Pacific Naturopathic
Pacific Naturopathic  Newsletter
 Number 67 * January 2015
 
2570 W. El Camino Real * Suite 111 * Mountain View, CA 94040 * 650-917-1121 
 
The Hernandez Center 
for Adjunctive Cancer Care

 


Topics for newsletters are not premeditated or thought about in great detail.  Of course we pay attention to what is going on in society as regards health.  We also try to tune in to what is moving in our consciousness. Here is a typical process we follow:

Dr. M: What shall we write about this month?

Dr. C: Ask me later, I'm busy now.

Dr. M: (later) OK, what shall we write about?

Dr. C: I don't know, what do you think we should write about?

Dr. M: I don't know, what do you think?

Dr. C: I haven't thought about it.

Dr. M:  OK. Why don't we write something about food?

Dr. C: We've done that several times already.

Dr. M: Hmmmmm... any ideas?

Dr. C: (silence)

Dr. M: I know, why don't we write about sex?

Dr. C: No. Let's write about Intimacy and Healthy Relationships.

Dr. M: (laughing) OK.  Great idea.

 

I think readers of this newsletter will find out a lot about the staff at Pacific Naturopathic through reading our thoughts on intimacy and healthy relationships.  

 

In this light, we are starting something new this issue: if you have a paragraph you would like to offer about Intimacy and Healthy Relationships, or a response to one of the articles, we will publish it either anonymously or with your first name and last initial in the next newsletter, as you wish.  Just send it to PacificNaturopathic@gmail.com

 

In this issue, Dr. Connie's upward focus shines brightly as she discusses our true identity as regards to relationships; Dr. Marcel presents his thoughts on working with decreased libido and erectile dysfunction in aging males; Dr. Corrine writes of the intimacy of feeling connected; and Dr. Connie paints with a wide brush in offering her thoughts on intimacy and sexuality.

 

Also, Nicole expresses her concerns about the alienating addiction to stimulation and distraction in society and Jane offers her thoughts on enhancing emotional intimacy.

 

Interestingly, there is very little talk about love in this newsletter. Given the theme, any ideas on why this is so?

 

 Be Well.

 

Dr. Connie, Dr. Marcel and your care team at Pacific Naturopathic and the Hernandez Center for Adjunctive Cancer Care

 

Dr. Connie's Musings...
Dr. Connie relates to a Camel in Turkey

Healthy Relationships

 

 

It's a big topic -- 

relationships. Most often, when we think of relationships or relationship counseling, we think of relationship to a significant other.  In my mind, however, other relationships take precedence over that relationship, and are the foundation upon which relationship with a significant other is built.  

 

The first foundational relationship would be with that higher power or being to whom we owe our very existence, however each one of us chooses to conceptualize or understand that power. Names tend to qualify or personalize relationships, to bring us closer. In meditation, I rest in "Infinite Spirit" or the "AUM" vibration. In prayer, I speak to Divine Mother. Others speak to Heavenly Father, Friend, or Beloved God. Yogananda speaks of 8 ways in which we might realize or experience God: love, joy, peace, calmness, wisdom, power, sound and light. In Islam, there are 99 names for God.... Opener of the Way, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate, the Essence of Beauty, and on and on with absolute qualities that characterize the divine.

 

The second relationship would be the relationship with our own eternal Higher Self. As we understand ourselves in relationship with spirit or higher power, and apart from the limitations of our current physical body, sex, cultural identity, mind and ego, we are able to gain perspective on ourselves and on events and relationships in our lives. When we are able to claim our own divine heritage, we find that we are indeed fundamentally lovable, and we are able to cast a wry eye on our foibles in navigating the perils of the physical realm of existence. If we are not in right relationship with ourselves, we will not be in right relationship with others.

 

Remembering who it is that we truly are, we also remember who it is that the others in our lives are. When we approach those others from the perspective of our mutual divine essences, our relationships automatically evolve in consciousness. The "Namaste" greeting essentially means "I bow to the Divine within you" and is a poignant way to remember who we and others are. Remembering this, it becomes much more difficult to blame others for our personal unhappiness.  

 

This remembrance holds true in relationships with friends, family, people of other religions and cultures. It entails respect, and an understanding that each one of us is on an evolutionary course, doing the best that we can in the moment. The Masters say that we recognize and are aggravated by qualities in others that we ourselves either currently possess or have possessed, and that, at some point in our own evolutionary journey, we have committed all atrocities that we see around ourselves now. Knowing that opens our hearts to compassion and decreases judgment.

 

As we are aware of our own nature and take responsibility first and foremost for our own actions and reactions, our relationships naturally evolve.  

  
Read more about the medical services Dr. Connie offers here: http://www.naturopathichealthconsultations.com

 

 

 

Honey, I'm Just Not in the Mood

*

Decreased Libido and Erectile Dysfunction

 


Dr. Marcel specializes in men's health and digestive problems. He works with Dr. Corrine in the infusion center at Pacific Naturopathic.


 

 
In 1900, the average life expectancy for a male was 46.3 years.  By 2010, this figure had jumped to 76.2 years.  This historically unprecedented jump in male life expectancy caught our evolutionary adaptive mechanisms by surprise - men's  (and women's) hormonal balance has not yet caught up to our increased life spans.  The shift in men's hormones (andropause) is more gradual than that of women and menopause.  Over the course of 10 to 15 middle-age years, testosterone decreases or is converted more rapidly to other hormone metabolites, causing men to experience enlarged prostates, prostate cancer, increased breast tissue, decreased muscle mass, increased body fat, less energy, and an overall downward shift in quality of life.

 

As a specialist in men's health, among the most common conditions I see in aging men are decreased libido and erectile dysfunction (ED).   I also see many cases of benignly enlarged prostates and prostate cancer, but that's another tale.  

 

If you listen to the TV ads for products that increase testosterone, you might think that your problems can be solved by taking a pill -- more testosterone and you'll be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. But you will be landing on dangerous ground if you respond to the murky promises and think you could be like the muscular 50+ year-olds depicted in the ads.  Here's why.

 

Testosterone is primarily metabolized into two potentially problematic metabolites: di-hydrotestosterone (DHT) and estradiol.  DHT is an inflammatory form of testosterone and is the prime cause of benign prostate enlargement (BPH).  Estradiol is an inflammatory form of estrogen that is directly implicated in both prostate and breast cancer.  Taking a testosterone supplement in any form before finding out how you are metabolizing the testosterone you already have may be fueling a potentially serious outcome.

 

 

 

The good news is that we can easily determine how your body is metabolizing your own testosterone through a simple, inexpensive salivary test done at home.  Click to find out about the test. The results of the test are reported in a flowchart form (see above image) so we can determine where to intervene in the hormone cascade to improve your experience of life.  Safe, simple and elegant.  Back to decreased libido and ED.

 

Decreased libido and ED have multifactorial causes.  

 

On the physical level, hormones must be evaluated (see above).   Decreased blood flow due to plaque buildup in the arteries and anomalies in nerve conduction must also be looked at.  BPH can play a part in ED as well.  

 

The mental/emotional state must also be considered.  Unmanaged stress is the number one libido suppressor.  Long-term relationships without an influx of new energy can become stagnant and mutually unstimulating.  Unresolved relationship issues can create distance between partners.  Fear of intimacy may be an issue. 

 

If you or a loved one is dealing with ED or low libido, the doctors at Pacific Naturopathic have the resources and experience to help you identify the causes and offer approaches to improving your experience of life.  Life is good, and aging with grace and style can make it even better.


 

For more on Dr. Marcel's work click HERE.

 


Intimacy and Healthy Relationships
Corrine Wang, N.D.

In looking at health, it becomes easy to focus on the symptoms and physical ailments that are currently manifesting in your body.

Those are the most obvious parts that are crying out to be healed. Yet often there are many underlying elements, including our mental-emotional wellbeing and social factors surrounding us that can greatly impact our physical health. 

Stress has now been linked to many major conditions including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. One major component of relieving stress and helping to maintain our health includes supportive relationships in our lives. On reflecting this past week on my personal relationships and friendships, I definitely see the pattern of how my own health is impacted by stress and how connected I feel to those around me. 

When I feel connected, I feel more grounded and balanced, more resilient and whole, and more able to deal with the stressors that come up in life. Other times when I am caught up in the busy life, feeling disconnected and no time to decompress, I not only feel fatigued but also tend to get sick more easily.

Sometimes the disconnection we feel can be from those around us, but at other times the disconnection can also come from feeling distant with ourselves. On top of maintaining supportive relationships to those around us,
we need to maintain a healthy, loving relationship with ourselves for optimal health. In fact, we need to have this wholesome connection with ourselves to also be able to fully give to others and to fully love others. 

I recently came across a beautiful word in Tibetan from the Shambhala practices called "ziji," which means radiance, splendor, and brilliance.
It is this inner quality that we have, this inner light that results in outer radiance, which can then be seen as confidence or dignity. The belief around what happens when we lose confidence, have low self-esteem, or have depression or anxiety is that this clear inner part becomes obscured and muddled by negative thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes. It is like a clear blue sky covered with dark, grey clouds, or a deep, still ocean below with turbulent, rippling water on top. 

Essentially, however, our nature underneath is 
this clarity and brightness, this radiance.

We all have this inner radiance that wants to shine through. We only need to be in touch with it and to express it. To honor that part of ourselves and that part in others - that is the part that allows us to feel connected, to feel love, and to feel whole. Ultimately, that is also the part that helps us to heal our wounds, whether they are physical, mental-emotional, or spiritual.

 

 

 

For more information about Dr. Corrine Wang and her mind/body approach to healing, please visit her website at http://www.drcorrinewang.com

 

 


Issues of Intimacy and Sexuality

 

Dr. Connie has offered natural medicine guidance to her Bay Area patients since 1993.


 
More often than they complain of lack of intimacy, patients, particularly menopausal women (but sometimes men) complain to me of lack of sexual desire.  My first questions for those patients generally revolve around the intimacy issue. Do you otherwise have open communication and intimate time with your partner? (It's popularly understood, but not universally true, that intimacy breeds desire for sex in women, whereas sexuality creates intimacy for men.) It is sadly not uncommon for a patient concerned about their sexuality to reveal to me that they actually don't particularly care for their partner any longer. The root problem, then, is not lack of sexual desire, but a lack of intimacy.

 

Related questions are historical. Did you have a satisfactory sex drive in the past? Do you remember when your sex drive dropped off? Were there any issues, of relationship or otherwise, that you were experiencing at that time? Did the drop off in sexual desire correspond with pregnancy or menopause or andropause or other hormonal or physical changes in you or your partner?

 

Then there are the contextual questions with regards to relationship, lifestyle, and general health. Does your partner also experience a lack of sexual desire? Is the lack of sexual desire on the part of one or both of you creating relationship issues? Who is more concerned about your lack of sexual desire... you or your partner?  Are one or both of you blaming the other, rather than seeking solutions? Do you have time for yourself? Are you generally so fatigued that you simply want to shut out the entire world when you drop into bed at night? Is sex actually enjoyable and satisfying, or are you experiencing discomfort or lack of pleasure?

 

The answers to these questions determine how we might go about addressing the situation.  If the issue is of relationship and intimacy, commun-ication workshops or relationship counseling may be helpful. Especially if there was a traumatic or identifiable event which led to fear of intimacy or diminished desire (but in other cases as well), Emotional Freedom Technique and/or hypnotherapy can help, as can energetic medicines such as flower essences.

 

On a lifestyle level, programming in time for rest, time alone and fun together time is paramount.

 

On a physical level, adrenal support and hormonal balancing are often in order. A useful general aid for both sexes is Maca Root. Other natural therapies can address specific issues. If a woman is experiencing pain on having sex, or a lack of pleasure, she is unlikely to want to engage in sexual behavior. The pain of atrophic vaginitis is easily addressed with estriol suppositories. Deep pelvic pain may respond to anti inflammatory enzyme protocols, protocols that address hormonal metabolism, and certain types of deep tissue work.

 

If a man has erectile dysfunction, he will tend to shy away from sex. Underlying causes need to be diagnosed and addressed. For men with lack of desire, testosterone will often help. In women, I have found testosterone to be more useful in helping non-orgasmic women experience orgasm than in increasing desire per se.

 

One other issue to consider is how the societal value placed on sexuality impacts individual expectations and satisfaction with sexual life. Many spiritual seekers have at appropriate times in their lives chosen celibacy. If celibacy is your considered choice, lack of desire becomes a blessing rather than a curse.

 

 

Find out more about Dr. Connie's work HERE.

Quality Relationships,
Quality Life

Nicole Noceto
Nicole Noceto fills many roles at Pacific Naturopathic.

 

It is no secret that we live amongst one of the unhealthiest populations in the world.  Americans are known for being overweight, unhappy, and overstressed.  The laundry list of why this is true, from our food and lifestyle choices to our external environmental conditions, could fill a large book.  What I will say to this point is that at the root of every choice we make (or don't make) lies a correlation to the nature of the various relationships that we foster.

 

Cultivating healthy relationships in our lives is one of the most powerful ways in which we can maintain overall wellness.  I am not only referring to relationships with other people, but especially our relationships to Self, food, and Nature.  I have mentioned these, for the apparent absence of focus on such relationships in our modern culture.

 

Our society emphasizes the need for instantaneous connection, which has seemingly created this false sense of urgency that so many of us are burdened by.  We have smart phones and pocket-sized computers that are fully equipped with email and social media apps, encouraging us to connect with anyone, anytime, anywhere; to be constantly updated. While the many benefits of having access to such efficient and useful technology are undeniable, our culture has become more than dependent upon, but addicted to urgent connection and distraction.

 

This widespread addiction has taken a serious toll on many people's ability to lead a balanced lifestyle.  As a culture, we have been conditioned to think that self-care equates to laziness; that foregoing face-to-face human connection saves us time; that eating pre-packaged, quick-to-eat food saves us money; that Nature is something we should capitalize. We value instant gratification over long-term fulfillment. The more engrained these thoughts become, the more detrimental these thoughts are to the quality of our relationships and thus, our wellbeing.

 

At a societal level, we neglect the very relationships that nourish our wellness. We would rather send an email than spend time developing relationships with real people. We would rather watch trashy television than hike outdoors.  We would rather pay a corporation to make our food than spend some extra time grocery shopping and cooking. Being absorbed by constant stimulation and distraction has created an epidemic of judgment, self-loathing, under-fulfillment, and poor health habits.

 

So what's my point?  My point, here, is that to develop and maintain healthy relationships, whatever those relationships may be, we must strive for balance. If we engaged in any act of self-care as much as we fantasized over somebody else's interesting-looking life, we would love ourselves so much more than we do.  If we spent as much time outdoors as we do sitting in front of our screens, we would be a much more enlightened culture. If we gave equal effort to cooking our own meals as we do eating out, we would be a much healthier population. It's from this standpoint that I argue the quality of our relationships with our Selves, food, and Nature, must be given more emphasis if we are to be physically, mentally, and emotionally well!

 

 

Nicole Noceto offers Nutrition Education for people 

meeting the challenges of diabetes and cancer.  

Nicole will soon begin offering yoga therapy programs.

Please phone 650-917-1121 to schedule.

Emotional Intimacy: 

You Can Have It

 

Jane 2013


 
Let's face it, we have these basic needs as humans. We want to be close, we want intimacy with those we love but sometimes we can't find our way there. It can be so hard to get close to the people you love, often there seems to be unseen but real barriers there keeping you from expressing your true feelings.

 

Most often it is experiences from your past which have molded how you respond now.  These responses no longer have a purpose in your life but you were programmed a long time ago and now these are habits.  But, it is possible to shed these habits and reprogram new ways of responding that suit your present life better.

 

Much of what holds you back is based on fear - fear of rejection or having your feelings hurt or even family conditioning. We have all experienced this at some point in our lives. For some, this fear can be paralyzing and not allow the formation of deeper bonds, even when most desired.

 

With hypnotherapy you can get to the core of what is keeping you at a distance from intimacy. It can help you deal with your fears and allow closer relationships. You have every possibility to experience a different response to intimacy and to enjoy emotional closeness.  You do not have to keep reacting to past programming.

 

The way hypnosis works is to deeply relax in a safe environment and to allow powerful hypnotic suggestions about emotional connection to enter your subconscious.  The hypnotherapy sessions are tailored to your specific issues and unresolved emotions. They allow you to open up the flow of your true feelings and make the desired changes. 


 

It's a new kind of freedom and it is you who has the choice to open your life to deeper intimacies.  


Read more about Jane Hernandez's transformative work HERE

 

 

Rapid Pain Relief
With Elijah Fee

Elijah Free, MH, CMI, CMT

 

 

Elijah Free's approach to helping his patients deal with physical pain has been described as bordering on miraculous.  Elijah is also a Master Herbalist who designs and produces all of his own herbal products for his healing practice. He is an herbal product designer for Ridgecrest Herb Company. 

* * *

 

Elijah Free is a healer, specializing in pain elimination of all types, both mechanical and metabolic. He is a master medical herbalist with numerous specialties, a researcher and product designer for his own label; Earth Friend Herb Co. 


 

Elijah is the author of "Apprentice to Angels," and a U.S. patent holder for a formula to eradicate fibromyaligia. He was recently granted a 501-C3 from the IRS as a medical study, something almost exclusively for institutions such as Stanford, hospitals or pharmaceutical companies.


 

Bringourvetsallthewayhome.org is all about Elijah's work with an herbal formula for PTSD that restores the lives to veterans and anyone else with this condition. A documentary video will be available later this fall about this project. A video on fibromyaligia can be seen at rapidpainelimination.com

 

To schedule an 
appointment with Elijah, 
please phone 650-917-1121.
Breast Thermography at
Pacific Naturopathic
 
- Proactive, Preventive, Personalized -

thermography

 

One way in which we are in relationship with ourselves is in the way we choose to care for ourselves, whether we favor taking responsibility for our health in proactive and preventive ways that make sense to us, or whether our care is dictated by conventional norms.

 

It takes a very long time for mainstream medical norms to change. It is well to remember that when it was first suggested that hand washing by attendants during the delivery of babies could decrease post partum infection, the idea was ridiculed and dismissed.

 

Conventional medicine continues to insist that annual mammograms, in which breasts are squished and radiated, is breast cancer prevention. Many women disagree. Breast thermography offers safe routine monitoring. Changes in breast tissue can often be addressed before the changes become structural changes. (Structural changes are the only changes a mammogram can see.)  Mammograms are reserved for the cases in which additional information is needed to clarify a finding.

 

 

Read more about breast thermography at 
Pacific Naturopathic here.
 
Elemental Relationships
at
Pacific Naturopathic Hawaii

Check Future Openings 
(then click on "Calendar")
Walk in a park-like environment at Pacific Naturopathic Hawaii
* * *


 

On the Big Island of Hawaii, we are in relationship with the elements... with the earth, with the air, with the water, with the fire, with the ether.  


 

The air coming right in from almost 3000 miles of open ocean is some of the purest on the planet. From waterfalls to ocean waves to nighttime sprinkles of rain and occasional drenchings, we experience the water element. We experience earth forms in the sand, in the soil, in the lava rock. From the sun and from the volcano we experience fire.  And in the utter stillness, there is the ether.

 

At Pacific Naturopathic Retreat Center, we are up close and personal with the earth in the gardens. We bask in the fire of the sun and the sauna, bathe in the waters of the hot tub. The air as wind rustles through the leaves at night. We rejuvenate ourselves in the ethers that permeate this magical place.

 

Come, enjoy, rejuvenate yourself. Openings available from April.

 


 

For more information, please visit our dedicated web site.

 


Carlene's Column
Will Be Back Next Month
 
Carlene offers various approaches to energy healing at the Hernandez Center

 



Read more about Carlene's transformative work here.

 

 
The Hernandez Center for Adjunctive Cancer Care


News and Commentary on Cancer Topics

* * * * *

Cancer: A Journey Within

Connie Hernandez, ND

 

A diagnosis of cancer inevitably dramatically changes our relationship with our bodies, ourselves, our loved ones, and our lives. In confronting these changes and answering the difficult questions that come to us, we learn much about our values and our priorities in life, about patterns of behavior we wish to maintain and patterns we wish to change. 

 

 

Help can come from family, from friends, from spiritual guides, from cancer support groups. For some, individual therapy can guide the way. More and more cancer patients are finding that energy therapies like Emotional Freedom Technique or hypnotherapy are transformative.

 

Do it yourself folks may find that Tarot cards, creative writing, music, or artistic expression can help them understand their inner journeys, and perhaps turn a corner or two.  Collages bring surprising answers to deep questions. A journaling technique that we've found most useful is one taught by Ira Progoff and elaborated in his book At a Journal Workshop: Writing to Access the Power of the Unconscious and Evoke Creative Ability. See here.

 

Whatever way we choose to do it, and whatever challenge or illness we are facing, accessing our own inner wisdom and power is fundamental to the healing process. It can never be about the meds alone.

 

 


"Cancer Rates Will Soar 57 Percent in the Next 20 Years"
...World Health Organization

Marcel Hernandez, N.D.

As astounding as it sounds, this lightly publicized report was published less than a year ago by the WHO.

                                                                                                            The report also indicated that cancer diagnoses would rise from an estimated annual total of 14 million to 22 million. Deaths from cancer are also expected to rise during the same period, from 8.2 million deaths a year to 13 million.


 
The WHO's World Cancer Report says that health care providers around the world will not be able to address the problem by simply treating cancer patients. In fact, the report argues that current cancer treatment costs - estimated at an annual $1.16 trillion - are already hurting major world economies.


 
Most meaningful to us at Pacific Naturopathic, the WHO advises that governments focus on prevention and early diagnoses.  Right on, WHO!  This is what we do best at Pacific Naturopathic -- we help our patients live their lives with the highest form of expression possible.  And if anything does start to impinge on this quality of life, we try to find out early what's going on so we can address it effectively and rapidly with the best approach that science has to offer.

 

Cancer may be largely preventable.  And if it does occur, we offer the latest, most cutting edge, evidence-based approaches in the natural treatment world.

 


Please phone us at 650-917-1121 to find out more about the intravenous therapy program at The Hernandez Center.

 


Other I.V. Therapies Offered at Pacific Naturopathic and the Hernandez Center

Corrine Wang, N.D.

 

Many people have already heard about intravenous vitamin C as a complementary cancer therapy to help stimulate the immune system as well as being directly cytotoxic to cancer cells. We are often using this therapy at the Hernandez Center for our cancer patients. What people may not know is that we also have many other IV therapies that are also very helpful in supporting our cancer patients depending on their symptoms and what they need. 

 

We often give a nutrient IV in between IV vitamin C sessions, which helps to provide more energy and rebuild our patients that may be feeling fatigued or have low blood counts. 

 

We also have other anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer therapies like IV curcumin (turmeric) or IV silibinin (from milk thistle). 

 

Another IV treatment that can help cancer patients from losing more weight or to help them gain weight is an infusion that includes a variety of amino acids. 

 

These are just a few of the protocols we have for our cancer patients. For more information or to set up an appointment, please contact us at the Hernandez Center at (650) 917-1121.

 

* * *

 

 

Pacific Naturopathic
and
The Hernandez Center 
for Adjunctive Cancer Care

2570 W. El Camino Real, Suite 111
Mountain View, CA 94040
650-917-1121 (v) * 650-917-1127 (f)

In This Issue

* Dr. Connie muses on healthy relationships


 * Dr. Marcel: decreased libido and erectile dysfunction


* Dr. Corrine: intimacy and healthy relationships

 

* Dr. Connie: issues in intimacy and sexuality

 

 * Nicole: quality relationships, quality life


* Jane: emotional intimacy: you can have it


 

* Carlene: (on vacation)

 

* Breast thermography at Pacific Naturopathic 


* Hawaii retreat: Elemental realationships

Hernandez Center: News and Commentary on Cancer Topics

 - - - 

 

* Dr Connie: Cancer: A journey within

 

* Dr. Marcel: Cancer rates to rise 57 percent in the next 20 years

 

 * Dr. Corrine: other IV therapies offered in our clinic 

 

 

logo transparent  

 

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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