Listen to Dr. Denise Cooluris speak with NPR about allergies in Sonoma County.

From the KRCB website:

It’s one of the few drawbacks to living here in the North Bay:  allergy season. And it’s happening now. But you probably already knew that.

Allergy sufferers know all to well what an allergic reaction feels like. But how, exactly, does it happen? Denise Cooluris, a Naturopathic Physician with Hill Park Medical Center in Petaluma, explains the connection between respiratory and GI tract responses, and how it develops early in gestation.

In Sonoma County and the North Bay, the biggest sources of the pollens that can trigger allergies are not trees or flowers, but native grasses.

Parents whose children are diagnosed with PANDAS, an autoimmune disease that attracted widespread media attention because of its effect on girls in Leroy, NY earlier this year, will gather at a special education and networking event on April 28 in Burlingame, CA.

The event will take place at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Burlingame, CA, April 28, from 10:00 – 5:00 p.m. Registration is $55 in advance, and seats and sponsorships are still available.

Contact Information
Amy Smith, NP
PandasNetwork
616c Petaluma Blvd North
Petaluma CA, 94952
707-778-3171
http://www.pandasparentsymposium.blogspot.com

Online PR News –15-April-2012 –BURLINGAME, CA – Health care professionals and parents from around the world will gather on April 28, 2012 to learn more about the newly diagnosed disease called PANDAS and how they can advocate for better care for children affected by this disorder.

Although previously thought to be rare, PANDAS is now being considered as the possible cause of neurological symptoms in thousands of children nationwide. Many physicians know little or nothing about PANDAS, so they treat children unsuccessfully for their symptoms and don’t eliminate the cause of the disorder. As a result, many children are misdiagnosed, and some end up being institutionalized for mental and emotional behaviors.

Dr. Rosario Trifiletti, a child neurologist from New Jersey, believes PANDAS is to blame for strange tic-like symptoms exhibited by 18 girls in LeRoy, NY earlier this year. The students recently attracted national media attention for their uncontrollable shakes and outburst. Trifiletti rejected the original diagnosis of hysterical conversion disorder and focused on PANDAS. Since then, five of the girls have been successfully treated with doses of special antibiotics, and more are showing signs of improvement.
PANDAS is an acronym for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infections. The condition sometimes affects children who contract strep (or other powerful bacteria such as mycoplasma or lyme), producing uncontrollable tics that result from an autoimmune reaction when the person’s antibodies mistake its own brain cells for strep bacteria.

The exact number of PANDAS sufferers isn’t known, since the disease was only discovered in 1998 and is just now receiving attention by the medical community, including the National Institute of Mental Health.

Most parents have found little or no help from the medical community at large. Few health care providers and very few insurance companies offer assistance for families of PANDAS children, and parents are largely left to research their options and pay for care on their own. With single immunoglobulin treatments costing up to $15,000 apiece, many families facing this ordeal have experienced severe emotional and financial difficulties.

The April 28 symposium is only the second national gathering of parents of PANDAS children, and the first where care providers will be briefing parents. It has attracted attendees from as far away as Australia and London.

Because of the challenges parents face in getting support and care for their children, the symposium will focus on diagnosis and treatment options, current PANDAS research and how to effectively advocate on the issue in schools. The event is being organized by a group of parents whose children suffer from the disease in partnership with PandasNetwork and Hill Park Medical Center in Petaluma, CA, an integrative medical practice in the Pacific Northwest offering specialized care and treatment for PANDAS children. Event organizer Amy Smith, NP coordinates the PANDAS Treatment Program at Hill Park and is the mother of a PANDAS child.
Presenters at the symposium include Diana and Don Pohlman, founders of PandasNetwork and parents of a child with PANDAS; Dr. Sunjya Schweig MD, an integrative family practice physician at Hill Park Medical Center and PANDAS specialist; Dr. Dritan Agalliu PhD from UC Irvine, presenting groundbreaking research on the blood brain barrier; Dr. Margo Thienemann, a Pediatric Neuropsychiatrist from Palo Alto that has worked extensively with PANDAS children and families; Dr. Jamie Candelaria-Greene, PhD and educator that will help families address the special needs that PANDAS children have within the school system; and Amy Smith, NP who has been organizing advocacy efforts in support of PANDAS children within the medical community.
The event will take place at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Burlingame, CA from 10:00 – 5:00 p.m. Registration is $55 in advance, and seats and sponsorships are still available.

ONENESS  BLESSING
with Rev. patricia keel

Wednesday, april 18
at 7:30 p.m.
hill park’s ocean within healing center
616 a petaluma blvd. north, petalumA

THE ONENESS BLESSING ALLOWS US TO GAIN A GREATER EXPERIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING OF ONENESS WITH ALL OF LIFE. AS WE EXPERIENCE DEEPER STATES OF ONENESS OUR CONSCIOUSNESS BEGINS TO SHIFT BRINGING ABOUT OUR INNER TRANSFORMATION AND AWAKENING HIGHER STATES OF AWARENESS AND LOVE.

THE ONENESS TRANSMISSION IS OFFERED THROUGH DEEKSHA, AN ENERGY TRANSFER THROUGH LYING ON OF HANDS ON THE HEAD.

REVEREND KEEL IS THE FOUNDING MINISTER OF UNITY OF BERKELY WITH THE INTENTION TO CREATE A UNITY PRINCIPLE COMMUNITY THAT HONORED THE CREATIVE ARTIST IN EACH PERSON AS WELL AS THE WISDOM TEACHINGS OF ALL THE MAJOR WORLD TRADITIONS.

to attend please contact

earthlightfoundation@gmail.com

Or phone 415-305-6373

The ancient Chinese practice of acupuncture “sticking thin needles throughout specific points in the body in order to regulate a healthier energy (called chi) flow” is more popular than ever. It is even used on horses.

But acupuncture is no longer the dark horse in alternative medicine, and acupuncture can alleviate all sorts of pain for animals or humans.

The World Health Organization published a list of 28 conditions or symptoms for which acupuncture is an “effective treatment.” Based on controlled clinical trials through 1998, the list includes everything from low back pain to morning sickness.

Recent studies show acupuncture also increases infertility treatment IVF (in vitro fertilization) and pregnancy success rates. The acupuncture allows for higher levels of specific protein molecules known as Th2 cytokines, which increases fertility (while helping prevent miscarriages) and enhances IVF.

It even helps with menstrual cycle cramps.

Acupuncture is very safe when performed by an experienced practitioner. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates the manufacturing of acupuncture needles. According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, “few complications from the use of acupuncture have been reported to the FDA, in light of the millions of people treated each year.”

Many insurance companies now offer policies that cover acupuncture.

To find a qualified practitioner, look for “L.Ac.” (the standard abbreviation for licensed acupuncturist) after their name. The licensing exam tests a practitioner’s ability to assess the patient, form a diagnosis and provide acupuncture treatment. The process starts with an exam with questions about a patient’s pain and overall function followed by an evaluation of possible points to place the needles.

Acupuncture treatments last anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour and may require multiple visits over several hours.

Like any medicine, acupuncture is not one size fits all. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine says “people experience acupuncture differently.”

However, acupuncture is an effective internal medicine. Whether it improves sleep or aids those fighting drug addiction, it could be seen as “complimentary” rather than “alternative” health care with its widespread and wide-ranged use.

Hill Park Medicine Center has an Acupuncture Clinic in Petaluma and recently opened Hill Park West, an Acupuncture Clinic in Sebastopol.

Talk: Join us for inspiring discussion, heart opening meditation and chi gong practice exploring the many dimensions of the heart- to guide, awaken, create and enjoy our lives!

Meditate: Open to heart healing meditation connecting us to a deep field of creative compassion & love guided by Melissa Dubin, Ph. D., a holistic psychologist.

Move: Engage your whole being in heart centered chi gong practices, to promote healthy flow of heart energy in the body, mind, and spirit. Chi gong is a gentle but powerful form of healing involving movements that cultivate chi- the life force that guides, animates, and creates our lives.
Guided by Dani and Fredi, Certified Wisdom Healing Chi Gong Teachers. (www.qifieldtherapy.com)

Tickets:  $20 per person
To Register
via Email earthlightfoundation@gmail.com
or Phone 415-305-6373

Location
Hill Park’s Ocean Within Healing Arts Center
616 A Petaluma Blvd. North
Petaluma, CA 94952

www.earthlightfoundation.com

We are happy to announce our list of presenters for the PANDAS Parents Symposium!

• Dr. Sunjya K. Schweig
• Dr. Margo Thienemann
• Dr. Dritan Agalliu
• Dr. Jamie Candelaria-Greene
• Diana Pohlman
• Amy Joy Smith, NP
• Don Pohlman

PANDAS Parents Symposium is still accepting corporate sponsorships and personal donations for this event. Please contact us for more information.

If you are a parent and wish to know more information on PANDAS Parents Symposium, please visit our website and refer to right side bar for when, where, accommodations, and more. RSVP for the event will open soon!We can evaluate, diagnose and treat your child.

PANDAS and PITANDS are relatively new explanations for a very old disease – the spread of strep or rheumatic fever to the brain.

Call 707-778-3171 or order when you visit us.

GLUTEN-FREE, EGG-FREE, DAIRY-FREE, SOY-FREE

Two-time Award Winning Multi-Seed Bread

Ingredients: filtered water, organic brown rice flour, cornmeal, honey, olive oil, tapioca flour, organic brown rice milk, chia seeds, xanthan gum, yeast, organic flax seeds, sunflower seeds, organic pumpkin seeds, apple cider vinegar, baking powder, sea salt, baking soda

Award Winning Morning Glory Muffins

Ingredients: proprietary blend flours (sweet rice flour, sorghum, tapioca), organic evaporated cane juice, organic apples, filtered water, organic carrots, olive oil, apricots, walnuts, organic coconut, organic chia seeds, baking powder, pure vanilla, spices, xanthan gum

Award Winning Pezzi
Sweet treat made from raw almonds, organic coconut, sea salt, sweetened with low-glycemic organic coconut nectar, and flavored with either raw organic cacao or allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

SEE FULL PRODUCT LINE AT: www.MamaBaretta.com

HILL PARK MEDICAL CENTER
Monday Evenings
6:00—7:30 pm
February 27, March 5 & 19, April 2 & 23, May 7

$100 plus the cost of supplements

FACILITATORS:
Amy Smith, NP, MS. Integrative Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner
Jennifer Sloan, L.Ac, CMT. Acupuncture, Herbs, Massage

Holistic Medical Care for
Body, Mind and Spirit
616 Petaluma Blvd North
Petaluma, CA. 94952

Corner of Lakeville St. and
Petaluma Blvd North
Phone: 707-778-3171
office@hillparkmedicalcenter.com

Big time symptoms – heart attacks, stroke and even some cancers – are events caused in part by a body that is losing at the flight-or-fight syndrome that stress creates and ultimately cause problems in our internal biologic systems.

Here are three practices that can help reduce stress:

-        Body rolling

-        Meditation and yoga

-        Aromatherapy

Read more… 3 activities to help you stress less