Exercise in Nature to Boost Mental Health

June 7, 2010

Exercising in the green, natural environments has long been known to boost – not necessarily the physical health benefit – but one’s mood, self-esteem and odds of avoiding mental illness such as depression and other psychological conditions. But a study has pinpointed exactly how much time spent working out in green environments – not sitting around outside but actually exercising in those parks, gardens, nature trails and nature-heavy environments – is required to achieve maximum mental health benefit. And it’s a mere five minutes. The study conclusions were released on May 1, by the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Click here and type in “depression,” “anxiety” or any other mood-related health challenge in the search bar to learn more about what you can do to enhance your outlook and stave off depression and anxiety.  Another helpful site is SickSyndrome.com.

A few favorite natural supplements prescribed at our medical practice used to enhance mood include Tryptophan, Anxiety Pack, and the Sickness Syndrome Depression Pack.

In health,

Dr. G

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Posted by Dr. Gina Nick

Flaxseeds Lower Cholesterol in Men

April 30, 2010

A new study just presented at the American Society for Nutrition’s annual meeting at Experimental Biology 2010 shows that consuming 150 milligrams – about three tablespoons – of flaxseed lignans daily decreases cholesterol in men by almost 10 percent within three months. PureMeal, a part of the 21 day LTP Medical Purification Program, includes flaxseed meal and is a convenient, tasty way to support purification and lower your cholesterol on a daily basis!

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Posted by Dr. Gina Nick

Take Action Today on the Healthcare Bill!

March 16, 2010

US Healthcare Bill- Make Your Voice Heard!

I am reprinting an action statement from the Alliance for Natural Health USA about the upcoming vote on the healthcare bill.  It lists the elected representatives that still have the potential to vote “NO” on the bill as it is written.  We may only have until this Thursday to make our voices heard, so please, if you are interested in maintaining your freedom in healthcare choices and access to natural healthcare, TAKE ACTION now!

In health,

Dr. G

—

Make Your Voice Heard on the Healthcare Bills!

March 16, 2010

After months of negotiating and back-door dealing, Congress is set to pass industry-friendly healthcare legislation at the expense of consumer choice. Please contact your elected representative today and tell him or her to vote NO on the healthcare bill!

The House of Representatives is expected to pass the Senate healthcare bill along with separate “fixes” as early as Thursday. If passed, the Senate will then vote on the fixes shortly thereafter. This may be your last chance to make your voice heard.

There are a few key representatives who will make or break the healthcare bill, because for one reason or another, their votes remain uncertain and subject to change. If you see your elected official listed below, it’s particularly critical you contact them today and tell them to vote no on this version of healthcare reform.

Members who voted no last time but haven’t said what they would do this time include:

Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA)

Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA)

Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN)

Rep. Suzanne Kosmas (D-FL)

Rep. Frank Kratovil (D-MD)

Rep. Michael McMahon (D-NY)

Rep. Walt Minnick (D-ID)

Rep. Scott Murphy (D-NY)

Rep. Glenn Nye (D-VA)

Rep. John Tanner (D-TN)

Members who voted yes last time but are in districts unfriendly to this bill and might be swayed to vote no:

Rep. Mike Arcuri (D-NY)

Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY)

Rep. Christopher Carney (D-PA)

Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA)

Rep. Steven Driehaus (D-OH)

Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL)

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ)

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL)

Rep. John Hall (D-NY)

Rep. Baron Hill (D-IN)

Rep. Jim Hines (D-CT)

Rep. Steve Kagen (D-WI)

Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-PA)

Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (D-OH)

Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ)

Rep. Dan Maffei (D-NY)

Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA)

Rep. Harry Mitchell (D-AZ)

Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-WV)

Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA)

Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY)

Rep. Tom Perriello (D-VA)

Rep. Gary Peters (D-MI)

Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-ND)

Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV)

Rep. John Salazar (D-CO)

Rep. Mark Schauer (D-MI)

Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH)

Rep. Zach Space (D-OH)

Rep. John Spratt (D-SC)

Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV)

This is a list of representatives who are uncertain because of their concerns about abortion (some of these will overlap with last list):

Rep. Anh Cao (R, LA)

Rep. Jerry Costello (D-IL)

Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA)

Rep. Joe Donnelly (D-IN)

Rep. Steve Driehaus (D-OH)

Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-IN)

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)

Rep. Dale Kildee (D-MI)

Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL)

Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN)

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI)

Rep. Charles Wilson (D-OH)

A brief recap of why we oppose this bill:

1) The government defines health and healthcare and health insurance. This is an open invitation for special interests such as drug and medical equipment makers and even the American Medial Association (AMA) to take even tighter control of your medical options.

2) The government forces you (on penalty of fine and even jail) to buy government approved health insurance policies that will not provide any access to natural medicine. Catastrophic policies, health savings accounts (HSAs), and other ways to buy natural medicine services will be destroyed.

3) Health records will be electronic and neither you nor your doctor will have any privacy (the privacy of the doctor-patient relationship is not protected).

4) The language is ambiguous, but it may be illegal even to pay your doctor separately in cash for natural medical services.

5) The bills are paid for with “smoke and mirrors” and will increase the budget deficit over time, but we leave these considerations to others.

Please contact your elected representatives (both senate and house but especially the house right now). Although the house will vote first, the senate may follow immediately thereafter, so it is best to send a message to both chambers right now. Please do not delay. Tell your elected representatives to vote NO on the healthcare bill!

Gretchen DuBeau

Executive Director

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Posted by Dr. Gina Nick

Your Voice Was Heard! McCain Withdraws Support of Dangerous Supplement Bill

March 8, 2010

Supplement Safety Act Loses Senator Support

Thank you to those who took action and contacted Senator McCain to request that he reconsider supporting his new bill that threatened to block your access to natural medicines. According to Alliance for Natural Health USA, Senator McCain was embarrassed by an ad they placed, that pointed out that he was misrepresenting and did not seem to understand his own bill. McCain met with Senator Orin Hatch, who is a strong supporter of natural medicine, and shortly thereafter news came that he was withdrawing his support of the Dietary Supplement Safety Act.

A word of caution…it is likely that another, modified version of this Bill creeps up and we will be watching for this.  In the meantime, I want to extend my gratitude to those of you that were willing to take action and make your voice heard. It is the ONLY way we are going to see genuine, lasting change in our healthcare system.

Let’s start making the  healthcare needs of the people, and of  the future generations known. What I am seeing in practice is that the newest generation is suffering from unhealthy habits of at least the past two generations (e.g. poor diet, lack of exercise, more stress, exposure to industrial chemicals and pesticides, synthetic hormones, introduction of more chemicals in the food supply).

This means that genetically,  they are more vulnerable to chronic illness, which is an area of healthcare where our current system fails to provide real solutions.

These children are much more sensitive to the effects of poor diet, chemicals in the environment, and high potency medications.  They will not  benefit from access to the current system of healthcare that is heavily focused on prescription medications and the suppression of symptoms. The younger generation, and future generations will be seeking to address the root cause of their symptoms-be it mental, emotional and/or physical.

It is time to design a new healthcare bill, where the focus is on optimal health, the principles and practice of naturopathic medicine, treating the cause rather then masking the symptoms, detoxification, and working with and respecting the body’s innate ability to heal itself, given the proper support.

In health,

–Dr. G

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Posted by Dr. Gina Nick

The National Library of Medicine Censors Research on Nutritional Medicine- Take Action Today!

January 30, 2010

Medical Research Bias

Below is an interesting news release provided by Orthomolecular Medicine News Service that demonstrates the clear and unfortunate bias against nutritional and natural medical therapies from the world’s most reputable and trusted medical research site- Medline.  It is not surprising but it is disappointing, given that medical writers for all of our major news media outlets rely on this research site to create their reports on health.   This bias is not to be taken lightly.  The research both in clinical practice and in the lab, does exist, that shows the efficacy of using natural and nutritional therapies to prevent and treat disease, especially chronic diseases that place the greatest financial burden on our country.  The healthcare industry is broken. Using Naturopathic Medicine and other natural and environmentally friendly medical modalities proven effective, will contribute to a new, simple, realistic and affordable healthcare system in our country- a system that can serve as a demonstration to the rest of the world of a better way to mange health, for the betterment of humanity and the planet.

In health,

Dr. G

—

Want to be a MEDLINE Information Censor?
The National Library of Medicine Needs You!

Would you like to dictate what nutritional research people may or may not access? Why not join the NLM’s Literature Selection Technical Review Committee?
We think a good preparatory step is to take the Medline Censorship Aptitude Test (MED-CENT).
Not to worry; it’s multiple choice.

First question: Which of the following research papers is NOT indexed by the National Library of Medicine’s Medline?

A) Olfactory responses and field attraction of mosquitoes to volatiles from Limburger cheese and human foot odor. (J Vector Ecol, 1998)

B) Heated socks maintain toe temperature but not always skin blood flow as mean skin temperature falls. (Aviat Space Environ Med, 2003)

C) Jefferson JW, Thompson TD. Rhinotillexomania (nose-picking): psychiatric disorder or habit? (J Clin Psychiatry, 1995)

D) Pauling L, Rath M. An orthomolecular theory of human health and disease. (J Orthomolecular Medicine, 1991)

Answer: Only choice “D” is not available on Medline. The others most certainly are. Search each one and see for yourself at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ or http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez

Let’s try another: Which of these studies is NOT indexed by Medline?


A) Psychophysiological responding during script-driven imagery in people reporting abduction by space aliens. (Psychol Sci, 2004)

B) The eyebrow frown: a salient social signal. (Emotion, 2002)

C) Staring at one side of the face increases blood flow on that side of the face. (Psychophysiology, 2004)

D) Rath M, Pauling L. Solution to the puzzle of human cardiovascular disease: Its primary cause is ascorbate deficiency leading to the deposition of lipoprotein(a) and fibrinogen/fibrin in the vascular wall. (J Orthomolecular Medicine, 1991)

Answer: “D” is not on Medline. All the rest are.

Ready? Select the study below that is NOT on Medline:


A) Espresso kiosks can be profitable addition to hospital foodservice. (Health Foodserv Mag, 2000)

B) Espresso maker’s wrist. (West J Med, 1990)

C) Characterization of particles in cream cheese. (J Dairy Sci, 2004)

D) Rath M, Pauling L. Case Report: Lysine/ascorbate related amelioration of angina pectoris. (J Orthomolecular Medicine, 1991)

Yes, the study that Medline does not think is important enough for you to see is choice “D”. The others are all indexed online by NLM at taxpayer expense.

Next:

A) The Easter bunny in October: is it disguised as a duck? (Percept Mot Skills, 1993)

B) Increasing the portion size of a packaged snack increases energy intake in men and women. (Appetite, 2004)

C) A piece of my mind. Reflections while listening to the Glazunov Saxophone Concerto. (JAMA, 2003)

D) Rath M, Pauling L. Apoprotein(a) is an adhesive protein. (J Orthomolecular Medicine, 1991)

You guessed it: “D” is not on Medline.

One last chance, now:


A) How dogs navigate to catch Frisbees. (Psychol. Sci, 2004)

B) Effect on tipping of barman drawing a sun on the bottom of customers’ checks. (Psychol Rep, 2000)

C) An objective evaluation of the waterproofing qualities, ease of insertion and comfort of commonly available earplugs. (Clin Otolaryngol, 2004)

D) Hoffer A, Pauling L. Hardin Jones biostatistical analysis of mortality data for a second set of cohorts of cancer patients with a large fraction surviving at the termination of the study and a comparison of survival times of cancer patients receiving large regular oral doses of vitamin C and other nutrients with similar patients not receiving these doses. (J Orthomolecular Medicine, 1993)

Choice “D” is not indexed by Medline. The others are. Yes, they really are. Just type in the title at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ or http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez

If you got all the above items right, you are well qualified to become a member of the NLM’s Literature Selection Technical Review Committee, because you can discern what research should and should not be available to the public.

Censoring Linus Pauling

If you look carefully at the first four questions, you will see that four of Linus Pauling’s papers appeared in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine in just one year. That year was 1991. Two years after this, JOM was reviewed by the National Library of Medicine’s Literature Selection Technical Review Committee. NLM uses a point scale of zero to 5, with five being the highest recommendation for indexing, and zero being the lowest. On March 4, 1993, the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine received a “0.0” score.

One cannot escape the significance of such judgment. After all, “0.0” is not merely a low mark. “0.0” represents an absolute dearth of merit. And “zero point zero” states it so flatly as to leave no room for alternate interpretations.

To this day, after additional reviews, Medline still does not include the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine.

To read the Linus Pauling papers that Medline decided rate a “0.0”: http://orthomolecular.org/library/jom/1991/toc3.shtml and http://orthomolecular.org/library/jom/1993/toc3.shtml
For free online access to 600 more full-text papers from the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine: http://orthomolecular.org/library/jom/

To personally thank your National Library of Medicine for keeping all this information from the taxpayer:
Ms Betsy Humphreys, Deputy Director, NLM
email: betsy.humphreys@nih.gov or betsy_humphreys@nlm.nih.gov
phone: 301-496-6661

You can also call the NLM Customer Service desk at 1-888-FIND-NLM (1-888-346-3656). Remember to be polite, because, after all, they are the “World’s Largest Medical Library.” http://www.nlm.nih.gov/nlmhome.html
Nutritional Medicine is Orthomolecular Medicine

Orthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective nutritional therapy to fight illness. For more information: http://www.orthomolecular.org

The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit and non-commercial informational resource.
Editorial Review Board:
Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D. (Canada)
Damien Downing, M.D. (United Kingdom)
Michael Gonzalez, D.Sc., Ph.D. (Puerto Rico)
Steve Hickey, Ph.D. (United Kingdom)
James A. Jackson, PhD (USA)
Bo H. Jonsson, MD, Ph.D (Sweden)
Thomas Levy, M.D., J.D. (USA)
Jorge R. Miranda-Massari, Pharm.D. (Puerto Rico)
Erik Paterson, M.D. (Canada)
Gert E. Shuitemaker, Ph.D. (Netherlands)

OMNS free subscription link http://orthomolecular.org/subscribe.html
OMNS archive link http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/index.shtml are included.

2 Comments | Latest Nutritional Research, Naturopathic Medicine, Nutritional Supplements and Disease, Orthomolecular Medicine, Prevention | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Dr. Gina Nick

Naturopathic Options for the Flu

September 29, 2009
Child receiving Flu Shot

Child Receiving Flu Shot

Many patients are expressing concern over the Swine Flu, and asking whether or not to get vaccinated.  My recommendation is to avoid vaccination, due to a lack of certainty as to the new vaccine’s effectiveness, and more importantly, the short and long term risks associated with the vaccine.  It has not been sufficiently tested, and there is well justified concern as to its safety in humans.  In the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic, Homeopathic medicine became the treatment of choice for many physicians, as it proved to be highly effective, with little to no incidence of death among those patients treated with homeopathic medicines as compared to pharmaceutical preparations. In 1921 the American Institute of Homeopathy documented the effects of homeopathic medicine on treating the Spanish flu, which killed over 40 million people worldwide.  In that study, the death rate among 24,000 flu cases treated through conventional medicine was 28.2 percent while the death rate among 26,000 flu cases treated exclusively using homeopathic medicine was 1.05 percent. Among the most effective homeopathic remedies at the time, and throughout history, for treating the flu have been Gelsemium, Influenzinum (which is best used as a preventive medicine- one dose per week for four weeks beginning in October), and Oscillococcinum.  In practice, Engystol and Gripp Heel by the German homeopathic medical company BHI/HEEL are also clinically effective for flu prevention and treatment.

In addition to homeopathic medicine, I recommend the following:

  • Get your Vitamin D3 levels tested through blood work and take enough Vitamin D3 to keep your levels around 60 ng/mL
  • Take probiotics. I recommend lab testing to determine which probiotic strains will work best for your system.
  • Avoid sugar, fried foods, hydrogenated oils, and all processed food.  Stick with whole, fresh organic produce and lean protein sources.
  • Avoid all sodas, and make water your drink of choice. 
  • Ideally chose a high pH source of charged water such as Kangen/Enagic 9.5pH water.  We use this water filtration system at LTP Natural Medical Center and for those of you who are local, you can stop by to test it out. You can use Distributor # 7193577 if you chose to purchase a unit online for your home or office.
  • Keep moving- make sure you are getting exercise at least 4-5 times per week for at least 30 minutes.

An article was just published in the San Fransisco Chronicle that goes into more detail on the treatment and prevention of the Flu using Naturopathic Medicine. Click here to read the article.

In health,

Dr. Gina

4 Comments | Latest Nutritional Research, Naturopathic Medicine, Nutritional Supplements and Disease | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Dr. Gina Nick

Organic Produce Under Attack

August 20, 2009

Seattle Farmers MarketA recent review by the UK Foods Standards Agency came out claiming that organic foods are no better than the less expensive conventionally grown foods.   A closer look at that review reveals some truths underlying the growing media attention and debate over whether or not organic foods are worth the extra buck. I am re-printing an excellent post on this topic  by Tom Philpott who farms and cooks at Maverick Farms, a sustainable-agriculture nonprofit and small farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.

One of the key messages I received while researching this topic is that organic foods consistently contain a higher level of tertiary, phytochemicals then conventionally grown foods. These phytochemicals (e.g. resveratrol, chlorophyll, glucosinolates) hold as much, if not more promise for preventing and treating disease then the basic nutritional compounds that are used to test the benefit of one food over another.

In health,

Dr. Gina

—

A bit of nitrogen with those veggies?

Tom Philpott

A recent literature review by the U.K. Food Standards Agency concluded that organic foods offer no nutritional advantages to ones grown with conventional chemical agriculture.   The report quickly bounced around the media and the internet and has congealed into received wisdom. For example, in a recent chat with readers, Washington Post food politics columnist (and general policy writer) Ezra Klein engaged in the following exchange:

Santa Fe, N.M.: I saw a report today on a study finding that organic food isn’t any healthier than conventional food. Is buying organic a waste of money, in your opinion? Read the rest of this entry »

3 Comments | agriculture, Diet and Disease, Latest Nutritional Research, Naturopathic Medicine, organic foods, Prevention, Toxins and Detoxification | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Dr. Gina Nick

Vitamin D3 & Curcumin for Brain Health

July 30, 2009

human brainA new research study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, points to the combination of Vitamin D3 and curcumin (derived from the common spice turmeric) to protect the brain against beta amyloid deposits. Beta amlyoid deposits can build up to form plaque.  This plaque is associated with an increase in brain cell damage and a significant increase in Alzheimer’s disease, which affects over 13 million people worldwide.

The combination of Vitamin D3 and curcumin help boost the immune system to the point of neutralizing and/or preventing the formation of these amlyoid deposits. The deposits are caused by excessive free radical production in the brain.  Other well researched foods that help to neutralize free radical production in the brain are spinach and raspberries.   Unfortunately, they are also at the top of the list of foods that have a higher content of pesticides, which increase free radical production and DNA damage. I recommend consuming these foods if they are locally grown and organic.

There are several genetic forms of Alzheimer’s.  The research shows that while one form responds well to curcumin, the other form does not.  However, when you combine the curcumin with Vitamin D3, it supports the immune system’s ability to eliminate the beta amyloid deposits from two different mechanisms, so that it also impacts patients with the genetic form of Alzheimer’s that does not respond to curcumin alone.

I am always in awe of the medicines offered in nature that impact even the most troublesome of health challenges.

In health,

Dr. Gina

2 Comments | Diet and Disease, Inflammation, Latest Nutritional Research, Naturopathic Medicine, Nutritional Supplements and Disease, Orthomolecular Medicine, Prevention | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Dr. Gina Nick

Alternative to Statin Medications to Lower Cholesterol

June 16, 2009
Safe Alternatives to Statin Medications

Safe Alternative to Statin Medications

CNN just reported on a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, supporting previous research that red yeast rice extract paired with a healthy lifestyle is a safe and effective alternative to popular statin medication therapy (e.g. Crestor,Lipitor and Zocor), particularly in patients who suffer from muscle pain as a result of taking this class of cholesterol lowering drugs.  Red yeast rice contains a naturally occurring lovastatin called monacolin K, however it is only one of a plethora of compounds found within this natural medicine, that work in harmony to lower the production of cholesterol in the liver.  As with most natural medicines, you cannot isolate a single compound and attain the full spectrum of healing that is part and parcel to administering natural substances in their whole, unadulterated form.  There is a whole that is greater then the sum of its parts. 

In any case, it is nice to see research being published, albeit not perfect (the study was small and of short duration), to support what licensed Naturopathic Medical Doctors see clinically in their practice everyday.  The study author Dr. David Becker MD cautions against running out to buy a red yeast rice extract at your local health food store.  He advises working with a doctor if you are trying to lower your cholesterol and are seeking an alternative to statin medications. There are effective natural therapies for lowering cholesterol, and licensed Naturopathic Medical Doctors are trained to customize their treatment protocols to the individual patient for safe and optimal results.

In health,

–Dr. G

1 Comment | cholesterol, Diet and Disease, Latest Nutritional Research, Naturopathic Medicine, Nutritional Supplements and Disease, Pharmaceuticals | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Dr. Gina Nick

UPDATE: PBS TO AIR DOCUMENTARY FEATURING DR.GINA NICK WEDNESDAY JUNE 17th at 7:30 PM

June 9, 2009

Dr. Gina Featured on PBS Wednesday, June 10th at 7:30 PM

Dr. Gina Featured on PBS Wednesday, June 17th at 7:30 PM

On Wednesday, June 17th at 7:30 PM, PBS will be airing the sixth part of a seven-part series on Naturopathic Medicine, featuring Dr. Gina Nick. She, along with one of her patients, will be interviewed about effectively treating chronic pain, from a Naturopathic Medical perspective. It is sure to be an educational and informative look at how Naturopathic Medicine works to treat one of the most difficult health challenges we are faced with. You can catch the episode on KOCE. Enjoy the show!

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Posted by Dr. Gina Nick

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