I listened to it, but the essence of the meditation is deeply embedded within me.

 

You may be thinking that you don't have time for one more thing in your already disrupted schedule, specifically an hour-long meditation. So I have adjusted the meditation to be completed in ten to fifteen minutes, while still including the key concepts. I recommend doing the meditation in the morning to start your day fresh and focused, or before bedtime to clear your mind and sleep more soundly. Below are the three main concepts.

 

1. Grounding

Grounding is simply settling into your body and connecting with the earth. If you feel scattered, you're losing things, forgetting things, or making a lot of mistakes, grounding can be helpful.

 

2. Releasing & Replenishing

You may find that you're caught up in negative thoughts, worries and mind chatter. This happens to everyone at times. The meditation below will help you let go of what is no longer serving you, and bring positive energy into your being.

 

3. Shielding

Shielding can help you if you are picking up other peoples energies or unknowingly allowing others to "rob you" of yours. For example, you've made a decision about your healthcare, and others want to impose their opinions upon you. You can shield yourself by simply intending it, by imagining a protective bubble of white light all around you.

 

Daily Meditation 

 

Sit comfortably in your chair with your spine straight, and your back supported. Put your feet flat to the floor and uncross your arms and legs. If you are unable to sit up comfortably, lie down and imagine yourself standing in nature with your feet planted firmly to the ground.

 

Imagine roots growing out the bottoms of your feet and going all the way down to the center of the earth. Notice how your roots are firmly planted at the earth's center. Then envision bringing that Mother Earth energy up through your roots and through the bottoms of your feet. Allow this nurturing and healing energy to flow throughout your body, up from your feet all the way to the top of your head. Notice how balanced, strong and stable you feel. Enjoy being grounded and fortified with the Earth energies.

 

Now, use the roots coming from the bottoms of your feet to let go of any tension, negative thoughts, worries, or mind chatter. Simply ask the Universe to help you release anything that is no longer serving you.  Notice how you release this waste effortlessly down the roots, letting it all go to the center of the Earth, to be recycled for the greater good of the Universe.

 

Now imagine yourself reaching high into the sky and filling your arms with the warm energy of the sun. Allow your arms to fill up with this vibrant energy. Get as much sunshine in your arms as you can possibly hold, and when you're ready, bring the life-giving essence of the sun down in through the top of your head, and fill your body with this invigorating energy. Allow the purifying rays of the sun to course through you.

 

Now envision a spark of light in your heart center, and notice when you focus on it, this light expands out, filling your entire body and spilling out to form a bubble of shimmering white light all around you. Imagine this bubble to be about arms length in all directions, glowing around you. Intend that this bubble will protect you from absorbing others' energies and will shield you from negative energy. And just for good measure, imagine a circle of flowers (of your choice) all around your bubble, similar to putting a fence around your property. Now breathe, relax and enjoy your own personal space.

 

And when you're ready, simply breathe yourself back, opening your eyes and coming back to full awareness...grounded, balanced, replenished and relaxed. 

 

Read more about Carlene's transformative work here.

 

 

Unblocking Energy Fields

Jane Hernandez, CCHT
Jane Hernandez, CCHT, is an avid wild mushroom hunter. Jane offers energy healing, hypnotherapy, EFT and Matrix Reimprinting at Pacific Naturopathic on Thursdays.
 
Energy Healing is an umbrella term for any therapy that works with the energy in our bodies to help direct our bodies' innate healing mechanisms. Through quantum physics it was established that we are made entirely of energy down to the smallest particle in every atom. As a matter of fact, everything in the universe is composed of energy. So when we have blocks to our personal well being caused by trauma, emotional and mental stress, limiting beliefs, physical distress, environmental stress, etc., they are stored in the energy fields of our bodies. Energy healing helps the healing process by clearing blocks in the energy fields so that the body can access its inherent ability to heal itself. I use various healing modalities to access those blocked energy fields.
 
Read more about Jane's work here.
Breast Thermography at
Pacific Naturopathic
- Helping in early Detection of Breast Abnormalities -
thermography
As the controversy surrounding the utility of screening breast mammograms deepens, more and more women are choosing breast thermography as a way to assess the health of their breast tissue, and to proactively treat observed physiologic imbalance
. Physiologic change preceeds anatomic change. Lumps and bumps become visible on mammograms only long after physiologic processes initiate the cellular changes.

 

 

The advantages of breast thermography are many. Thermography does not expose delicate breast tissue to compression or radiation. Unlike mammography, thermography is not rendered inaccurate by the density of the breast tissue. It is thus appropriate for all women, including younger women and women with dense breasts. Thermography can help assess the efficacy of treatment protocols by comparing you before the therapy to you after the therapy. And, as noted above, thermography can identify physiologic change before anatomic change is manifest in the tissue, giving an opportunity to reverse a developing cancer.

 

As we've emphasized many times before, this does not mean that it is never appropriate to get a mammogram. (We're talking about annual screening mammograms here, not mammograms indicated due to history,  abnormal thermography readings or palpable lumps.) When indicated, the combination of mammography  plus thermography is more accurate than either one alone, though neither one can diagnose breast cancer. At this point in time, breast cancer is diagnosed by biopsy.

 

Read more about breast thermography at Pacific Naturopathic here.

 

Pacific Naturopathic
and
The Hernandez Center for Adjunctive Cancer Care

2570 W. El Camino Real, Suite 111
Mountain View, CA 94040
650-917-1121

In This Issue

 * Dr. Connie Muses on    Her Attendance at a  Cancer Conference


 * Intravenous Vitamin C:  Powerful, Safe, Effective


 * Making Good Choices in Cancer Care

 

 * Reducing the Odds of  Contracting Cancer


 * Cancer is Up Close and  Personal


 * Cancer Testing Offered  at the Hernandez Center

 

 * Nutrition for Chronic  Illness


 * A Daily Practice for  Managing Stress


 * Unblocking Energy  Fields

 

 * Breast Thermography    at Pacific Naturopathic

 

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The Hernandez Center 

for Adjunctive Cancer Care

 

2570 W. El Camino Real, Suite 111 Mountain View, CA 94040

650-917-1121

 www.HernandezCenter.com

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Pacific Naturopathic
and
The Hernandez Center for Adjunctive Cancer Care

650-917-1121