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Wikipedia defines a laboratory test as, "
a kind of medical procedure performed to detect, diagnose, or monitor diseases, disease processes, susceptibility, and determine a course of treatment."
At Pacific Naturopathic, we implement a number of conventional and cutting-edge tests as part of our conscious approach to implementing what has become known as "Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM)". EBM is the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of patients.
In this issue of the Pacific Naturopathic Newsletter, Dr. Connie gives a perceptive analysis on how to look at standard lab tests and introduces a
unique laboratory panel that we designed and for which negotiated an exceptional price with Quest labs. She also gives a detailed perspective on the complex world of hormonal testing. Dr. Marcel describes a few of the specialty tests available at Pacific Naturopathic; and Dr. Brad offers his thoughts on the economics of
laboratory testing and how to keep costs low.
Jane H. writes on techniques for adapting to change and Lauren H-W. gives a recipe for a mouth-watering fennel salad.
You will also find a description of our stress-busting IV, a discussion of mammography and thermography in assessing breast health, and an invitation to totally renew and refresh at our Hawaii vacation rental.
In the
Hernandez Center section, you can read about the connection between cell-phones and cancer, how hot drinks can cause esophageal cancer and an article on the deteriorating quality of drinking water in the United States.
Also, in accordance with our "testing" theme, this month we have a special offer on our unique, comprehensive Wellness Panel. Please scroll down a bit for details.
One last thing. Over the years, we have intentionally kept our prices as low as possible, believing that healthcare should be accessible to everyone. Our consultation rates have long been among the lowest for naturopathic doctors in the area, in spite of the fact that we've been offering our services on the Peninsula longer than any other ND in the area. But the reality of living and practicing in one of the most expensive areas in the country has hit home.
For only the third time in 23 years, we are forced to raise our consultation prices. Our rents have just increased dramatically and to keep up, we need to pass on some of the costs.
Starting with appointments booked on or after September 1, a First Office Call (FOC) will be $325. A one-hour consultation will be $225. Forty-five minutes will be $165. One-half hour will be $125. Fifteen minutes will be $70. The I.V. intake interview will be $125. For the present, I.V. formula rates will remain the same.
These new rates are still lower than those of many other naturopathic doctors in the area and minuscule when compared to the rates of our MD colleagues. We are extremely grateful for your continued loyalty and are confident that you understand our rationale for these changes.
Be Well.
Dr. Connie, Dr. Marcel, Dr. Brad, Dr. Sage and your health care team at Pacific Naturopathic and the
Hernandez Center for Adjunctive Cancer Care
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Dr. Connie's Musings...
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| Dr. Connie meditates on the Mendocino coast |
The Ins and Outs of Lab Tests
At Pacific Naturopathic, we ask our patients to bring recent lab reports with them when they come to the office, whether for first office calls or return office calls. This is for several reasons. If appropriate and sufficient lab work has been recently done, it may not be necessary for us to repeat the lab work. If the labwork is incomplete, we can immediately see what is lacking. If relatively recent work has been done, but requires retesting, we then have the ability to compare the patient's current values with their own past values.
Comparing the patient to themselves is more revealing than comparing the patient's values with the standard conventional range, as the conventional range simply gives us the 5th to 95th percentages for the not necessarily well general population. Many times, patients come in indicating they have recently gone for their general check up and been told by their doctor that everything is perfectly normal. This simply means that their values on that particular test fall within the conventional ranges listed on the lab report. These values have little to do with what is normal for an individual patient, and are based on the diagnosis of disease, rather than on the optimization of health.
A good example is vitamin D levels. The range for 25 hydroxy vitamin D on conventional lab tests is anywhere from a low of 20-30 to a high of 100. While a value of 21 is within the range, the optimal value, as understood in functional medicine, is 60. In the situation of hormonally driven cancers, the optimal is from 60 to 80. So, no, the patient cannot be diagnosed with a Vitamin D deficiency by the numbers, but the low values the patient has correlate with autoimmune disease, endocrine cancer, and other disease states.
Another example is serum vitamin B12 levels. Time and again, we have seen patients improve with vitamin B12 when blood values are well within the norm. High values may not indicate the need to discontinue the B12 a patient may have been taking, but rather the need to change the form of the vitamin such that the patient is actually able to utilize what it is that they are taking in. In this case, intracellular nutrient levels or the better serum test for B12, methylmalonic acid, will reveal the true situation.
Quite often, patients come in to the office with reams of findings, often outdated, and from sometimes obscure labs. We see patients who have been limiting their diets for years due to old IgG food sensitivity testing, though those food sensitivities shift over time. We love the obscure lab findings, but sometimes, while fascinating, abnormal findings do not dictate any particular treatment course.
Our goal with laboratory testing is to discover what we might affordably do to enhance health maintenance and disease prevention, to clarify treatment options, and, of course, to diagnose diagnosable disease.
Our unique 12- hour fasting Wellness Panel, negotiated with Quest Labs at a deeply discounted cash price of $172, is a good baseline starting point for almost all patients. Normally, This extensive set of tests can run as high as $3000 when individual components are ordered separately. Our Wellness Panel looks at heart, liver, kidneys, immune system blood proteins, blood chemistry, inflammatory markers, blood sugar and other markers. Full details are in the promotional block, below.
If you would like to establish your personal biochemical baselines, please take advantage of our special offer (see below) and make an appointment to discuss your specific needs and receive a requisition for our unique Wellness Panel.
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SPECIAL PROMOTION:
TWO 30-MINUTE OFFICE VISITS AND OUR EXTENSIVE
WELLNESS
LABORATORY PANEL
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This offer includes three parts:
1) a 30-minute visit to discuss your specific laboratory evaluation needs
2) our extensive, Wellness Panel
3) a 30-minute follow-up to discuss the lab results.
Our Wellness Panel includes:
D
irect B
ilirubin, a Complete Blood Count, a Comprehensive Metabolic Profile,
BUN/Creatinine
Ratio, Cardiovascular C-Reactive Protein,
Fibrinogen, Free T3, Free T4,
GGT, Hemoglobin A-1c,
Homocysteine, Insulin, Iron, TIBC, LDH, a Lipid Panel, Magnesium,
Phosphorus,
Sedimentation
Rate,
TSH, Uric Acid, Vitamin D and a Complete Urinalysis.
(Regular Price: $425)
Note: This offer does not include any additional lab tests other than those mentioned above. Additional tests will require additional cost.
This offer expires September 15, 2016.
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Recommended by
Dr. Connie and Dr. Marcel...
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In this new section of our newsletter, we will describe unique health care products we offer in our new, small retail section of our clinic.
This bar is so popular that patients and visitors to our office buy them by the boxful! Produced by the same company that makes Bulletproof Coffee, Bulletproof bars come in chocolate and vanilla and are made with
Organic cashew butter, Bulletproof Upgraded Collagen Protein, chicory root fiber, Bulletproof XCT Oil Powder (Caprylic and Capric Acid Triglycerides sourced from coconut and/or palm kernel oil), organic cashews, Bulletproof Brain Octane (Caprylic Acid Triglycerides sourced from coconut and/or palm kernel oil), organic coconut oil, sea salt, stevia. The bars come in both chocolate and vanilla.
Price: $3.00 each or $35 for a 12-bar box.
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Seven Common Specialty Tests
Used at Pacific Naturopathic
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Most of our patients have taken the Wellness Panel that Dr. Connie describes in her article in this newsletter (see above). But
what most of our readers do not know is that we also offer a number of specialty tests that give exceptional diagnostic and therapeutic information.
These tests are generally not available from most conventional doctors. Indeed, most mainstream physicians have no idea of what to do with the information reported by these tests. Here are just seven of the many specialty tests we offer:
Comprehensive Stool Analysis with Parasitology
Gastrointestinal complaints are among the most common reasons that patients seek medical care.
Symptoms associated with GI disorders include persistent diarrhea, constipation, bloating, gas, indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome and malabsorption. The Comprehensive Stool Analysis can help assess digestive and absorptive functions, the presence of opportunistic pathogens and can monitor the efficacy of therapeutic remediation of GI disorders. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing to prescriptive and natural agents is also performed for appropriate bacterial and fungal species. This test is useful for all gastrointestinal symptoms, autoimmune disease, joint pain, IBD/IBS, inflammation, food sensitivities, nutritional deficiencies, skin conditions and others. Read more about it
HERE.
Urine Toxic Metals
This test is used to evaluate exposure to potentially toxic substances.
Additionally, the comparison of urine element concentrations before and after administration of a chelator can be used to estimate net retention of potentially toxic elements. Subsequent urine element analyses, also following the administration of a chelator, are useful for monitoring the efficacy of metal detoxification therapy. This test is useful for exposure to toxins, hair loss, bone density, cardiovascular disease, depression, skin conditions, fatigue, gastrointestinal symptoms, hypertension, immune function, inflammation, kidney function, nutritional deficiencies, Parkinson's-like symptoms and others. Read about it
HERE.
Micronutrient Testing
This test measures 35 nutritional components including vitamins, antioxidants, minerals and amino acids within our white blood cells. This micronutrient test provides a comprehensive nutritional analysis by measuring functional deficiencies at the cellular level. It is an assessment of how well the body utilizes vitamins, minerals, amino/fatty acids, antioxidants, and metabolites, while conveying the body's need for these micronutrients that enable the body to produce enzymes, hormones, and other substances essential for proper growth, development, and good health. This test provides the basis of a personalized, functional approach in addressing a broad variety of clinical conditions including arthritis, cancer, cardiovascular risk, diabetes, various immunological disorders, metabolic disorders and micronutrient deficiencies. More information on this test
HERE.
Adrenal Stress Index
An abnormal adrenal rhythm can influence many functions of the body, including energy production, muscle and joint function, bone health, immune health, sleep quality, skin regeneration, thyroid function, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), glycemic dysregulation, allergies, autoimmune disorders, depression and ADD. Read about this test
HERE.
Food Allergy Testing
Some individuals experience immediate allergy symptoms when exposed to pollens, dust, animal dander and foods.
Diagnosing specific allergies is the first step in a program of patient health recovery, which can include immunotherapy, lifestyle management and permanent elimination of reactive foods.
This test detects serum IgE specific for airborne allergens and foods. Read more HERE.
Male Hormone Panel and Female Hormone Panel
Males: Using a saliva sample, the panel measures seven hormones: DHEA, androstenedione, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, estrone, estradiol and progesterone. The expanded panel measures these seven hormones plus FSH and LH. The hormone levels in saliva reflect the active tissue concentrations, while blood contains mostly protein-bound hormones, whose active levels can only be estimated at best. Active fraction measurements from saliva are superior to blood for use in diagnosis and treatment. More
HERE.
Females:
This test offers proļ¬les of estrogen and progesterone simultaneously. Diagnostic guesswork is minimized, and hormonal balance evaluation and customized treatment becomes a reality. In addition, the test reports the cycle average for testosterone and DHEA. The expanded panel also includes five FSH and LH measurements to see if brain control and stimulation of the ovaries are optimal.
Interested in these and other specialty tests? Make an appointment to discuss these and other tests we offer at Pacific Naturopathic. 650-917-1121.
For more on Dr. Marcel's work click
HERE.
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The Ins and Outs
of Hormonal Testing
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As with all of medicine, the science of hormonal testing has evolved over time. We currently have the option of testing hormones through blood, saliva, or urine.
Europeans tend to favor salivary hormonal testing. Through saliva, we can measure the "free" forms of hormones, hormones that are unbound by protein and available to work in the body. We can also more easily do multiple samples. The adrenal hormone cortisol has a diurnal cycle and must be measured at 4 times during the day to assess output. This is in contrast to the adrenal hormone DHEA, which is measured with one saliva sample, or through the DHEA sulfate in the blood.
Thyroid hormone is tested through blood, but can also be tested with a 24 hour urine sample. Conventional medicine tends to rely on blood measurements of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH), a pituitary hormone which, in an ideal world, represents thyroid function. The conventional prescription for low thyroid is Synthroid, which is T4. Monitoring is done through blood levels of T4.
Because the feedback of pituitary to thyroid may be inconsistent, and because T4 must be converted to its more active metabolite T3, a functional blood assessment of thyroid function will include TSH, free T4 and free T3.
Conversion is often inconsistent, and the cause must be addressed (whether low iron, trauma, adrenal stress, or other.) A complete blood panel would include reverse T3, which is inactive and competes with the active T3, as well as antithyroid antibodies. If these antibodies are positive, the problem is an autoimmune problem, with the thyroid being the affected gland.
Blood tests in cycling women are conventionally measured either in the follicular or the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. However, to ascertain excesses and deficiencies of estrogen and progesterone, saliva testing is necessary. Eleven samples are taken on specific days, and imbalanced patterns become apparent.
Testing becomes a little trickier in menopause. Saliva can give a baseline level of the major estrogens, testosterone, and DHEA. Blood testing is more limited, as it generally measures only estradiol levels, not revealing estrone and estriol levels. 24 hour urinary steroid testing gives a picture of all the major estrogen metabolites, as well as metabolites of other steroid hormones such as cortisol, and values for free thyroid hormones. This testing is particularly useful when needing to evaluate metabolites that may promote estrogenic conditions such as breast cancer. These metabolites are not found in blood or saliva.
Monitoring hormones in menopause is even trickier when a woman is taking hormones. Due to the way in which progesterone is taken up and transported in transdermal applications, saliva values will be artificially elevated. Urine values of estrogen and progesterone may be artificially elevated when the hormones are taken orally and not bioavailable. This is the urinary "wasting" of hormones. These limitations of testing must be taken into account in ordering and interpreting the lab values.
 Many other variables come into play when deciding from what kind of hormonal testing a person with hormonal imbalance might benefit. Because the ovaries, thyroid and adrenals are completely intertwined, the initial determination must be of which system is predominant in creating whatever problem is to be addressed. Appropriate mode of testing must then be determined. It is for this reason that, though patients often ask to have testing done in advance of the first visit, we generally order hormonal testing after interviewing the patient. In that way, we're most likely to get the information that we need to evaluate and treat the imbalanced hormones.
****
Find out more about Dr. Connie's work
HERE.
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Stress-Busting IV Therapy at
Pacific Naturopathic
When you're feeling particularly overwhelmed with life, your blood pressure may increase, you may have trouble sleeping and your stress hormones may be on overdrive, putting you at risk for illness. The B vitamins, magnesium and other nutrients in our Stress Relief Formula can instantly lower your anxiety and blood pressure, leaving you with a sense of calm.
Bypassing the digestive tract, intravenous therapy delivers nutrients directly to the cells where they are needed most. Patients report an immediate sense of calmness and stress relief while they are receiving the IV infusion.
Please phone 650-917-1121 for more information.
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Elijah Free: Herbalist, Shaman, Healer at Pacific Naturopathic
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Elijah Free has been an associate at Pacific Naturopathic s
ince January of 2000.
He specializes in working with both mechanical and metabolic pain.
and view his videos on Ending Fibromyalgia and Ending PTSD-One Veteran's Answer.
To see Elijah's personal site and learn more of his work please visit
And to find out more of Elijah's work with his 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization to end PTSD in war veterans, (Elijah is a veteran and paramedic of the Viet Nam conflict) Bring Our Vets All the Way Home, please go to www.bringourvetsallthewayhome.org
To schedule an appointment with Elijah,
please phone 650-917-1121.
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What Is It About Change and
Why Should I do It?
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Did you know that one of the new things that science has discovered is thatthe brain has an ability to change and grow? The name for this is neuroplasticity
and it is great news. It used to be thought that the brain stopped growing somewhere in our twenties and it was downhill from there. Well, now we know that isn't true and that it really isn't valid to say..."Well, that's just the way I am" if there is something you think you can't do.
Think of your brain like muscles, if you don't use a part of your brain it becomes weak but the parts you do use get strong and incorporate into being the everyday you.
The more we do or think of things a certain way, the more it is wired into our brain. But if we want to change, we have every possibility and many ways to transform
. As I have already said, our brains are capable of neuroplasticity, so if you want to change, you can.
The first step is to become aware of your habits and patterns. Once you do, you have the opportunity to try new ways of thinking and behaving to create new neural pathways.
When you think of your brain as a work in progress, you are open to growth and transformation.
This can involve letting go of old ways of thinking and doing, especially those that are negative.
When you accept that it doesn't matter who you are, and what your life has been so far, it is possible to be and do something new.
So how do you find the healing and wholeness of transformation? How to take that first step? Well, how about letting go of resistance to change, just as a start? We cling to the familiar even though it is often an obstacle to growth and transformation.
There are so many windows which you can open to let in the freshness of change. One of the most acknowledged is meditation. Can't sit for 30 minutes without feeling fidgety? How about 5 minutes? There are many techniques that help you to focus.
Yoga and Tai Chi are wonderful too - and they strengthen your body.
I, of course, recommend
EFT and hypnotherapy. These are tools that work quickly to change the programmed parts of your mind and guide you to the personal transformation you yearn for.
EFT is done by tapping with your fingers on acupuncture points while saying or thinking about what is bothering you - be it physical or emotional. This takes just a few minutes and has the first effect of relaxing you. I use it to sleep when I have trouble but there are thousands of testimonials about other cures that tapping has effected.
I teach clients EFT in the first session when I meet them and this powerful tool is theirs forever.
Hypnosis goes right to the subconscious mind to work with the old programming and change it. This is done by first relaxing and focusing the mind so the subconscious can be accessed. Once in this state the change the client wants can be inserted to override the old behaviors.
But understand that this does not happen unless the client allows it. The hypnotherapist follows the wishes of the client for change.
So, go ahead, open a window and allow yourself to breathe the freshness of the new day. It might just open your dreams to a new reality.
Jane sees clients at Pacific Naturopathic
on Thursdays.
Schedule an appointment with Jane Hernandez, CCHT, by phoning 510-676-1460,
or by email at [email protected]
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For more information about Jane and her work
click here.
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Conventional and Specialty Testing:
Ways to Ease the Financial Strain
Brad West, ND
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Deciding if lab tests are necessary and if so which ones and how to order them is one of the most important issues that I face with my patients daily.
Trying to be my patients' doctor and not their financial adviser can be difficult when debating the high cost of a lab test with the direction of their care, diagnosis and ultimate recovery.
"Test cost fatigue" and depleting ones savings as a result of medical tests and care is a very real challenge today in this country. But over the years, in California, I think I've found a balance.
To confirm clinical suspicion of an issue or to rule out or identify an issue, I advise most patients to run blood tests through Labcorp, Quest, Kaiser or a bigger, national type lab as these are easy to find and quite good at most blood tests. Its also easier to get covered. If insurance will not cover me or the test, we discuss using my discounted account with Labcorp or using an online or local equivalent such as Theranos and DirectLabs.
For stool tests and saliva tests, however, I use independent specialty labs with years of experience, high quality equipment and technicians for more accurate and helpful information. These two types of tests alone are so helpful that I have debated for years making them mandatory for all patients. Many people have digestive disturbances, imbalances or infection that drive their poor health, so stool testing is key. And
even more people have adrenal and sex hormone imbalances due to the unnatural stresses of today's world. Saliva testing done correctly is the best way to access this in my experience.
Urine testing for infections and urinary system function are easily done in house or at a local lab for pennies, but more expensive testing is now available called
Organic Acid Test (OAT) and can help illuminate a patients digestion, infection and dietary problems with a simple urine collection.
Other more complex and evolving tests are available more than ever and with competition the quality and prices have continued to improve dramatically. Genetic and cancer tests would be at the forefront in this category.
Many and most NDs and now functional medical doctors have come to the same conclusion and so widespread access makes high quality tests are more available and affordable than ever.
Brad West, ND, is a member of the intravenous infusion team
at Pacific Naturopathic.
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Medical Humor --
A Break From
"Matters of Consequence"
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Lauren's Recipes: Fennel Salad
Lauren Hoover-West
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This salad is so refreshing, you may not want to stop eating it!
Serves 6
Ingredients:
-- juice of 2 Organic Lemons (use a fresh lemon, not bottled juice)
-- 1 cup Organic Raw Pistachios or Walnuts or pumpkins seeds, lightly toasted
-- 1/2 cup Organic Golden Raisins, soaked in hot water until soft & plump
-- 1 cup/4 stalks sliced Organic Celery
-- 4 small bulbs Fennel, sliced thinly
-- 3 Green or Tart Organic Apples
-- 5-6 TBSP. Avocado oil or grapeseed oil or macadamia nut oil
Directions:
Wash all produce with veggie wash and rinse very well with cold water.
- Squeeze lemon juice and put into a large mixing bowl.
- Toast walnuts in a pan over low heat until they are golden and start to smell toasty. Do not leave them, they burn easily. Or Bake in oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, checking them after 5 minutes and at 8 minutes.
- Pour walnuts onto a plate in a single layer to cool. Set aside.
- Boil 1 cup of filtered water.
- Put raisins in a glass/heatproof bowl and pour boiled water over them, set aside until they are plump and moist.
- I use the slicing blade on my food processor or a mandolin or sharp knife for slicing the fennel.
- Cut both ends of fennel off. I save the long stems and fronds in the freezer for broth or soup.
- Slice Fennel about 1/8 inch thick/thin; and stir into bowl of lemon juice.
- Slice celery and add to fennel.
- Core Apples by cutting around the core or using a corer.
- Using a food processor or grater, grate the apples.
- Quickly stir apples into fennel & lemon juice.
- Add the oil and stir to coat all the fennel and apples.
- Stir in golden raisins.
- Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 2-3 days.
- Add toasted nuts or seeds just before serving so they will stay crunchy.
* You can use dried unsweetened cranberries or barberries instead of raisins.
* You can use whatever nut or seed you want for more depth of flavor, protein and crunch. You can omit them if necessary.
* If you cannot have lemon juice, you can use raw apple cider vinegar or freshly squeezed lime juice.
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Lauren has appeared and cooked on ABC Live in Chicago and Sacramento. She has cooked for 4 United States Presidents and a United States Senator.
Lauren Hoover-West was classically trained at The California Culinary Academy, now the Cordon Bleu. She is a Chef/Educator/Consultant specializing in food allergies and health issues since 2002, including Gluten sensitivity, Celiac's Disease, Diabetes, Autism, Autoimmune diseases and inflammatory conditions.
Lauren has created a revolutionary way to cook delicious food that is gluten-free, dairy-free, low glycemic index, or sugar-free, and very healthy while tasting just as good as traditional food so, everyone can enjoy it.
 Lauren does not believe in using weird ingredients, so you will learn to use readily available food, and she will introduce you to items you may not have noticed before. She will help you replace all your pantry items with gluten-free, dairy-free, low glycemic alternatives!
She is the author of "No Wheat No Dairy No Problem"
cookbook and blog site. She has over 20 years of cooking and teaching experience at La Folie(Michelin star), Fairmont, Hyatt Resorts, Bally's, Marriott, New Leaf Market, Sur la Table etc... Lauren is the owner of Lauren's Kitchen, a customized meal service. She also earned a Bachelors of Science in Psychology at St. Mary's College. To contact Lauren or for more information go to her blog site.
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Breast Thermography at
Pacific Naturopathic
- thermograms and mammograms provide different information -
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As with other lab testing, the utility of breast imaging depends on the reliability of the imaging technique in answering the question being asked.
Mammograms, ultrasounds, and MRIs detect anatomic change... lumps and bumps. The mammogram's value is limited in women with dense breasts. Ultrasounds are used primarily to discriminate cysts from solid masses. MRIs offer the most precise detection, but, due to the expense, are reserved for women with high risk histories or other special conditions.
Thermograms detect physiological differences in temperature and vascularity between the breasts, and physiological differences from one thermogram to the next. The density of the breast tissue does not diminish the accuracy of the testing. From test to test, we can evaluate the efficacy of breast health protocols. We can also assess the effect of estrogens on the breasts, a helpful assessment in women on either hormone replacement therapy or anti estrogen therapy.
As physiologic change precedes anatomic change, thermography helps us understand developing situations in the breast tissue which would not show up on a mammogram until much later. Neither mammograms nor thermograms can diagnose breast cancer, and neither can uncover a potential breast cancer with 100% accuracy. It is sometimes helpful, even necessary, to have both anatomic and physiologic data.
****
Read more about
breast
thermography
at
Pacific Naturopathic
here.
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Pacific Naturopathic Hawaii:
Healing in Paradise
Check Future Openings
(then click on "Calendar")
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| The sunset view from your deck at Pacific Naturopathic Hawaii |
Spend time on the Big Island of Hawaii at Pacific Naturopathic Retreat Center. The environment itself is therapeutic and healing.
Pacific Naturopathic Retreat Center offers a very unique type of testing.... lifestyle change. People sometimes come suffering from fatigue and other ailments (which they believe to be related to one medical condition or another) and find that their energy and sleep return to normal, their bowels behave themselves better, and aches and pains disappear. As they are embraced by the fresh air, gentle breezes and warming sun, and delighted by the colors and fragrances of the retreat center property, restoration of health and rejuvenation happen.
Your body can be your laboratory. If you are suffering from a chronic condition, and you discover that changing your circumstances radically improves your well being, you will know that it is your current lifestyle that needs to be corrected. Medical testing might show you what is off balance, but until the lifestyle stress is removed, indicated treatment (though perhaps necessary) will only be palliative.
Are you feeling wired, tired, stressed? Check our RETREAT CALENDAR and see if there is an opening for you.
Openings available from mid-August.
* * *
Isn't it time you treated yourself to a magical experience?
Come, enjoy, rejuvenate and reinvent yourself.
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The Hernandez Center for Adjunctive Cancer Care
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News and Commentary on Cancer Topics
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What We Offer
at the
Hernandez Center
for Adjunctive Cancer Care
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Our cancer patients often ask us to give them an estimate of the effectiveness of therapy at the Hernandez Center for Adjunctive Cancer Care. We respond that
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 helpreduce 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.
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The Cell-Phone-Cancer Link
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A new government study has linked cell-phone radiation to cancers of the brain and heart. In the study, researchers exposed rats to cell-phone radiation for nine hours a day, finding that these ads were significantly more likely to develop cancer than non-exposed rats.
Importantly, the exposed rats were found to have higher rates of two types of cancers:
glioma
, a tumor of the glial cells in the brain, and malignant
schwannoma
of the heart, a very rare tumor. None of the unexposed control rats developed either type of tumor.
Dr. Marcel's comment: Although the studies on the connection between cell-phone use and cancer are just starting to emerge, at Pacific Naturopathic, we have long observed the connection in several clinical cases. In one startling
case, a young man who commuted hours each day with his cell phone in his lap developed testicular cancer. Dr. Connie and I rarely use our cell-phones, and when we do, we use the speakerphone and keep the instruments away from our heads. Of course, the cell-phone industry is creating a blustering denial uproar at the new research.
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Very Hot Drinks May Trigger Cancer
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The list of potential cancer causing agents is long and growing longer. In a recent article, the World Health Organization (WHO) says hot drinks belong on that list as well.
The WHO reviewed over 1000 studies that explored a relationship between high temperature drinks and cancer. The concluded that drinking any beverage over 149 degrees F (65 degrees C), cooler than most coffees served in restaurants, is linked to a higher risk of cancer of the esophagus.
Most vulnerable to esophageal cancer are those folks who have been previously diagnosed with Barrett's esophagus. Esophageal cancer is the 8th most common kind of cancer in the world.
Dr. Marcel Comments: This study is distressing insofar as most of us derive great pleasure from our morning hot beverage. On the positive side, in the same study, the World Health Organization reversed 25 years of warnings and decided that coffee will not give you cancer. In fact, coffee may even protect against certain kinds of cancers. Stay tuned for further updates.
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Cancer-causing chemicals found
in U.S. drinking water
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Toxic chemicals associated with cancer and other health issues have been discovered at unsafe levels in the drinking water that supplies 6 million Americans, new research finds.
Researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) found levels of an industrial class of chemicals - polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) - exceeded federally recommended safety levels.
PFASs are a class of man-made chemicals that are widely used to make commercial products more stain-resistant, waterproof, and nonstick - ranging from food wrappers to clothing and pots and pans.
Both chemicals are very persistent in the environment and the human body - that is, they do not break down when exposed to air, water, or sunlight - which means people can become exposed to PFASs manufactured months or years in the past or emitted from production facilities thousands of miles away.
The accumulative nature of PFASs remaining in the body for long periods can lead to adverse health effects. Studies indicate that PFASs are linked to reproductive and developmental, liver and kidney, and immunological effects such as tumors, changes in cholesterol levels, low birth weight, liver tissue damage, obesity, and development of testicular, pancreatic and liver cancers.
The plants are unable to remove PFASs from wastewater and discharges by standard treatment methods, which allows for contamination of not only groundwater, but also any sludge that the plants generate, which is often used as fertilizer.
Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/312212.php
Please phone us for an appointment at:
650-917-1121
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Other I.V. Therapies Offered at Pacific Naturopathic and the Hernandez Center
--I.V. therapy is not just for cancer patients--
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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. This is the most common therapy we use at the Hernandez Center for our cancer patients.
But intravenous therapy is not just for cancer patients. More than half of our IV patients come for various "cocktails" to help them ward off infections and optimize their health. We offer a number of individualized versions of the famous "Myers Cocktail." Read about the Myers Cocktail HERE
Other cocktails we offer promote brain health, assist the liver in its detoxification efforts, relieve the symptoms of chronic fatigue, help reduce stress, bring rapid relief from sinusitis, colds and flus, address immune system disorders, slow the progression of macular degeneration, reduce chronic pain and fibromyalgia and many other conditions.
Check out our new web site at www.IntravenousTherapies.com
For more information or to set up an appointment, please contact us at the Hernandez Center at (650) 917-1121. A lot more information can be found at www.IntravenousTherapies.com
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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)
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