Pacific Naturopathic
Pacific Naturopathic Newsletter
 Number 61 July 2014
 
2570 W. El Camino Real * Suite 111 * Mountain View, CA 94040 * 650-917-1121 
 
The Hernandez Center 
for Adjunctive Cancer Care

 


Dietary fat and bodily fat loom large in the consciousness of the American public. We are a fat phobic society. Dr. Connie's musings and Nicole's article point out the fallacies and consequences of our dietary fat phobia. Dr. Connie's article discusses the controversy surrounding canola oil. Dr. Corrine elucidates the link between environmental toxins and body fat, and Dr. Marcel talks about naturopathic weight loss strategy. Jane notes that hypnosis and EFT can transform the subconscious programming that subverts many an effort to lose weight.

 

Be sure to check out the news and commentary from the Hernandez Center for Adjunctive Cancer Care, a new section in our newsletter.  Carlene addresses the question cancer patients often ask as to whether they themselves have caused their own cancer. And Dr. Marcel introduces the Cancer Profile, a battery of tests designed for early cancer detection.

 

Last, but not least, read about Pacific Naturopathic Retreat Center, an excellent place to initiate your weight loss program.

 

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
 
Butter: An Essential Health Food
 
Dr. Connie muses in her Hawaii Peace Garden

 

For years we've been surprising our patients by requesting that they forego skim and low fat dairy products for the full fat variety; by letting them know that it isn't the eggs that are raising their cholesterol levels; by encouraging the consumption of those full of fat avocados and macadamia nuts; by dispelling the myth that heart health can be accurately assessed with a conventional lipid panel; by insisting that the consumption of omega 3 fats is fundamental not just to health in general, but to weight loss.

 

I was therefore so pleased, several weeks ago, when Time Magazine's cover read "Eat Butter. Scientists labeled fat the enemy. Why they were wrong."  An eight page feature details why fat is not to blame for clogged arteries, high cholesterol, obesity, heart attacks and diabetes. Rather, ever since natural fats were vilified and people were exhorted to consume altered fats and an abundance of flour and cereal products, America has become a nation of overweight diabetics with cardiovascular concerns.

 

The article goes on to detail both the dietary misconceptions promulgated for years by governmental national food guidelines, and the scientific missteps which supported the well intended but mistaken campaigns that replaced butter with margarine, correlated consumption of fat calories with weight gain, introduced high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated vegetable fats, and encouraged the excessive reliance on breads, pastas and grains in general.

 

Living in the San Francisco Bay Area milieu of extremely educated and conscious foodies, alternative eating has taken hold in "Paleo" and related diets. The local formers' markets boast organic raw dairy products from pasture fed Jersey cows; varieties of nuts, seeds and olive oils; wild and exotic meats; nut and seed based granolas sweetened with raw local honeys. 

 

Still, there are many misconceptions. Gluten free living often includes low fat, high carb substitutes. My many vegan and vegetarian patients are almost universally suffering from insufficient dietary fats (though the fats provided by olives and coconuts and nuts and seeds are by far some of the healthiest fats one could consume.)  Canola oil (NOT a healthy fat) is still one of the preferred cooking oils. Coconut oil is still feared by many, though research has shown its many healthful benefits. And cholesterol levels still strike terror in the hearts of a public programmed to believe that cholesterol is public enemy number one.

 

Where do we go from here? Just as medical myths do, dietary myths evolve over time and die hard. In our society of abundance, we do have the resources and the knowledge to scrutinize our food sources and to decide what we believe to be best.  Environmental pollution, infomercial misinformation, greed based political maneuvering and economic realities all prevent us from knowing and acting on the whole truth and nothing but the truth. However, as time passes, we are coming to some understandings I believe we can trust.

 

In essence, the closer our foods are to the resources that nature provides, the better off we are.  We just don't seem to be smart enough to anticipate the unintended consequences of partaking of hydrogenated and other frankenfats, artificial sweeteners, adulterated, chemicalized and otherwise processed foods, all in abundance and at our whim.  Remember the simple guidelines. Eat a variety of organic, local, sustainable, raw, pasture raised and finished foods. Satisfy your hunger with high quality fats and proteins augmented by fresh fruits and vegetables. Let grains and carbs be in limited quantities, as garnishes, or as occasional foods. You'll be healthier for it.

 

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

 

 

 

The Link Between Toxins 
and Weight Loss
 
Dr.Corrine is a key part of the development and implementation of the intravenous therapy program. Dr. Corrine also offers Reiki and cranio-sacral therapy. Read more about Dr.Corrine here

 

I had a patient come in this last week with one of her main complaints being weight gain or difficulty losing weight. Weight loss is a common issue that most people will have at one time or another in their life, and women usually come in wanting specifically to lose fat in one area or another.

With this patient, I found myself giving the same talk around fat and toxins that many people do not understand. 

 

One thing most people do not realize is that it can be difficult to lose weight, especially fat, if they have exposed their bodies to toxins from the environment, whether it is from breathing in pollutants from the air, eating fast foods or processed foods, drinking artificial beverages or alcohol, etc. 

 

The reason why this is the case is because our bodies try to protect us and prevent toxins from circulating around by storing most of the toxins in our fat cells. Thus, if someone's body is carrying a heavy toxic burden, it can be difficult to shed weight. When this is the case, a detox or cleanse can be very beneficial in kicking off the weight loss process. As we clean out our body and begin to rid ourselves of these toxins, it allows for the mobilization of fat to occur more easily and it becomes easier to lose the weight. To begin the cleanse process, here are some simple tips to get started:

 

Decrease toxins in your environment:

1. Use chemical free products in your home (soap, detergents, cleaning products, dryer sheets, natural insect and weed killers, etc).

2. Take off your shoes before entering the house to avoid tracking in chemicals from outside.

3. Reduce chlorine exposure by attaching filters to your shower heads.

4. Avoid personal products with pthalates, paraben, 4-MBC in them.

5. Use stainless steel or glass drinking containers, reduce or eliminate all plastic utensils, drinking containers, plates and storage containers.

6. Never microwave food in plastic containers.

 

Clean up your food and water:

1. Avoid the dirty dozen found here at www.foodnews.org - these fruits and veggies have the most pesticides in them.

2. Choose free-range, hormone and antibiotic-free dairy, meats, and eggs whenever possible.

3. Choose fresh, cold-water fish in place of farm raised.

4. Drink filtered water.

 

For more information around how else to decrease the toxic burden in your body or to try a cleanse, please contact Dr. Corrine at (650) 917-1121.

 

For more information about Dr. Corrine Wang, please visit her website at http://www.drcorrinewang.com

 

 

 

 

 

The Canola Oil Conundrum
-- is it healthy or toxic? --

 

 

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

 

As dietary belief systems shift with the tide of evolving scientific thought, societal understanding can be left in the wake. We become quite confused. 

 

Witness the divergent viewpoints on good fats, bad fats, fat free and fat filled diets. We no longer just munch, as humans have done from time immemorial. 

 

No, a savvy consumer of fat must consider the omega 3's, omega 6's, omega 9's, and now the omega 7's, and decide about the consumption of saturated, unsaturated, polysaturated or monosaturated fats. And in the realm of each of those, we must decide which oils contain the fats in proper proportions for the best of health.

 

Questions abound. One question I hear frequently is "what about canola oil?"

The consensus of trusted colleagues, researchers and advisors with no vested interests in promotion or sales is overwhelmingly against the use of canola oil.

 

If you were to go instead to various governmental websites, you would encounter an opposing viewpoint. Canola oil is Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS.) by the FDA. Mayo Clinic  finds canola oil heart healthy and good for cooking, and addresses the erucic acid issue. The oil from the rapeseed plant from which the "canola plant" was cross bred contains very high amounts of toxic erucic acid, whereas canola oil does not.

 

It is often reported that canola oil is a genetically altered variety of rapeseed oil. In fact, the oil was originally developed using traditional plant breeding techniques. The genetic modification came later, with greater than 80% of Canadian and American rapeseed oil coming from plants which have been modified for tolerance to herbicides.  These oils are therefore to be avoided by those of us who avoid GMO food, though the oil itself does not contain the modified protein.

 

Dr. Mercola contests the idea that canola oil is heart healthy.  Though canola oil does contain both monounsaturated and omega 3 fatty acids, the omega 3 fatty acids are mostly lost in processing and replaced by inflammatory trans fatty acids. There are no long term human safety studies on canola oil, but animal studies are not encouraging. Piglets fed canola oil had decreased platelet counts and an increase in platelet size. Other studies find growth retardation and vitamin E deficiencies. Stroke prone rats with hypertension, when fed canola oil, had shorter life spans than their counterparts . 

 

Fat gurus Fallon and Enig dispute the widely held belief that monosaturated fats are heart healthy. They find that consumption of canola oil causes fibrotic lesions in the heart, that overabundance of oleic acid causes imbalances on a cellular level, impairs the production of anti inflammatory prostaglandins, and contributes to atherosclerosis.

 

In addition, virtually all canola oil is sprayed with a toxic herbicide. It is typically extracted and refined using high heat, pressure, and the petroleum solvent hexane. Processing issues would be one of the reasons why many of us prefer EVOO, extra virgin olive oil, cold pressed without the use of heat and solvents to aid extraction.

 

Given the gray areas in the pro argument and some unavoidable issues in the con argument, I choose to skirt the controversy by purchasing and cooking with oils other than canola. 

 

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

 

Weight Loss: 
More Than Diet and Exercise

Dr. Marcel at the Grand Canyon

 

"I'm in good shape.  That shape is round."

-- Jarod Kintz, This Book Has No Title 

 

Is body weight genetic? Does diet really matter?  Doesn't exercise help keep the fat off? Valerie Harper, in her 1970s show Rhoda, joked that she didn't need to eat a piece of cake, that all she had to do was slap it on her thigh because that was where it would end up anyway.  Indeed, among the most common patient woes we hear at Pacific Naturopathic are rapid weight gain and an inability to lose weight.  Let's take a look at this from two perspectives.

 

The first perspective is simple math.  For many people, if they take in more energy (as food calories) than they expend (through exercise and natural metabolic rate), the body will store the excess energy as fat. So if these folks take in 3500 calories a day and only use 3000 calories, fat will slowly start to accumulate.

 

People with high metabolic rates can eat almost anything and they burn it right up.  Children are great examples of this - their growth demands naturally require large amounts of nutrients.  But the huge carbohydrate intake of modern American children so far outstrips their metabolic requirements that childhood obesity is epidemic.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that "in 2012, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese."  The CDC reported a similar obesity percentage for adults.

 

The second perspective is where the plot thickens.  In most cases, as noted above, if you expend more energy than you take in, you will lose weight.  This is where diet and exercise are the prescription.  But for a number people, this prescription just doesn't work -- they accumulate fat they cannot lose, no matter what they do.  This energetic imbalance is what plagues many obese Americans.

 

We know that the commercial approach is using weight loss drugs and special supplements and prepared meals that make your weight loss dependent on continuing the program.  As long as people continue to pay for the magic bullet, the weight will be moderated.  The weight loss industry rakes in about $20 billion a year in the USA alone.

 

The naturopathic approach starts with a comprehensive office visit including review of personal and family medical history, diet and lifestyle analysis and discussion about the basic elements of a healthy diet.  Then the detective work begins.  The guiding question is, "Where is the center of gravity?"  Is the extra weight a result that may be addressed by lifestyle modification?  Is there a genetic component present, and if so, how can we best address it?  Is there a thyroid condition that is affecting metabolism?  What is the toxic load status?  What is the potential compliance ability of the patient? Many of these questions may be addressed with appropriate lab testing.  Other issues may be resolved through application of the mind/body therapies (EFT, hypnosis) available at Pacific Naturopathic.

 

The point of naturopathic weight loss therapy is to find and address the main cause of weight gain and help our patients develop the skills that keep them off the commercial weight loss merry-go-round.

 

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

 

 

        In Defense of Fats                    
 
Nicole Noceto
Nicole Noceto fills many roles in the clinic.
For Americans, the relationship between health and nutrition is one that causes stress, confusion, and neglect.  It seems that the "smarter" we become as a nation, the more removed we become from the simplicity of nourishing habits. 

 

 

We cook less, we eat out more; we spend less time with our families in the kitchen, and more time eating fast food in front of our computer screens. 

 

We are caught up in a world of fad-diets and scientific claims regarding isolated nutrients, all the while taking for granted the automatic balance and nourishment we receive from Nature's bounty of fresh, unprocessed, whole foods.  As a developed nation amidst globalization, we have more resources available to us than ever before - perhaps the double-edged sword providing us with more information, but also more confusion...

 

As with most problematic societal issues in America, money and power turned something as essential as food into a storm of industrial and corporate interests.  In the decades following the Industrial Revolution, food manufacturers realized economic efficiency by altering production methods to maximize profits.  

 

With the addition of hydrogenated vegetable oils, refined sugars & grains, and chemical preservatives, 'food' no longer needed to be fresh - it could live on a shelf for months to years, and still be edible.  As soon as hydrogenated vegetable oils (particularly the government-subsidized corn and soybean) started replacing nutritious animal fats, it became politically convenient to vilify saturated fat, leading a country to believe that fats are at the source of all health problems.

 

In a Human Nutrition Information Survey, the changes in consumption of dietary fats were tracked in the United States, revealing that since the 1900's, fats coming from animal sources have substantially decreased in the American diet, while dietary vegetable oils (including trans fats) have risen exponentially.  Concurrently, carbohydrates appear in the Western diet of epic proportions.  All the while, obesity rates have skyrocketed alongside the occurrence of heart disease, cancer, and mental illness, amongst other Western diseases.  

 

The heart-diet hypothesis that fats are bad for us has had detrimental impacts on our food supply and subsequently, our health.  To whose advantage is it to have the public confused about nutrition?  Clearly, it's to the advantage of the food industry, the diet industry, the diet product industry, but perhaps most obviously, the pharmaceutical industry and conventional healthcare system - because confused, uninterested American consumers will most likely be unhealthy. 

 

All primitive and traditional cultures revered their sources of dietary fat.  Plenty of quality fat, including saturated fat and cholesterol, and fat-soluble nutrients never plagued traditional cultures with modern ailments like heart disease and diabetes. 

 

We know that fats and cholesterol (always in appropriate quantities, of course!) are absolutely necessary for optimal brain development and function, nervous system function, nutrient absorption, digestive health, immune health, endocrine health, and more.  Every cell, of every tissue, of every organ, of every system in our body needs fat to generate energy and function optimally - in particular, real sources of fats and oils - not highly processed, chemically-extracted, GMO-laden "Frankenfoods." 

 

Understanding your own physiology in the context of evolution is imperative to being able to truly embrace the simplicity of eating well.

 

Nicole Noceto offers Nutrition Education for people 

meeting the challenges of diabetes and cancer.  

Please phone 650-917-1121 to schedule.

 
What if You Could Lose Weight
When You Wanted To?

Jane 2013
Now, that's a big claim but there are many studies and programs that use hypnotherapy to lose weight and keep it off. 
 

 

As you may know, overeating happens not just because you're hungry.  We are all carrying limiting beliefs from the past about things that were said to us or events which trigger us.  What hypnotherapy does is to work with the subconscious to change those limiting beliefs and put in new, positive ones.  

Just check online and you will find many examples or testimonials from people who finally were able to break free from their weight problems. Here is one example:

 

http://www.shape.com/weight-loss/weight-loss-strategies/i-tried-it-hypnosis-weight-loss

 

Some studies that investigated hypnotherapy weight loss:

 

http://www.hypnoprogram.com/documents/Three_Studies_WL_Hypnosis.pdf

 

Another example of a very effective weight loss technique is EFT. More and more people are using it to control cravings and change their mindset.  EFT (AKA Tapping) is basically tapping on acupuncture meridian points around your head and torso while saying the things which are bothering you and causing your energy to get blocked.  EFT clears away the blocks and allows you to control the thoughts and feelings which are causing compulsive behaviors.

 

I teach my clients EFT and self-hypnosis so that they can have these tools available even when not is a session with me.  These techniques are self empowering and help speed goal achievement. But the real truth is that you don't have to live with an overweight body if you don't want to. There is a lot of help available and much more known about what you can do to change things.


 
Read more about Jane's work here.
Elijah Free: 
Master Herbalist and Healer
 
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 Co. Elijah also holds a patent for his herbal fibromyalgia formula.  

 

To learn more about the healing work of Elijah Free, please visit his web site: 


To schedule an 
appointment with Elijah, 
please phone 650-917-1121.
Breast Thermography at
Pacific Naturopathic
 
- Fat, Estrogen and Hormonal Grades -

thermography

In addition to comparing temperature and vascularization between the breasts, patterns of vascularity seen in breast thermograms allow us to determine the degree to which the breast tissue is being exposed to estrogen.  Estrogen exposure is assessed in terms of "hormonal grade". Higher hormonal grades reflect more estrogen stimulation.

 

It is not that estrogen in and of itself is problematic or carcinogenic. However many breast tissues have receptors for estrogen, and are therefore influenced by estrogen.  Fat cells produce and breakdown estrogen, creating some cancer causing metabolites to which some women's breasts are more susceptible than others. Women with high body fat typically have a high hormonal grade on thermograms.

 

Different degrees of estrogen exposure are to be expected in other circumstances as well. A high hormonal grade in a menopausal woman or a woman on selective estrogen response modifiers would be suspect. A high hormonal grade in a pregnant woman would be expected.  When estrogen exposure is excessive or suspect, protocols to optimize estrogen metabolism and balance hormones will resolve many issues and normalize thermographic readings.

 

Read more about breast thermography at 
Pacific Naturopathic here.
 

 

Start Your Weight Loss Program 
in Paradise

Check Future Openings 
(then click on "Calendar")
View from the vacation rental at Pacific Naturopathic Hawaii
 
Pacific Naturopathic Hawaii provides a delicious environment in which to implement any new program, including weight loss. 
 
Pure water, clean air right off the Pacific and a cornucopia of organic fruits and vegetables make new beginnings easy. 
 
Far infrared sauna, hot tub, cold plunge and herbal soaking tub help remove toxins as fat cells are broken down.
 
For more information, please visit our dedicated web site.
 
 
The Hernandez Center for Adjunctive Cancer Care


News and Commentary on Cancer Topics

* * * * *

 
Be Kind to Yourself
 

 

Have you ever beaten yourself up for having cancer? If so, you're not alone. You may have asked yourself, "Why me, did I do something to cause the cancer?" 

 

Instead of focusing on what you "could have" or "should have" done, consider forgiving yourself for any mistakes you may have made in the past (if any), and begin to make positive changes now to improve your overall health. Put your energy into loving yourself more and treating yourself with kindness. 

 

One of my favorite meditations is from Louise L. Hay's book, Heal Your Body A-Z, called "Loving Treatment."

 

Listen to this Meditation:

 

 

Read more about Carlene's transformative work here.

 

 


Interested in 
Assessing Your Cancer Risk?
*
this easy profile may provide life-saving results - 

 
You do not have to have cancer to assess your risk.  Knowing where you stand metabolically may determine the choices you make on a daily basis.
 
The Cancer Profile is a battery of specific blood tests formulated for the early detection of cancer and for monitoring the success of ongoing cancer therapies. 

The profile is not site or organ specific; however, it will detect metabolic changes leading to or indicating cancer.  The analysis is performed by American Metabolic Laboratories in Hollywood, Florida.  

-- Dr. Marcel
 
Read about AML's Cancer Profile HERE.

To schedule a blood draw for the Cancer Profile please phone us at 650-917-1121

The cost of the Cancer Profile, including blood draw, is $360.
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      Butter


 * How Toxins contribute  to Weight Gain


 * Canola Oil: Healthy or  Toxic?

 

 * Weight Loss:  More  Than Diet and Exercise


 * In Defense of Fats


 * What if You Could Lose  Weight When You Wanted  To?

 

 * Elijah Free: Master  Herbalist and Healer

  

 * Breast Thermography at  Pacific Naturopathic


 * Start Your New Weight  Loss Plan in Hawaii!


Hernandez Center: News and Commentary on Cancer Topics

 

 * Be kind to Yourself

 

 * Lab Assessment of  Cancer Risk

 

 

 

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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Pacific Naturopathic
and
The Hernandez Center for Adjunctive Cancer Care

650-917-1121