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Pacific Naturopathic Newsletter
Number 127 * March 15, 2017
1580 W. El Camino Real, Suite 7
Mountain View, CA 94040, 650-961-1660
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The Hernandez Center
for Adjunctive Cancer Care
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WE ARE OPEN AND SERVING OUR PATIENTS' NEEDS -- SEE BELOW.
We were in Whole Foods yesterday (Thursday) and the checkout lines were 4-5 people long with overflowing shopping carts. We had never seen this before. We also went to a drugstore looking for rubbing alcohol (they were sold out) and noticed that all the toilet paper was gone as well. There were still a few boxes of tissue, and one person had a shopping cart piled up over the cart's rim with Kleenex boxes.
The fear and frenzy have taken hold. Hoarding is rampant to the extent that some markets are rationing consumables. Although there is legitimate reason to be concerned, the coronavirus is not the plague. The overwhelming majority
(97.4%) of people do survive and return to normal lives. We cannot help but wonder what would happen in a greater crisis with a larger percentage of the population at risk?
In this month's newsletter, we are omitting the usual Pacific Naturopathic practice information to offer an integrated naturopathic perspective on dealing with the virus -- a perspective that encompasses mind, body and spirit.
May all beings be healthy and happy!
Dr. Connie, Dr. Marcel, Dr. Sage, Jane H. and your health care team
at Pacific Naturopathic and the
Hernandez Center for Adjunctive Cancer Care
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Yes, We're Open!
And... we offer remote appointments
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We are not a place where large numbers of people gather and
we do wipe down door handles, faucets and other surfaces in common areas hourly and provide antibacterial hand washing soap and paper towels.
You
CAN practice social distancing here. You
CAN pick up pharmacy, consult with Drs. Connie and Marcel in person, receive intravenous Vitamin C and other intravenous treatments.
We do insist that you stay home, though, if your symptoms include undiagnosed fever, cough, difficulty breathing and fatigue.
If you have these symptoms, or are otherwise uncomfortable making your way to the office, know that
we have long offered telephone, FaceTime and ZOOM consultations where you can conference with us from the safety and privacy of your own home. Phone 650-961-1660 to schedule your remote appointment.
If you need pharmacy that is not available from
Fullscript (
CLICK HERE for direct access to Fullscript), but don't want to come in to the clinic,
phone to make sure we have what you need, and office staff can bring your pharmacy to the door when you arrive to pick it up. Products that may be backordered on Fullscript, may be available in the office, and vice versa as dispensaries struggle to keep up with demand.
Be well!
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Dr. Connie Muses on
the Pandemic
by Connie Hernandez, ND
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Masters of all ages have taught that the experiences we have in this physical world are manifestations of our own individual and collective consciousness. That would include catastrophic earth changes such as earthquakes, wild fires, tornadoes and the like. It would also include those tiny invasive micro-organisms which we call viruses. Thinking on the teaching of the great guru Paramhansa Yogananda, who described negative emotions as viruses, I found myself looking at the similarities between the manifestations of negativity shrouding our own and other nations these past 3 years and the social repercussions of this Covid-19 viral infestation... fear, anger, blame, divisiveness, feelings of separation one from another.
To best weather this viral storm, practical measures are obviously necessary. We spoke of some of them in the preceding newsletter and will speak of them more in this newsletter. But it is other perspectives that are also needed. As spiritual leaders have taught, times of crisis are times of dangerous opportunity. Every circumstance we encounter in our daily outer lives is a challenge to transform our own inner lives.
As travel is disrupted, grade schools and universities cancel classes, and meetings of any size are being suspended, we are learning the meaning of social distancing. After the frenzied grab for what each person feels is necessary for their survival in potential days away from immediate access, the world becomes a little less hectic, a little more quiet.
There is more time now to travel inwards, time to reflect, time to meditate. The interconnectedness we have discovered through electronic communication may serve us well as we work together to conquer this challenge. Time to be creative, to reach out to friends and neighbors in different ways. In Italy, apartment dwellers sing with each other from their balconies.
Several of my patients have noted that they've felt an unusual surge of happiness, possibly from letting go of all expectation that life will predictably move along in familiar patterns, and from experiencing feelings of gratitude for all the ways in which we are blessed in our lives. Walking in my neighborhood, I noticed both a novel sense of relaxation, and a sense of shared experience as eyes met eyes and people inquired of each other's needs.
Synchronistically with my writing this, I received an email from a friend with a poem by Lynn Ungar which expresses beautifully what I would also say.
Pandemic
What if you thought of it
as the Jews consider the Sabbath-
the most sacred of times?
Cease from travel.
Cease from buying and selling.
Give up, just for now,
on trying to make the world
different than it is.
Sing. Pray. Touch only those
to whom you commit your life.
Center down.
And when your body has become still,
reach out with your heart.
Know that we are connected
in ways that are terrifying and beautiful.
(You could hardly deny it now.)
Know that our lives
are in one another's hands.
(Surely, that has come clear.)
Do not reach out your hands.
Reach out your heart.
Reach out your words.
Reach out all the tendrils
of compassion that move, invisibly,
where we cannot touch.
Promise this world your love--
for better or for worse,
in sickness and in health,
so long as we all shall live.
--Lynn Ungar 3/11/20
I wonder, if love and compassion went viral, what healing might transpire in the physical world. As we are told by our great spiritual teachers, in this moment and in every moment in which we find ourselves, it was for that moment that each one of us was born. Let's make the most of it!
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COVID-19: Testing Update --
Signs and Symptoms
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 When we were in medical school studying pathology, we at times thought we might have one or more of the hundreds of conditions we were studying. A stage phenomenon that the entire class experienced. Many of the symptoms described below can be attributed to allergies, colds, flus, sensitivities -- it is easy for the human mind to take the wrong path to understanding.
Testing: drive through testing available at Walmart, CVS, and Target soon.
COVID-19 (coronavirus) may not show signs of infection for 5-9 days (incubation period).
Without testing, it is almost impossible to know a person is infected. 80% of those infected get better in 10 days. 20% need more attention and take longer to recover. Phone your health care provider if you know that you have been exposed to a person who has tested positive for the virus or if you experience:
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath (severe cases)
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- Mental confusion or inability to arouse
- Bluish lips or face
- runny nose
- sore throat
- cough
- fever
Most important: do not overreact. Stay calm, continue preventive protocols and follow the advice of health care providers you trust.
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A Warning and Simple Steps
Connie Hernandez, ND
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Please do not believe everything you read on the internet re the Covid-19 virus. You'll find both helpful information and misleading guidance.
One circulating bit of misinformation advises that if you can take a deep breath and hold it for more than 10 seconds without coughing or discomfort, you can be assured that you are not infected. In fact, as with any microorganism, you are infected with the offending agent before any symptoms occur. The breath test has to do with assessing the condition of your lungs (which may be damaged in infection). It does not diagnose whether or not you have been infected with the virus.
It is also not true that Covid-19 cannot live in cold weather. What is true is that viruses in general do not like high heat. Fever treatments such as infrared sauna and supervised hot water immersion have long been used to disable viruses.
Advertisements of natural products which purportedly guarantee to kill the virus are patently untrue. There are no guarantees when it comes to virulent viruses, and we have seen no testing of any natural or conventional medicinal proving efficacy against this specific virus.
What is true is that optimizing your general health and supporting the immune system (as noted in our previous newsletter.) will make you less receptive to the virus. And, given the lack of proven effective treatment, our known antimicrobials are not harmful and may in fact be helpful with this virus, as they have been helpful with other viruses. (Again, see our previous newsletter.) Some of these natural medicinals directly attack viruses, while others decrease inflammation and stabilize tissue.
As simplistic as it may seem, hand washing, not touching your face, keeping at least 6 feet away from any coughing or sneezing other, and social distancing in general are good ways to prevent yourself from contracting the Covid-19 virus (and other viruses as well). See chart below re hand washing technique.
We are advised to scrub our hands with soap for 20 seconds, or the time it takes to sing the happy birthday song twice. But why limit yourself to physical cleansing? This YouTube suggests spiritual chants to elevate your consciousness while hand washing.
Not touching your own face proves difficult as we unconsciously do so an estimated 15-25 times an hour. Keep a tissue nearby and train yourself to grab it and use it if you must scratch where it itches. Allow a friend or partner to remind you when they catch you at it, and do so for them in return.
Social distancing keeps you at a safe distance from contagious others.
Please don't take this as an excuse to tarry too long on the television screen or computer monitor. Unnecessary electromagnetic frequencies interact unpredictably with your own frequency and with the frequency of any microorganism, changing the both of you. You should limit exposure and shield yourself when possible.
And rather than bemoaning the lack of those group activities we all love, spend time in nature, breathing in fresh air, stabilizing your electromagnetic field with that of the earth, enjoying the healing power of the sun. You will increase your immunity and be happier.
Other supremely simple and easily accessible ways to deter any virus and promote health include proper hydration (sipping water through the day) and gargling with salt water.
And, last but not least, never ever forget the effect of your own consciousness on your bodily health. Remember the oft referenced work of Emoto Sensei in which the spoken or written word or even the thought of the word "love" transformed frozen water into beautiful crystalline structures, while hate disorganized the cyrstals. We are made of water, my friends. Imagine that.
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Home made disinfectant spray
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Many disinfectants labeled as anti-bacterial also kill viruses. Straight hydrogen peroxide and isopropyl alcohol, are effective as well. Regular hand soap is also fine for washing hands to remove the virus (see specific directions in Dr. Connie's article, above).
Easy Homemade Hand Sanitizer Ingredients
and Directions
-- 2/3 cup 99% rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) or ethanol.
-- 1/3 cup aloe vera gel.
-- 8-10 drops essential oil, optional (such as lavender, vanilla, peppermint, grapefruit)
-- bowl and spoon.
-- funnel.
-- recycled liquid soap or hand sanitizer bottle.
Simply mix the ingredients together and then use the funnel to pour them into the bottle. Screw the pump back onto the bottle and you're ready to go.
The active ingredient in this hand sanitizer recipe is the alcohol, which needs to comprise at least 60% of the product in order to be an effective disinfectant.
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Want to to be prepared?
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Supplements that help
during viral infections...
While some of the products mentioned in
this article are small suppliers, and are available only in our office, many of the products referenced above can be obtained through
Fullscript, a main dispensary we use.
click here for access to Fullscript
Register and go to favorites. Scroll down to Viral Support, and you will be able to order. For personalized recommendations, please either schedule a phone consult or an in person consult. Be well!
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Corona Virus:
Is Intravenous High Dose Vitamin C an Answer?
Marcel Hernandez, ND
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Numerous studies show that intravenous administration of vitamin C plays a significant role in reducing the inflammatory response and also helping to boost the immune system when you are ill with a cold or the flu. Other studies have shown that vitamin C deficiency is related to the increased risk and severity of influenza infections.
That being said, there are no specific human studies yet published that show that IV vitamin C can help prevent and treat the COVID-19 virus. However, as I write this, China is conducting a clinical trial of 24,000 mg/day of intravenous vitamin C to treat patients with coronavirus and the accompanying severe respiratory complications. In this clinical trial, participants are receiving IV vitamin C for seven days in a row at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, where the virus is supposed to have originated.
The clinical trial description states that vitamin C reduces the inflammatory response and both prevents and shortens the duration of the common cold. The description further states that insufficient vitamin C is related to an increased risk and severity of influenza infections. The Wuhan team aims to see if vitamin C has similar effects against the virus associated with COVID-19.
In a pre-Corona virus study, even modest amounts of supplemental vitamin C (oral administration of 200 mg of vitamin C per day) resulted in an 80% decrease in deaths among severely ill, hospitalized respiratory disease patients.
The study description notes that vitamin C is an antioxidant that may help prevent cytokine-induced damage to the lungs. Cytokines are small proteins released by cells, which trigger inflammation and respond to infections. This is relevant insofar as severe lung inflammation with COVID-19 may result in respiratory distress and even death. [Hunt C. The clinical effects of vitamin C supplementation in elderly hospitalized patients with an acute respiratory infection.)
Other studies have verified the anti-viral effects of vitamin C.
It is well documented that vitamin C enhances immune system activities like the function of phagocytes, the transformation of T lymphocytes and the production of interferon. In a just-published study, vitamin C increased the resistance of chick embryo tracheal organ cultures to infection caused by an avian coronavirus.
Studies in animals have discovered that vitamin C modifies susceptibility to various bacterial and viral infections as well. Placebo-controlled trials have shown quite consistently that the duration and severity of common cold episodes are reduced in the vitamin C groups, indicating that viral respiratory infections in humans are affected by vitamin C levels. Three controlled trials with human subjects reported a significantly lower incidence of pneumonia in vitamin C-supplemented groups, suggesting that vitamin C may affect susceptibility to lower respiratory tract infections under certain conditions. The possibility that vitamin C affects severe viral respiratory tract infections would seem to warrant further study, especially in light of the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) caused by the corona virus.
Administering high doses of vitamin C via IV therapy delivers this powerful antioxidant directly into the bloodstream and is generally well tolerated by most people. Intravenous administration of vitamin C has a higher absorption rate than when taken orally through supplementation, resulting in higher concentrations in the blood.
(See related article, below, on type of vitamin C formulas
administered at Pacific Naturopathic.)
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Intravenous Vitamin C Infusions
at Pacific Naturopathic
-- safe, easy and effective
Marcel Hernandez, ND
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Why hesitate?
Protect yourself and your family now!
The reason most people give for not receiving a vitamin/mineral infusion is that needles are "yucky." Almost every single person who has come to Pacific Naturopathic for intravenous therapy prefaces their first infusion by saying they are averse to needles. I tell them that if they had told me that they couldn't wait to get stuck by a needle I would have denied them service. But after a few infusions, most repeat patients just babble away as I am setting up to start the drip. Many barely notice when the drip has started. The procedure is surprisingly easy and much less uncomfortable than the imagination makes it.
We offer several IV therapy formulas at Pacific Naturopathic that contain therapeutic amounts of vitamin C:
* Vitamin C infusions in doses from 10 to 100 grams per IV.
* Vitamin C infusions in 2 to 50 grams per IV that also contain vitamins (all the B's) and minerals (selenium, zinc, magnesium, calcium, potassium) and trace minerals.
(Please note that a 30-minute safety and informational intake is required before beginning your IV program. The intake and your first infusion can be held on the same day. Also, any infusion greater than 10 grams of vitamin C requires a special blood test called a G6PD as a safety measure.)
Interested? Please phone to schedule an appointment 650-961-1660.
Want more information before scheduling? Dr. Marcel offers 10-minute free phone chats to address your questions.
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How to Stay Calm During this Time
Jane Hernandez CCHT
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You know, staying safe now is not that complicated and here's the main thing to know...there's a bug you need to avoid. But you know that already, don't you?
At this point public health and safety is the most important thing. So, stay home, enjoy your family and do the things you have been wanting to do. Right now, it's just for a couple of weeks and that's all we really know. In effect, we are all self-isolating and that is how we will get through this more quickly.
But the thing that won't help is sitting around in fear.
Staying glued to the TV constantly keeps your fear level revved up.
Yes, it's important to be prepared and educated about the novel corona virus but it's just as important to find ways to stay calm and confident that you will get through this strange time.
There are many tips and techniques that I share with clients to help them stay calm. The first thing I recommend is belly breathing. When we are in a state of fear we tend to chest breathe and, guess what, this makes us more upset. Many of you have your own preferred breathing technique so please take this as a reminder. But, for those who don't, here is my fave:
Belly Breathing
- Breathe in 4 seconds all the way down to your belly filling all 5 lobes of your lungs. Put your hand there and it should push out as you expand.
- Hold 2 seconds
- Breathe out slowly for 7 seconds
Do this 4X and I guarantee you will be more relaxed.
If you know Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) this is a perfect time to use it.
I just tapped for about 30 minutes with one of the best practitioners online, Gene Monterastelli. He just released this
COVID-19 tapping mp3 which I invite you to utilize. It's around 40 minutes
but the first three or four tapping sessions will have you relaxed and calm.
If you don't know how to use EFT tapping here is a quick tutorial.
You can also use EFT to calm yourself before meditation and you will have a much better meditation session.
Another great relaxation technique is utilizing Peripheral Vision
. This technique is from the Master Hypnotist, Melissa Tiers, and based on neuroscience.
When you stimulate your peripheral vision, you access the parasympathetic system (the Relaxation Response)
and that's what we want. Try this:
Focus on something in front of you and then slowly, without moving your head, extend your perception to the outer edges as far as you can, almost to behind you. Then slowly bring back into focus and notice what you notice. Do it again. Now become aware of the ceiling, the walls, the floor. Really reach out peripherally and become aware of the space behind you. Bring it back in. Try it 3-4X and you will definitely relax. It's a skill. The more you use it the better you can relax. It's easy.
Most people find that because their awareness is elsewhere, they're just not thinking any thoughts, kind of like meditation. It becomes an entrée to a really nice calm body/mind.
Just like everything we have experienced in our lives, this too will pass. The main thing is to stay calm and not glued to the TV.
I have a White Paper that has ALL the information you need to know now plus links to find out more. I'd be happy to send it to you if you email me.
Beware conspiracy theories and misinformation. Only listen to the experts.
Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to take care and stay calm. Now you know what to do.
For more information about Jane Hernandez and her work,
Jane is available on Thursdays at
Pacific Naturopathic office in Mountain View.
Schedule directly with her at 510-676-1460
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In the Media: Interesting information and
guidance on dealing with the corona virus
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The Myers Cocktail: for Colds, Flus, Immune System Support and much, much more...
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Myers Cocktail:
Safe, Powerful Effective
The Myers Cocktail has been around for more than 40 years and is the most popular IV cocktail in our clinic. Read this detailed information sheet and you will see why.
Want to learn more about the Myers Cocktail? Alan Gaby, MD, has written the definitive, easy-to-read
MONOGRAPH
about it.
Please phone 650-961-1660 for more information.
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Medical Humor:
A Break From
"Matters of Consequence"
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Inspiration
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Pacific Naturopathic
and
The Hernandez Center
for Adjunctive Cancer Care
1580 W. El Camino Real, Suite 7
Mountain View, CA 94040
650-961-1660 (v)
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