April 15, 2013
A new article in the Los Angeles Times helps to shed light on the value of yoga as part of a treatment plan for anxiety and depression.
In health,
Dr. Gina
—
Los Angeles Times (latimes.com) – Yoga Might Help Boost Mental Health – By Amber Dance – (Saturday, April 13, 2013)
As you stretch into warrior pose and inhale and exhale, you’re not just stretching those hamstrings and lungs; you’re also doing good for your brain with a practice that can stave off or relieve problems such as stress, depression and anxiety.
Yoga “gives some sense of sanity,” says Sat Bir Khalsa, a neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School in Boston. “You’re no longer washed away by the avalanche of your emotions. You are more in control.”
Yoga practice can also lower heart rate, breathing rate and blood pressure, and may make people less sensitive to pain.
In some cases – particularly for anxiety, depression and stress – yoga might be more effective than medication, though this hasn’t been proved, says Dr. Murali Doraiswamy of the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. While it won’t get rid of whatever is causing you distress, it could make it easier for you to deal with the issues. Doraiswamy compares learning yoga to learning to surf: Once you’ve got the skills, you can ride the wave instead of drowning underneath it.
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Depression, Naturopathic Medicine, News, Prevention | Tagged: drgina.com, natural treatment for depression, yoga medicine |
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Posted by Dr. Gina Cushman
February 12, 2013
Dr. Gina had one of the top 5% most viewed LinkedIn profiles for 2012! The content on this blog also posts to Linkedin, and it is refreshing to know that the messages we share with you here, about health and medicine, are reaching a large and influential audience.
In health,
Dr. Gina and all of us at HealthBridge Medical Center
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Industry News | Tagged: Dr. Gina (Nick) Cushman, drgina.com, HealthBridge Medical Center, http://www.healthbridgehealing.com, Naturopathic Medicine |
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Posted by Dr. Gina Cushman
November 13, 2012
A new Danish study published in the medical journal Pediatrics found that women who had the flu or ran a fever for more than a week during their pregnancy face a greater risk of having a child with an autism spectrum disorder. There were nearly 97,000 children aged eight to 14 and born between 1997 and 2003 in Denmark whose mothers were surveyed, and one percent (976) of the children were diagnosed with autism.
Those mothers who had the flu during pregnancy were twice as likely to birth a child with autism, and those who had a fever that lasted more then seven days before 32 weeks gestation were three times as likely to birth a child with autism.
There was also an association found between antibiotic use during pregnancy and an increased risk of autism.
Articles are being written advocating that pregnant women receive a flu shot, as this was recommended by the researchers. We do not know the consequences of pregnant women taking a flu shot, that may contain chemicals like thimerosal…a mercury-rich preservative. The vaccine also is designed to illicit an immune/inflammatory response and inflammation from the flu is one very real consideration as to why the children of mothers with the Flu during pregnancy were more likely to be autistic. The flu causes inflammation in the body. There are also questions as to the efficacy of the vaccine itself. There are naturopathic ways to boost immune function and lower inflammation in pregnancy. With the help of a licensed naturopathic medical doctor or qualified holistic medical doctor women can take active steps to safely nourish their immune system before and during pregnancy.
In health,
Dr. Gina
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Autism, Autism and Mercury, Pregnancy | Tagged: Autism, Dr. Gina Cushman, drgina.com, flu, flu vaccine, Healthbrigehealing.com, naturopathic flu treatment |
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Posted by Dr. Gina Cushman
October 5, 2012
A new report published last Friday in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Sciences Europe is raising significant concern that weeds are evolving to become resistant to GMO crop technology, causing a significant increase in the use of toxic pesticides. Super weeds are cropping up in a similar fashion to the superbugs that have plagued our hospitals. Read more here.
-Dr. Gina
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agriculture, Latest Nutritional Research | Tagged: Dr. Gina Cushman, drgina.com, GMO Foods, HealthBridgeHealing.com, Pesticides |
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Posted by Dr. Gina Cushman
November 22, 2011

Dr. Gina Cushman of HealthBridge Management LLC to lead a live online continuing education (CE) event on “Innovative Strategies for Optimizing Thyroid Function.” Licensed healthcare professionals receive 1.25 hours of LIVE pharmacy credits by logging on to www.freece.com and registering for Dr. Cushman’s seminar. The first presentation, Monday November 28th, 2011, offers 1.25 hours of live pharmaceutical CE credits and runs from 10:30 AM ET to 11:45 AM ET.
As always, you won’t want to miss this talk, that will provide new information on how best to prevent and treat the most prevalent thyroid conditions of our time.
Note from Dr. Cushman…”most of my patients associate thyroid issues with weight gain or weight loss. This is true, but just as significant is the powerful impact that an unhealthy thyroid has on your mental health, causing depression, anxiety, difficulty focusing, and difficulty handling stressful situations. Most physicians only test “TSH” which is an antiquated and ineffective way to catch and treat the MAJORITY of treatable thyroid conditions our country is challenged with. I encourage all practitioners to attend this seminar that includes digestible, take home strategies and clinical pearls that you can apply in your practice the next day.”
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Depression, Hormone Replacement Therapy, Pharmaceuticals, Thyroid Health, Weight loss, Women's Health | Tagged: Continuing Medical Education, Dessicated thyroid gland, Dr. Gina Cushman, drgina.com, HealthBridge Medical Center, healthbridge.tv, Hypothyroidism, Nature-throid, Thyroid and Adrenal Health, Thyroid Treatment, Westhroid |
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Posted by Dr. Gina Cushman
August 28, 2011

We love patient testimonials, and want to thank all of our HealthBridge Medical Center patients and DrGina.com customers who take the time to share their experiences with us. Below is a testimonial that just came in, and instantly helped us to renew our strength, inspire us and served as a reminder of why we work so hard to share the message and be a demonstration for you, that Naturopathic Medicine works, even in the most seemingly hopeless situations.
In gratitude,
-DrGina.com, HealthBridge Medical Center & Dr. Gina
—
Dear Dr. Gina Nick (Cushman), I’m writing this to thank you for your expertise and for the information you are sharing on your website. I want to tell you my experiences, along with how much you helped me. I was diagnosed as a Manic Depressive in 1979, along with being a alcoholic with a cocaine problem. I was prescribed lithium and at that time I quit drinking and quit cocaine. I took lithium for 30 years but still continued to have bouts of depression which I attribute to hypoglycemia, which I was told I had even before 1979. My kidneys were beginning to be compromised by lithium and although I was scared about going off of it, in March of 2010 I gradually decreased the dosage and finally quit taking it. I found my system to be even more sensitive to the low blood sugar problem and I decided for the first time in my life to start taking it seriously and to eat a high protein, low carb diet. I started to feel better and the depression and confusion started to lift, but it seemed that every time my allergies (inflammation) got bad, the blood sugar issue along with the headaches and feeling so fatigued etc. got worse. I added Vitamin D (4,000 ui/day, Twin Lab, water soluble) to my diet and it helped me a lot, but I ran out one day and bought another brand of Vitamin D3 (not water soluble) and within 3 weeks I found myself really depressed. After analysing it I realized it was the water soluble product that was working for me. I kept thinking though, the inflammation I had was directly related to the hypoglycemia but I didn’t understand why, this is when I ran across the paper you wrote about cytokines. I then started searching for more of your work and I ran across your ‘sicksyndrome.com’ site and took your assessment test. I scored a 17, knowing it would have been much worse if I would have taken it prior to the diet change. I followed your 5 Step Program and started doing the following daily… 1) A tablespoon of Sesame Oil/day. 2) A handful of Walnuts/day. 3) 450 mg of Holy Basil/day. 4) I’m unable take Flaxseed Oil, I tried in the past but it doesn’t seem to digest properly. 5) I don’t know if my DHEA level is low, so I haven’t taken it. 6) I picked up a meditation sound file and I’m meditating at least 5 times per week. I was always so fatigued, along with all the other mental and physical things that went along with what you explained regarding the cytokine overload, and after I started your ’5 Step Program’ I have to tell you how good I feel mentally and physically and the blood sugar issue is much better also. I hope I didn’t give you to much information, but I am so happy to feel good and I had to tell you how much you have changed my life. I hope I can refer someone to you in the future because I feel indebted to you.
You are what I consider a real Doctor to be.
Sincerely, B.H.
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Depression, Diet and Disease | Tagged: Dr. Gina Cushman, drgina.com, HealthBridgeHealing.com, Naturopathic Medicine, Patient Testimonials |
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Posted by Dr. Gina Cushman
August 3, 2011

Cocoa Flavonols: Vision And Cognitive Function
Good news for those of us who love dark chocolate!
-Dr. G
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Diet and Disease, Industry News, Latest Nutritional Research, News, Nutritional Supplements and Disease | Tagged: Cocoa health benefits, Dr. Gina Cushman, drgina.com, HealthBridge Medical Center, healthbridge.tv, HealthBridgeHealing.com |
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Posted by Dr. Gina Cushman
January 19, 2011
Please sign this letter to Gov. Jerry Brown, encouraging him to make healthy, local, organic and sustainable food policies a central part of his administration.
Food Democracy Now has prepared a letter to Gov. Jerry Brown, asking him to prioritize healthy, sustainable and local food and farm policies that benefit all Californians. The letter prepared by Food Democracy Now asks for California food policies that place a strong emphasis on improving access to healthy food to underserved communities, create economically vibrant farms and farm jobs, reward and adequately protect farm workers and ensure that the bounty of California’s natural resources are preserved for future generations.
In health,
-Dr. Gina
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agriculture, Childhood Nutrition, Healthcare Politics, organic foods, Prevention | Tagged: Dr. Gina (Nick) Cushman, drgina.com, Governor Jerry Brown, LTP Natural Medical Center, Organic Farmers, Organic Food California, www.ltpmedical.com |
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Posted by Dr. Gina Cushman
November 11, 2010
Finally, a study has identified the mechanism by which omega-3 fatty acids appear to effectively fight chronic inflammation, insulin resistance and diabetes. The study found that there is a key receptor in obese body fat and that omega-3 oils – specifically docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) – activate this receptor, which results in broad anti-inflammatory effects and improved systemic insulin sensitivity. (There is a strong connection between obesity and diabetes.) The effect of fish oil was powerful, according to the researchers, and, “The omega-3 fatty acids switch on the receptor, killing the inflammatory response.” The study team warned that more study is required to determine how much fish oil constitutes a safe and effective dose. Researchers suggested that the study could eventually lead to a natural dietary remedy for the more than 23 million Americans who suffer from diabetes. This study was published in the journal, Cell. The full-text version is now available online by clicking here.
In health,
-Dr. G
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Diabetes, Diet and Disease, Inflammation, Latest Nutritional Research, Obesity, Prevention, Weight loss | Tagged: Diabetes Natural Treatment, Dr. Gina (Nick) Cushman, drgina.com, Essential Fatty Acids and Inflammation, Fish Oils, LTP Natural Medical Center, LTPMedical.com, Obesity, vitamin deficiencies, Weight loss, www.drgina.com, www.ltpmedical.com |
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Posted by Dr. Gina Cushman
September 16, 2010
A new study (1) published in the International Journal of Obesity found that those individuals who lost a significant amount of weight had an average of 50% higher levels of six of the most toxic organic environmental pollutants in their blood, as compared to those who gained weight! This is based on data collected from among 1,099 adult participants age ≥40 in the CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
Toxins are stored in fat cells and once fat cells purge their contents, those toxins will begin to circulate in your blood stream. There is an association between the increased level of toxins in our environment beginning with the industrial age, and the increased incidence of obesity in our country. This new research provides further evidence that undergoing a 21 Day Purification Program can be a wise step to take on your weight loss journey. This program is clinically researched and includes custom formulas that are proven to bind to environmental toxins and remove them from your body so that they do not cause DNA damage and disease.
If you are interested in learning more about the role toxins play in the body and how detoxification methods help, click here.
To your health,
Dr. G
(1)The authors declared they had no conflicts of interest. Lee D-H, et al “Inverse associations between long-term weight change and serum concentrations of persistent organic pollutants” Intl J Obesity 2010; DOI: 10.1038/IJO.2010.188.
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Purification, Purification Program, Toxins and Detoxification, Weight loss | Tagged: detoxification, Dr. Gina (Nick) Cushman, drgina.com, environmental toxins, LTP Natural Medical Center, LTP Purification Program, Toxins and Detoxification, www.ltpmedical.com |
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Posted by Dr. Gina Cushman