New Recommendations for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women, and Children

June 12, 2014

pregnant_womanFederal officials on Tuesday announced major changes in advice to pregnant and breastfeeding women by recommending consumption of at least 8 ounces of low-mercury fish per week.

It is the first time that the Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration have issued recommendations on the minimum amount of fish that pregnant women and children should eat. The previous advisory, issued in 2004, included only maximum amounts to protect their fetuses and young children from mercury, which can harm developing brains and reduce IQs. Click here to read more.

That is a good step in the right direction.  Now we need to be made aware of the levels of radioactive chemicals showing up in the fish as that is equally if not more concerning to human health.

Dr. Gina

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Posted by Dr. Gina Nick

Live FreeCe.com Webinar Series on Bioidentical Progesterone

June 2, 2014

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“The best speaker you ever had!”

“EXCELLENT”

“More presentations by Dr.Gina!”

Back by popular demand…

Get LIVE pharmacy CE credit with PharmCon’s pharmaceutical webinar series on “Progesterone: A Powerful Hormone for Women and Men” June 5th at 6 PM PDT presented by Dr. Gina Nick Cushman, NMD, PhD, founder of HealthBridge Medical Center in Newport Beach, CA.

Sponsored by University Compounding Pharmacy, BHRT Symposium (visit bhrtsymposium.com and enter “FREECME” for $200 off the next BHRT conference), and Labrix Clinical Services (www.labrix.com).

Dr. Gina will be discussing the controversy around bioidentical hormone replacement therapy and its growing demand, and how to determine if bioidentical progesterone therapy is warranted and how to prescribe it safely.

AMA and ACPE approved for 1 live pharmaceutical continuing medical education credit. Cost is free to members (nominal $79 annual fee for unlimited access to live CEs) and $30 to non-members.

Register Now freece.com

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Posted by Dr. Gina Nick

The Value of Having a Purpose

May 17, 2014

GirlswithPlanetI recently was a panelist at the American Association of University Women  to discuss holistic approaches to women’s health, where I found myself talking a lot about purpose in life.  What is the point of investing in your health, being proactive, and preventing health challenges down the road?  The point is so that you can feel strong enough to fulfill your purpose(s) in life.

So, it was timely to see this new research study (NOT that we need to spend millions on research studies to prove what we all know intuitively) on the value of having a purpose in life. Click here to read more about the study that included 7,000 Americans, as published by the BBC News.

For some, one’s purpose in life is to go above and beyond the call of duty to improve our local community and the quality of life for children and their families.  The Above and Beyond Awards gala does an excellent job of honoring those people, in the trenches, who are doing just that.  The local Above and Beyond Awards gala is being held this June 21st, 2014 at the Wyndham Avenue of the Arts Hotel.  Click here to register and please contact me at 949-715-9321 if you are interested or know someone who is interested in participating as a sponsor at the event.  The list of honorees is impressive and learning about their tireless contributions  is humbling and inspiring!

In health,

Dr. Gina

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Posted by Dr. Gina Nick

American Association of University Women to Feature Dr. Gina in Laguna Beach this Thursday 4/24/14

April 23, 2014

A quick note to let you know that Dr. Gina was selected as one of four panelists and will be presenting at the Laguna Beach chapter of the American Association of University Women’s conference this Thursday April 24th from 7-9PM at the Laguna Beach Woman’s Club, 286 St. Ann’s Street, Laguna Beach, CA 92651. The topic is “Holistic Approaches to Women’s Health.”  Click here for more information!

In health,

HealthBridge Medical Center

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Posted by Dr. Gina Nick

Autoimmune Thyroid Disease On the Rise

February 3, 2014

Thyroid_systemAutoimmune reactions to the thyroid gland go largely undetected and cause many deleterious health effects including unexplained fatigue, weight gain, infertility and depression. There are an estimated 13 million Americans each year that have this treatable condition that go undiagnosed and needlessly suffer.  And I predict that this number will rise dramatically, as we are exposed to more radiation and environmental toxins then ever before. Click here for a recent article on this topic published in the Journal of the Association for the Advancement of Restorative Medicine.  I have given lectures for thousands of physicians over the years on ways to properly diagnose and treat this condition, and hopefully their patients are benefiting from the training.  Our patients experience “miraculous” health benefits from proper treatment using prescription natural thyroid medication and simple diet and lifestyle changes. Their depression lifts, weight is no longer an issue, and energy levels rise.

Here’s to a healthy new you in the new year!

–Dr. Gina

3 Comments | Thyroid Health, Toxins and Detoxification | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Dr. Gina Nick

Pesticides and Endometriosis

November 5, 2013

FishJumpingoutofBowlToxicWhy some women and not others get endometriosis — the growth of uterine tissue outside the uterus that can cause pain and infertility — is not known, but researchers have come up with one possible contributing factor: pesticide poisoning.

Scientists studied 248 women with surgically confirmed endometriosis and 538 healthy controls. They measured blood levels of two pesticides, mirex and beta HCH, which persist in some fish and dairy products even though their use in the United States has been banned for decades. The study appears online in Environmental Health Perspectives.

The researchers found that women with the highest exposure to mirex had a 50 percent increased risk for endometriosis, and those exposed to high levels of beta HCH a 30 to 70 percent increased risk.

Read more here.

This study points to the importance of thinking about the long-term impact that pesticides and other environmental pollutants have on our health.  This particular pesticide, Mirex, has been banned for twenty plus years, yet it is increasing the risk of endometriosis and associated infertility today. The effects of these chemicals linger and get stored in the food supply, the soil, our cells.

The good news is that the more information is released like this, and the more aware we are,  the more we, as scientists, healthcare professionals, farmers, and consumers, will focus (hopefully) on less toxic means of managing pests in our environment.

In health,

Dr. Gina

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Posted by Dr. Gina Nick

Ten Nutrition Changes Could Save 1 Million Children

June 25, 2013

istock_000005618515smallThis is a timely publication…the Lancet offers excellent guidelines on preventing disease in children with proper nutrition to the mother and to the baby.

AANP via The Lancet – Ten Nutrition Changes Could Save Lives Of A Million Children- (Monday, June 10, 2013)

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Nearly 15 percent of all deaths in children under age five (a total of over 900,000) can be prevented, and over a fifth of all cases of growth stunting averted, if 10 nutrition interventions are scaled up to cover 90 percent of the population in the 34 countries most affected by malnutrition, according to a new study on maternal and childhood malnutrition.

More than half of this cost would be accounted for by India and Indonesia, both countries with sufficient financial resources to make a substantial contribution to the cost of stepping up the fight against malnutrition. The scientists estimate that prevalence of stunting in children under age 5 would be reduced by 20 percent.

The ten interventions include providing folic acid, calcium, and balanced energy protein and micronutrient supplements to pregnant women; promoting breastfeeding and delivering appropriate complementary feeding to infants; providing vitamin A and zinc supplements to children up to the age of five; and using proven treatment strategies to manage moderate and severe malnutrition in children. This study was released June 6, 2013 by The Lancet.

—In health,

Dr. Gina

3 Comments | Childhood Nutrition, Diet and Disease, Pregnancy, Prevention | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Dr. Gina Nick

Gut Bacteria Impacts a Woman’s Brain Function

June 24, 2013

depressionNaturopathic medicine has known this for centuries but now there is some promising new research demonstrating that the health of the gut affects a woman’s brain, how she processes emotions and her response to stress.

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The Huffington Post (huffingtonpost.com) – Dietary Changes To Gut Bacteria Can Affect Brain Functioning, Study Suggests – (Monday, June 17, 2013)

Dietary changes to the bacteria living in our guts could have an impact on brain functioning, a new study suggests.

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that regularly eating yogurt with probiotics, which contain “good” bacteria, seems to affect brain functioning in women. They said the proof-of-concept study shows it is possible to impact brain functioning by altering gut bacteria through diet.

The study, published in the journal Gastroenterology, was funded by Danone Research, which is the research arm of Danone, a company that produces yogurt and other dairy products. Some of the study researchers are Danone employees, but they had no role in the interpretation or analysis of results. Researchers noted that past studies have shown a gut-brain connection in terms of the brain sending signals to the gut. But this new study shows that the gut could also send signals to the brain.

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I have published extensively on Sickness Syndrome, a condition I identified where inflammation in the body triggers inflammation in the brain that is a cause of depression, anxiety and other mental health challenges. One of our treatment strategies for Sickness Syndrome, depression and anxiety, involves testing for, and then treating bacterial imbalance in the gut.

In health,

Dr. Gina

1 Comment | Diet and Disease, Sickness Syndrome, Women's Health | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Dr. Gina Nick

Yoga for Depression and Anxiety

April 15, 2013

Yoga Pic 2A 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

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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.

3 Comments | Depression, Naturopathic Medicine, News, Prevention | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Dr. Gina Nick

Top 5% on LinkedIn

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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Posted by Dr. Gina Nick

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