“My experience with Dr. Gina was 5 star. She had studied the entire 16 page questionnaire I filled out in advance of our first visit, and based on that and her background, already knew much about my physical, emotional, mental and dare I say, spiritual health. I’ve been to many ND’s over the years, the naturopathic principles resonate with me. Dr. Gina was professional, science based, yet what impressed me the most was her intuition and perceptive “read” of my entire being. While several health issues precipitated my visits, what I learned was how deeply our mental, emotional and spiritual health affect the physical-and how empowering that realization was and is.
Truly I can say my experience with Dr. Gina was life changing, and the healing of all of those four has been permanent.
I was also quite impressed with her detecting that my thyroid was “off” although the usual tests did not reveal this. We treated that based on her understanding of other symptoms often overlooked by other doctors (not only MD’s, other ND’s as well). At that time she was also quite active in legislation to legitimize ND’s as primary care physicians, and offered limited office hours.
I felt and feel very fortunate I was able to be seen and treated by her.”
Dr. Gina just spoke at the Advanced Applications in Medical Practice conference in Scottsdale, AZ on the Advanced Brain Therapy program that she offers at Forever Ageless in Newport Beach, CA. Here are a few video clips from the conference. Call or email the office today to schedule and receive these same cutting edge treatments for improving cognitive health and treating mood disorders.
We look forward to seeing you soon and helping you to live your best life ever, with clarity, focus and happiness.
What a great conference this weekend in Vegas! It was especially nice to see so many of my colleagues and Dr. Thierry Hertoghe whom I originally learned bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) from. He is the worldwide leader in BHRT. The topics covered on metabolic and nutritional medicine, advanced metabolic endocrinology, addiction, cognitive health and aesthetic medicine were informative. I look forward to incorporating and applying what I have learned from my fellow physician colleagues in my medical practice and upcoming CME presentations.
The new year will bring with it many new and exciting options for reversing aging and optimizing health.
Eating too much is often more than just an issue of willpower. There are a lot of reasons for overeating, many of which scientists now say trace back to brain chemistry and hormonal imbalance. Click here to learn more.
Dr. Gina was hand selected by the late Dr. Tutera, founder of the SottoPelle® procedure, to be the exclusive provider of SottoPelle® therapy in Newport Beach. Call our office at 949-715-9321 x2 or frontdesk@drgina.com to learn if you are a candidate for this highly effective bio-identical hormone therapy procedure.
Photo credit: In his essay, Walking, Thoreau said: “In wildness is the preservation of the world.” The same might go for our health. Credit: SNEHIT/Shutterstock
Time spent close to nature is good for our health, numerous studies have shown. What is much harder to establish, however, is how and why this occurs. Now a paper claims the immune system may be the primary pathway through which exposure to the natural world can lead toa wide array of health benefits.
Modern medicine and plumbing – which brings us clean water and removes our waste – have doubled our lifespans, but technology sometimes comes with a cost to our health. It seems urban living is part of that, with research linking lack of access to the open air and relatively pristine environments to an astonishing range of conditions from depression and ADHD to cancer. The effect nature is thought to have on us has earned the name Biophilia. Now a paper attributing these diverse benefits to the immune system has been published in Frontiers of Psychology.
Ming Kuo of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, isn’t jumping to conclusions. As the author of some of the papers indicating these benefits herself, she uses the review article to propose 21 pathways that might connect time in nature with better health.
“While each is likely to contribute to nature’s impacts on health to some degree and under some circumstances, this paper explores the possibility of a central pathway by proposing criteria for identifying such a pathway and illustrating their use,” Kuo writes. “A particular pathway is more likely to be central if it can account for the size of nature’s impacts on health, account for nature’s specific health outcomes, and subsume other pathways.”
Her conclusion is that “enhanced immune functioning emerges as one promising candidate for a central pathway between nature and health. There may be others.”
“Nature doesn’t just have one or two active ingredients. It’s more like a multivitamin that provides us with all sorts of the nutrients we need. That’s how nature can protect us from all these different kinds of diseases – cardiovascular, respiratory, mental health, musculoskeletal, etc. – simultaneously,” Kuo said in a statement.
Kuo suggests that fresh air, sunlight and a beautiful view relax us and turn off our “fight or flight” responses. “When we feel completely safe, our body devotes resources to long-term investments that lead to good health outcomes – growing, reproducing, and building the immune system,” she said. If so, many of the same benefits can be achieved for those who really aren’t the outdoor type by doing what they love, be it reading a good book or spending time with friends. However, Kuo adds these don’t provide elements of good health such as Vitamin D.
Some of Kuo’s previous work has looked at the ways cities can be redesigned to maximize the health benefits provided by relatively natural environments, even if provided in the limited format of urban parks or community gardens. A better understanding of the mechanisms might help us understand how to fit nature into our busy lifestyles, if that is not too much of a contradiction. Still, we hope you’re reading this on a mobile device in a forest or at the beach.
There are about 1 billion colds in the US every year, with every child catching it 6-10 times a year, resulting in 22 million school days being lost every year!
When it comes to cold and flu season, prevention really is the first line of defense. To keep your body’s defense system–the immune system–in peak condition, follow our immunity-boosting tips to help your body fight off the bugs looking for a host. And, for times when you are feeling ill, the second set of tips can help ease your symptoms and support a quick recovery.
Cold & Flu Prevention Tips
Your immune system is at work 24/7! The best approach to supporting immune function is a healthy lifestyle that includes stress management, exercise, whole foods, nutritional supplementation, and the use of plant-based medicines. On a daily basis, you can take the following steps to help your immune system keep you healthy:
Wash your hands regularly to help prevent transfer of bacteria.
Stay clear of people sneezing or coughing. Avoid shaking hands or other close contact with anyone whom you know to be sick.
Make sure your home and work space are well-ventilated. Even on a cold day, open a window for a few minutes to clear out stale air.
Follow a consistent sleep/wake schedule so the immune system can repair and recover.
Drink plenty of water and eat a balanced diet that includes a variety of organic (when possible) fruits and veggies, which contain antioxidants that help the body neutralize cellular damage.
Healing Tips
Rest. Sometimes the body’s only way of getting your attention is to force you to slow down by getting sick. Don’t push through fatigue. Honor your body and sleep/rest as needed to promote healing. Reduce activity at home and at work as much as possible.
Increase fluid intake to include water, diluted vegetable juices, soups, and herbal and green teas.
Eat light meals and eat more soup. Whether you choose a vegetarian broth or a heartier bone-broth, soups for healing should be loaded with a variety of herbs and veggies.
Manage stress. Even just 10 minutes of meditation a day has positive effects on the immune system and promotes a positive mindset.
Laugh–it truly is good medicine. Patch Adams was onto something when he brought humor to his patients’ bedsides. Read a funny book. Watch stand-up comedy. Share jokes with a friend or your kids. Laughter lowers the stress hormones and elevates your mood–both are good for healing.
Vitamin, Mineral, and Botanical Support for the Immune System
There’s no panacea, but a growing body of research has shown that certain vitamins, minerals, and plant-based supplements can help prevent/curtail the symptoms of colds and flu. Some that you may want to include are listed below.
These are best tailored to your specific needs and health status, with guidance from your doctor.
Multivitamin and mineral formula
Vitamin C
Bioflavonoids, 1000 mg/day
Vitamin A
Vitamin D, 2000 IU/day
Zinc, 30 mg/day
Echinacea, elderberry, and astragalus (tea, capsule, or liquid extract) help prevent common cold and viral infections. Physicians and scientists continue to study the immune-enhancing effects of these and other botanical remedies.
Food for Thought. . . “He who cures a disease may be the skillfullest, but he that prevents it is the safest physician.”
– Thomas Fuller
Every day, licensed Naturopathic Medical Doctors are exposed to news, information, and research that affects the health and well-being of patients, friends and family. Each day more information is released on natural medicine, prevention and health.
The hope is that you enjoy the information and find value in the shared thoughts and personal experiences about health and vitality, the planet and the power of natural medicine. Feel free to chime in with comments and experiences of your own.
Posted by Dr. Gina Nick 
Dr. Gina just spoke at the 
What a 
Eating too much is often more than just an issue of willpower. There are a lot of reasons for overeating, many of which scientists now say trace back to brain chemistry and hormonal imbalance. 
Nearly seven years ago I wrote a 
