One of Dr. Connie's Favorite Places to Muse is at the Pacific Naturopathic Retreat Center in Hawaii

Good News About Delicious, 

Heart-Healthy Foods

I was interested to see an article in Huffington Post promoting foods with cardiovascular benefit. These foods offer benefits which include lowering cholesterol, altering lipid profiles, normalizing blood pressure, quelling inflammation, and preventing clots.

I do question a few of the items on the Huffington list, specifically soy protein and popcorn, and would caution that the coffee, wine, and dark chocolate should be included in moderation. While soy protein does favorably impact lipid profiles, issues surrounding soy include production methods, genetic modification, allergic potential, digestive difficulties and more. (I'd recommend an organic, non GMO, fermented soy product, such as tempeh.) And pop corn? Even talking the salt free, butter free air popped variety, we're looking at another GMO hazard, and a highly allergic, overused substance. Touted for it's high fiber content, I'd suggest substituting other recommended fiber sources such as oatmeal.

Focusing on the remaining foods on the list, one could still prepare a fairly phenomenal heart healthy Valentine Day's feast. The other foods included in the Huffington Post article are olive oil, salmon, nuts, berries, oatmeal, tomatoes, seaweed, sweet potatoes. A menu incorporating these foods could include tempeh fricassee for vegans and vegetarians, or wild salmon for others; sweet potato mash; side seaweed salad; green salad with tomatoes; and strawberries dipped in deep, dark chocolate. Yum Yum.

Because tempeh fricassee may be an unfamiliar concept to many readers, we've included a recipe for Dr. Marcel's famous tempeh fricassee, which begins with Dr. Marcel's Cuban Sofrito.

Dr. Marcel's Cuban Sofrito

Ingredients:

2 medium onions, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

1 rounded tsp turmeric

1 rounded tsp cumin

1 rounded tsp dried oregano leaves

2 Bay leaves

salt

black pepper

1 cup dry white wine

3 T capers

7 large Spanish Olives, quartered

extra virgin, organic olive oil

extra virgin, organic coconut oil

water as needed

Saute peppers and onions together in olive oil. After the peppers soften and the onions are transparent, add garlic, continuing to saute for 3 minutes. Add rest of ingredients. Adjust liquid so that it is slightly watery. Evaporate to desired consistency, like maple syrup. Adjust flavorings. Cook slowly, stirring every 5 minutes or so for two hours.

For the Tempeh Fricassee, sautee tempe strips in coconut oil. Add to the sofrito prior to serving, or arrange strips on plate and top with sofrito.

Find out more about Dr. Connie's consulting services at  
www.naturopathichealthconsultations.com   

Naturopathic Assessment 

of Cardiovascular Risk:

More Information is Better 

than Less Information

Connie Hernandez, N.D.

Practitioners of complementary medicine have long disputed the use of cholesterol alone as a measure of cardiovascular risk. The resultant controversy, brewing for years, is beginning to bubble over into mainstream questioning of testing methods and of prescriptive guidelines for statin medications.

Under our dictum that more information is better than less information, we at Pacific Naturopathic advocate more in depth testing when considering whether you are a candidate for addressing perceived cardiovascular risk through prescriptive means, particularly statins. Among the many things we consider are personal and family history, current dietary and lifestyle risk factors, blood pressure measurements, laboratory testing of factors which contribute to cardiovascular risk (liver function, thyroid function, sex hormone deficiencies or imbalance), and cardio specific laboratory testing.

Our choice for cardio specific laboratory testing is Spectra Cell Laboratory's Lipoprotein Particle Profile. The profile provides almost everything we'd like to know, and does so at a reasonable price.

General screening looks at total cholesterol, HDL (high density lipoprotein), LDL (low density lipoprotein) and triglycerides, and gives a ratio of total to HDL cholesterol. Of these values, the ratio is the most helpful. That being said, there's much more to consider. The total values do not take into the account the fact that cholesterol, both LDL and HDL comes in small and dense, to large and buoyant particle sizes. The small HDL is not particularly protective, whereas the large is. And the small LDL is much more damaging than the large LDL. In addition, there are fragments which are far more reliable as risk factors... lipoprotein-a is one of those.

Spectra Cell testing evaluates particle size, fragments and other indices such as C reactive protein and homocysteine, valuable as functional risk factors for cardiovascular disease. These indices are measures of inflammation, and are used to estimate the degree of injury to the lining of the blood vessel. Cholesterol patches injured areas, a patching which can result in dangerous plaque. No injury, no patch, no plaque.

Person A with a cholesterol reading of 275, a predominance of HDL particles, buoyant LDL particles, and low lipoprotein a, homocysteine and C-reactive protein is at less risk than person B with a total cholesterol of 165, relatively low HDL numbers, small LDLs, high lipoprotein a and a high degree of inflammation.

Given this information, it makes no sense to prescribe a statin medication without investigating both the underlying cause of the perceived problem, and what it is that is actually being treated.

Naturopathic protocol is to address 

diet, lifestyle, endocrine or metabolic dysfunction, and underlying inflammation, rather than simply suppressing the high cholesterol numbers. In addition, risk facts such as lipoprotein-a don't reliably respond to statin medications. Another medication, such as niacin, may be more appropriate.

All of this is not to say that statins are never indicated. Our naturopathic red yeast rice extract IS a statin, and we do prescribe it when indicated. It is simply to say that it is time to turn to a more preventive and more informed mode of treating cardiovascular dysfunction. 

Find out more about Dr. Connie's consulting services at:  

Sex and Cardiovascular Health

Here's an all too common story: A person with no personal or family history of heart disease, no symptoms and "normal" cholesterol levels wakes up in the morning and in the course of the day suffers a heart attack. There was no clue. This is why heart attacks have been called "the silent killer."

As you've read in other articles in this newsletter, traditional cholesterol monitoring through laboratory testing is an unreliable predictor of cardiovascular health. Yes, there may be a genetic component involved in cardiovascular disease, but as we've tried to communicate above, genetic predispositions to cardiovascular disease may be greatly curtailed by the lifestyle choices one makes, especially those related to diet, exercise and stress management.

Maintenance is one of the keys to heart health. You would never think of driving your car 100,000 miles without oil changes and tune-ups. Well, the heart is the body's engine room, responsible for pumping life-sustaining blood via a 60,000-mile-long network of vessels. The organ beats ceaselessly, about 100,000 times a day, about 40 million times a year. Freshly pumped blood keeps the body freshly supplied with oxygen and nutrients, while clearing away harmful waste matter.

Heart maintenance is not rocket science. Most readers of this newsletter know that a diet rich in healthy oils (olive oil, fish oil) help the heart, while saturated fats (from red meat) and trans fats (in many packaged foods) may compromise the heart. Other dietary suggestions are given in the articles written by Dr. Connie and Dr. Corrine.

Most readers also know that a sedentary (inactive) lifestyle is one of the top risk factors for heart disease. Fortunately, it's a risk factor that you can do something about. Regular exercise, especially aerobic exercise, can strengthen your heart and cardiovascular system, lower blood pressure, improve your circulation and help your body use oxygen better. Remember to always check with your doctor first before starting an exercise program. Your doctor can help you find a program that matches your level of fitness and physical condition.

Chronic stress exposes your body to unhealthy, persistently elevated levels of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. Fortunately, there are a number of effective approaches to working with stress.

Here's the sex part.  Exercise ranks right up at the top in terms of stress-busting effectiveness. If you can't make it to the gym, physical intimacy (sex!) is extremely heart healthy. One study of 2,500 men aged 49 to 54 found that having an orgasm at least three times a week cut in half the likelihood of death from coronary heart disease. And a prolonged intimacy session can double a person's heart rate and burn up about 200 calories, or the equivalent of a brisk 15-minute run. So staying in bed might be just what the doctor orders.

In one study, Harvard Medical School reported that yoga has a dramatic positive effect on heart health. The study reports that yoga can reduce high blood pressure, lower cholesterol and blood sugar, ease stress, cut episodes of irregular heartbeat in half and greatly improve quality of life in people living with abnormal heart rhythms.

Meditation is also a powerful cardiovascular therapy. One major study reported that meditation can cut the risk of heart attack, stroke, and death by almost 50% in patients with existing coronary heart disease. The findings of the study indicate that relaxation and mental focusing can be as effective as powerful new drugs in treating heart disease.

Norman Cousins, in his classic book, "Anatomy of an Illness," discovered that a hearty laugh, like the kind that generates a stream of tears, has a profound impact on health. Research has shown belly laughs can cause the lining of blood vessel walls to relax, increasing blood flow for up to 45 minutes after the laugh attack.

Why is stress so emphasized in heart health? Excellent research has shown that stress and other negative emotions cause blood vessels to constrict, which reduces blood flow. The opposite effect was true for positive emotions.

Finally, although many people think of heart attacks as a male thing, heart disease kills 500,000 American women each year, topping male numbers by 50,000 mortalities. Also, women don't tend to experience the Hollywood-style heart attack symptoms in which gripping chest pain radiating to the left arm signals that the end is near. Instead, women have reported tightness, aching or pressure in the heart, plus other symptoms like nausea, back and jaw pain.

Find out more about Dr. Marcel's work with men at:

Craniosacral work can help heal the heart not only physically but also mentally and emotionally. 

On the physical level, craniosacral therapy helps rebalance the autonomic nervous system by supporting the parasympathetic system and decreasing the drive of the sympathetic system. This moves the body into relaxation mode, decreasing stress levels and stress hormones. In relaxation mode, craniosacral therapy facilitates drops in heart rate and respiratory rate, dilation in blood vessels, and increase in blood flow - all good things for the heart. Craniosacral therapy also relaxes the tension and hardness felt in the chest under stress.

Along with helping the heart on the physical level, craniosacral therapy can be very beneficial on the mental and emotional levels. With the complex and chaotic lives we lead these days, it is often hard to make space for processing stressors and emotions. We lock many of our emotions and experiences in our hearts, guarding ourselves from more pain. 

During craniosacral sessions, as a practitioner, I am fully present in the moment with my clients, offering a compassionate space for them to decompress and express themselves if they need to. Holding the heart space, I allow the client the time to be vulnerable, time to open to new possibilities. The pain and emotions that are locked in the heart can then unfurl and be released. Old tensions and patterns make space for alternative ways of being, healing the heart and spurring life change.

If you're feeling the need for relief from stress, or change of heart, come stop by for a craniosacral session today.

New--Only at Pacific Naturopathic

A Highly Effective 

All Natural Treatment

for Yeast, Mold and Fungus

Elijah Free, MH, CMI, CMT  

Developed by Master Herbalist Elijah Free, Fungus-End™ is a unique herbal formula which helps to address the issue of fungus, mold and yeast overgrowths in the body. 

The Fungus-End™ formula creates an environment that helps to kill off the offending overgrowths. Fungus-End™ also helps ensure that there are no undesirable die-off symptoms, symptoms which can otherwise make one feel very ill. Fungus-End™ neutralizes the acid toxins from die-off right in the blood stream, insuring a comfortable and safe elimination of fungus, yeast and mold. The changed environment that the formula creates helps prevent any remaining over-growth from thriving and repopulating the system with a new generation of fungus, mold or yeast.

There are a number of causes, usually found in combination with each other, that allow yeast, mold and fungus to overgrow in the body. The most common cause is repeated or ongoing exposure to environmental mold and/or fungus, often in the home environment. Air borne spores can acclimate to life in the body, and can take root and grow. The immune system cannot handle the overgrowth, and the invading spores have a perfect place to establish themselves.

Diets that are high in sugars, processed carbohydrates, preservatives, and alcohol weaken the immune system and contribute to making the environment conducive to the continuation of the overgrowth. The delicate balance of healthy flora in the digestive tract is further disrupted by antibiotic use, ongoing stress, and more. Yeast thrives with this disruption.

Fungus-End™ has two distinct actions. First, the combination of herbs acts to kill off the overgrowth, both through the direct antimicrobial action (killing off the fungus/mold/yeast) and through helping the cells of the immune system to hunt out the offending infection.

Second, Fungus-End™ has a component that neutralizes the die-off reaction that we attribute to the eradication of fungus/mold/yeast. Die-off is exactly what the name implies. When the offending organisms die, they leave behind an acidic, toxic residue, an environment conducive to further overgrowth. Fungus-End™ neutralizes the residue as it occurs. Without the die-off residue to live on, the infectious overgrowth starves to death, greatly aiding the main antimicrobial action of the formula. This leads to a smooth and more rapid progression back to a healthier body.

Elijah Free created Fungus-End™ for his own healing from a severe fungus and mold overgrowth that responded to nothing else. Within several weeks of starting the formula, he began to see results-the lessening of symptoms leading to an eventual eradication of the overgrowths that had made him so ill for the past several years. The research and development of Fungus-End™ offers hope for others with debilitating and insidious fungal overgrowth conditions.

Fungus-End™ is an Elijah Free Formula from Earth Friend Herb Co.

To contact Elijah, please either call the clinic at 650-917-1121 or e-mail at elijah@rapidpainelimination.com.

Looking for a conscious, meaningful, caring gift for a birthday or special occasion? A gift certificate to a Pacific Naturopathic practitioner lets a special person know you really care about their well-being. 

Gift certificates for all practitioners and modalities offered at Pacific Naturopathic are available by phoning our front desk at 650-917-1121, or just stopping by.

Normal Thermographic Pattern

At Pacific Naturopathic, preventive medicine and women's health are close to our hearts. Breast thermography provides us with a way to help maintain health in both of these issues.

Through breast thermography, we are able to identify changes occurring in one breast that are not occurring in the other breast. Elevated temperature and asymmetric vascularity help us assign a risk rating number to each breast. We address breast health when we see medium to high risk ratings. With thermography, we can monitor the efficacy of our treatment protocols and the return to a normal physiology resulting in a lower risk rating.

Physiologic change occurs before anatomic change. When we reduce the risk rating, are we preventing or reversing breast cancer? Maybe, maybe not. What we are doing is observing change, so that we can address and regress abnormal physiologic change. Whether the change is precancerous or would progress to cancer if untreated is unclear as the only diagnostic for breast cancer is breast biopsy. What is clear is that we have the potential of normalizing physiology before there is anatomic change. We call that preventive health care.

It has always seemed a bit odd to us that mammograms are promoted as part of a preventive health care program. Mammograms have the potential to discover something looking like a cancer once it has already developed.

As we've said, diagnosis of breast cancer is through breast biopsy. The mammogram neither diagnoses cancer nor prevents it from developing. This is not to say that we don't ever recommend mammograms. Mammograms help detect the presence of cancer that may not be detected through self breast exam, and clarify abnormal thermographic readings. But they are not preventive health care. 

The cost to you of breast thermography is $225.

Thermography at Pacific Naturopathic