Advanced Alternatives in Integrative Medicine: Gordon Medical Associates
GMA offers a wide range of treatment options and complementary healing practices to facilitate your recovery.
Choose a treatment option to learn more:
Craniosacral Therapy
Methylation ProtocolBy encompassing healing treatments not used by western allopathic medicine, but common in many cultures, alternative medicine enables practitioners and patients to create healing. Acupuncture, botanical medicine, supplements, and energy medicine are part of alternative medicine, and these methods are often combined with western approaches to provide integrative medical care.
back to listRheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis (MS), Hashimoto’s disease, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and psoriasis are examples of common autoimmune diseases (AD). AD is caused when "environmental triggers" such as infections, food allergies, fungi, heavy metals or other toxins, cause inappropriate and chronic inflammation in a genetically susceptible immune system. Gordon Medical practitioners focus on detecting and eliminating environmental triggers while modulating the immune system.
back to listBee venom has been used for centuries in healing. Tiny amounts of bee venom are injected around joints or into specific acupuncture points, stimulating the immune system to "normalize" and relieve joint pain. Primary uses include treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and severe joint pain.
back to listBio-identical hormones are substances that are identical to the hormones produced naturally by the body. These substances can replace estradiol, estriol, progesterone, and testosterone when our bodies cannot generate sufficient quantities of these essential hormones. Multiple studies demonstrate that the positive effects and low risk of appropriately used bio-identical hormones can create or maintain hormonal balance throughout the life cycle. Bio-identical hormones are different from the widely used synthetic hormones which were shown to present specific health risks in the Women’s Health Initiative Study of 2001. Multiple studies over the past several years have demonstrated positive health benefits from the appropriate use of bio-identical hormones.
back to listAll the factors that contribute to balance and homeostasis within the body are referred to as biological terrain. Toxins-heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants-can disrupt biological terrain and cause disease. Chronic infections such as jaw cavitations (osteonecrosis or osteomyelitis) also disrupt the biological terrain and cause illness. Homeopathic treatment and acupuncture can help the energy flow throughout the body and balance the terrain.
back to listBiopuncture treats specific areas of the body by injecting sterile biological solutions to treat problems from sports injuries to IBS to asthma. Biopuncture treats specific areas of the body by injecting sterile biological solutions. The micro-dose injections of plant extracts stimulate response so the body heals specific areas, stimulating the body’s immune system to heal itself, producing the appropriate reaction for natural healing.
back to listBotanical medicine uses plant extracts and preparations to treat acute and chronic health concerns. Plants were our first medicines and continue to play important roles in our health today - many of today’s common, conventional drugs came from plant substances. Drugs usually come from a single part of the plant, but use of the entire plant maximizes its effects. And plant combinations in an individualized formulation can target multiple health concerns, addressing the whole patient with one vial of medicine. The majority of medicinal plants are very safe, but it’s essential to work with an experienced practitioner for correct dosages.
back to listTissue, or "cell" integrate the knowledge of the body’s cellular structure with mineral salts as a system of medicine to fortify or optimize the body’s individual cells They are vital nutritional and functional elements of every cell, and deficiency of these minerals can create an imbalance that can contribute to or lead the body to a diseased state.
back to listClinical nutrition is fundamental to treat or prevent any health concern. Food creates the building blocks for every bodily function. Each nutrient we absorb has an important biological role, and too much or too little of these nutrients contributes to various health conditions. Clinical nutrition uses nutrients from a nutrition- or disease-specific diet, which often includes supplements to prevent and treat a multitude of health concerns.
back to listAn extension of the art of osteopathy, craniosacral therapy’s goal is to restore normal healthy structure and movement of the body. It recognizes that the skull bones are jointed for subtle motion central to the healthy function of the whole body system. The skull and sacrum-the base of the spine, and keystone of the pelvis-move together because the lining of the spinal cord connects them. A craniosacral therapist concentrates on how structural problems in these central areas may contribute to symptoms. The very gentle skull and pelvis manipulation of craniosacral therapy often deeply relaxes the patient.
back to listDetoxification is a broad topic, and includes any therapy that helps eliminate toxins, including heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, waste products from digestion and other types of toxins. Therapies can include anything from nutritional support, to colonics, to homeopathics among many other types of treatments.
back to listFlower essences comprise medicine that captures the energetic properties of plants to balance a specific emotional state. Preparations are "energetic imprints" of sun-infused flowers diluted to a potency similar to that used in homeopathy. The preparation contains the flower’s "life force" and effectively addresses emotional and attitude imbalances.
back to listThis new refinement of microcurrent technology - tiny "doses" of electrical energy - uses very specific frequencies of energy applied to the body in sequence. Correct frequencies are determined by direct observation of how the body responds to them. This device offers exciting promise in working with tissues unresponsive to conventional efforts such as nerve pain, damage or injury, scar tissue, adhesions, and the ability to facilitate healing of acute and chronic injuries. Treatments can be provided at GMA, and home units for daily use are also available.
back to listFunctional medicine is one of the names for the new paradigm of medical care to diagnose and treat imbalances before they become disease. Functional medicine practitioners use nutrition, probiotics, and botanical medicine to bring the body back into balance, hopefully eliminating the need for pharmaceuticals that may cover up a problem.
back to listHealing touch is a relaxing, nurturing energy therapy. This gentle touch can balance physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Working with your energy fields, healing touch supports your natural ability to heal. It is safe for all ages and works in harmony with standard medical care. Healing Touch is useful in reducing stress, calming anxiety and depression, decreasing pain, strengthening the immune system, enhancing recovery from surgery, supporting cancer recovery, creating a sense of well being, and others. See www.HealingTouchInternational.org
back to listHeavy metals-lead, mercury, and cadmium-bind tightly to tissues and organs. To remove them, oral or intravenous chelation agents are used. A chelating agent or chelator is simply a natural or man-made molecule that tightly binds to a heavy metal and then is excreted in the urine or feces. Man-made chelators include DMSA, DMPS and EDTA, while natural chelators include chlorella, cilantro, garlic, sulfur-containing amino acids and others. EDTA chelation therapy has also been used to treat cardiovascular disease for more than 30 years.
back to listHomeopathy, or homeopathic medicine, is a natural non-toxic system that stimulates the innate ability of the body to heal itself, strengthening the entire system. Homeopathic "remedies" are tiny amounts of plant, mineral, or animal substances provided at various potencies, depending on treatment goals. The system of homeopathy operates on the principle that "like cures like." The theory that any disease can be cured by a substance producing similar symptoms in healthy people can be traced to Hippocrates: if a substance caused disease symptoms in a healthy person, then small amounts of the substance could cure a sick person with similar symptoms.
Homeopathic remedies are particularly effective for depression, anxiety, autism, pediatric concerns, allergies, infections, gynecological concerns, skin conditions, digestive problems, as well as to many other chronic and acute conditions-from the common cold to Lyme disease. Practitioners educated in homeopathic systems select remedies based on genetic and personal health history, and current, physical, emotional, and mental symptoms. It is common for patients with the same illness to receive different remedies.
back to listHydrotherapy uses hot, cold, steam, or ice water to treat disease and promote well-being. Hydrotherapy engages the body’s response to hot and cold temperatures to achieve specific goals of immune stimulation, improving circulation, inflammation modulation, detoxification, lymphatic drainage, and/or pain control. There are many unique, effective hydrotherapy techniques that alternate hot and cold applications, baths, compresses, and wraps specifically to the individual concern. Hydrotherapy is an excellent tool for both acute and chronic conditions such as digestive problems, chronic disease, immune suppression, bronchitis, muscle and joint pains, autoimmunity concerns, sinus and other chronic infections. Hydrotherapy relaxes and alleviates symptoms, and also reduces illness duration.
back to listA dynamic approach to health, healing, and prevention that combines modern medicine with established alternative medical practices from around the world. Practitioners have training and interest in conventional Western medicine, alternative, and complementary therapies. They bring a variety of techniques to their practices for the patient’s maximum benefit, including nutritional supplements, herbal remedies, massage, acupuncture, energy work, and more.
back to listMany vitamins and minerals absorb slowly or incompletely when taken orally, especially in patients with gastro-intestinal or digestive challenges. Even in people with good digestion, vitamins and minerals given intravenously can provide nutrients more effectively and efficiently than oral nutrition. Vitamin C, all of the B vitamins, magnesium, calcium, trace minerals, glutathione and many others can be more accessible to the body via intravenous delivery. IV nutrients are often beneficial for chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, heart failure, detoxification, asthma and many other problems.
back to listIsopathic remedies come from the German homeopathic tradition. They are usually diluted four to eight times of their original strength, which is a lower dilution than most traditional homeopathic solutions.
back to listMultiple studies have shown that lifestyle habits have a profound effect on health. We maintain a healthy functioning body through good nutrition, selected nutritional supplementation, appropriate exercise, and effective management of stress. Our practitioners offer counseling services to create personalized healthy lifestyle practices, helping you stay well now and into the future. FirstLine Therapy, a comprehensive research based lifestyle therapy program, is offered in our office.
back to listDeveloped by Amy Yasko and Rich van Konynenburg, methylation is a mixture of natural B-12 and folic acid materials to improve the body’s production of glutathione and to methylate, or detoxify, properly. It is especially important in the treatment of many chronic illnesses, particularly autism, chronic fatigue, and fibromyalgia, and supported by laboratory testing.
back to listGordon Medical Association offers our patients access to a dispensary including more than 500 carefully researched nutritional supplements and health products. The dispensary includes dried herbs, vitamins, minerals, herbal tinctures, homeopathics, creams, HEPA air filters, orthopedically designed pillows and other specialty products.
back to listNatural hormones are hormone substances produced from yams and soy. To make these substances usable by our bodies, part of their molecular structure is removed in the laboratory: they become identical to the molecular structure of the hormones produced by our bodies; that is, bio-identical hormones. See Bio-identical Hormones.
back to listNaturopathic medicine, a comprehensive system of primary care concentrating on prevention and treatment of health concerns, integrates modern science and centuries-old, successful, natural wisdom. Naturopathic doctors work cooperatively with all branches of medical science and are experts in the prevention, diagnosis, and management of acute and chronic health concerns. Naturopathic medicine focuses on a highly personalized approach to treatment: its goal is to stimulate the body’s ability to heal itself. Naturopathic medicine is an exceptional means to manage health concerns by complementing conventional medicine.
Naturopathic doctors follow these principles:
Naturopathic doctors receive rigorous training at accredited, post-graduate residential naturopathic medical programs before state medical board exams licensing naturopathic primary care doctors. Naturopathic medical training includes an in-depth conventional medical sciences education plus years of clinical training in settings from family practice clinics, hospitals, and community health centers to teaching clinics. In addition to a primary care doctor’s medical training, naturopathic doctors have extensive instruction in natural therapies: counseling, clinical nutrition, homeopathy, botanical medicine, hydrotherapy, physical medicine, hormone balancing, and craniosacral therapy. Naturopathic doctors are experts in detoxification, and optimal health through balancing of body systems.
back to listNeural therapy is a technique pioneered by German physicians in the 1950’s. The therapy involves injecting a small amount of procaine or lidocaine into certain key biologic points or scars in order to free energy blocks in the physical body. Very small needles are used to minimize discomfort. In many ways it is analogous to acupuncture, but more powerful in some situations. The treatments can have beneficial effects all over the body in locations far away from the area treated, again analogous to acupuncture, in which we may see a headache being treated with needles inserted around the knee, for example.
back to listNurse practitioners are registered nurses with advanced education and additional clinical training enabling them to effectively diagnose and manage most common and many chronic illnesses, independently or as part of a health care team. They take medical histories, provide physical exams, perform procedures, and provide and order treatments, including medication prescribing. Of particular benefit to patients are the personalized care, education and explanation of diagnoses and health care options.
NPs focus on a variety of health maintenance, disease prevention, counseling, and patient education approaches. Over the past 30 years, nurse practitioners have given care to hundreds of thousands of patients. They are recognized by most insurance companies for re-imbursement purposes and in California, nurse practitioners practice with a collaborative physician.
back to listLinus Pauling introduced orthomolecular medicine the 1960s, and launched a branch of medicine using natural substances to balance medical conditions. The focus of this branch of medicine revolves around biochemical individuality and deficiencies that can result in disrupted body function.
back to listOsteopathy is a complete branch of medicine parallel to allopathic (conventional) medicine. It emphasizes normal structure for optimal body function, and believes the body has a profound ability to heal itself if it is free from physical obstruction. Since the body is an integrated unit, an osteopath studies medical problems by how obstructions, often in distant body parts, might affect symptoms.
U.S.-trained osteopaths have the same rigorous basic training as medical doctors and take the same residency trainings. They have unrestricted, equivalent licensure to practice in any field of medicine. Depending on training and approach, they may prescribe medications, perform procedures, or treat with manual manipulation.
back to listPhysical medicine offers ways to recover from orthopedic injuries, strengthen the immune system, and address a multitude of health concerns including detoxification, chronic injury pain, or arthritis. Treatment techniques incorporate hydrotherapy (water-based methods of healing tissues), soft-tissue manipulation, muscle stretching, and manipulation and adjustment of the spine and extremities, if necessary. Additional physiotherapy techniques-ultrasound, electrical muscle stimulation, and diathermy-also support this modality.
back to listIt is common knowledge that an injured ligament, such as a sprained ankle, will predispose a person to repeated injuries at the involved joint. This is due to the fact that ligaments, while highly sensitive, have less blood flow than other tissues. Thus, they tend to heal less completely than other tissues. Prolotherapy is a method for strengthening lax, injured, or painful ligaments by injecting them with a solution that stimulates the immune system to grow a stronger, thicker, more organized, and less inflamed ligament. This stabilizes the joint and relieves the nearby muscles from contracting into a painful spasm which happens if it tried to stabilize the joint.
back to listIn illness or injury, communication in the body can become disorganized, much like a dysfunctional conversation where information is replaced by noise. Scenar, an active biofeedback device, sends tiny electrical signals to the body, then reads the body’s response and adjusts the biofeedback signal from the Scenar. The body "nudges" toward healing. The Scenar encourages restoration of useful communication between the central nervous system and the imbalanced or injured system.
back to listStem cells can grow into any organ or cell type in the body and any organ that can repair itself does so using its stem cells. For example, if skin tears, new cells can be generated from stem cells. If the liver is damaged, it can regenerate almost completely from a very small fragment.
Stem cell treatments are currently available outside the U.S. Depending on the individual and medical condition, hundreds of thousands of people have been treated with some degree of success. Some of our patients with challenging medical conditions have chosen on their own accord to go to outside the U.S. to receive stem cells. Some have achieved remarkable results, such as dramatically improved chronic Lyme disease, rheumatoid arthritis and terrible damage after heart attacks.
back to listBased on Dr. Janet Travell’s pioneering work with myofascial trigger points, trigger point therapy describes hard, taut, tender bands of tissue that caused much of her patients’ chronic pain. While tender to the touch, these areas also caused "referral pain" at other sites in the body distant from the trigger point. These patterns are consistent from person to person, and help locate the source of pain. The physician uses various methods to release the taut bands and restore normal blood flow and relieve the pain. Methods might include manual pressure, injections, cold sprays, acupuncture, or a combination of treatments.
back to listDeveloped in the late 1980s by Denis Wilson, this concept expands understanding and treatment of thyroid deficiencies. Relying on low body temperatures and symptoms to gauge treatment, small incremental amounts of a compounded, long-acting T3 are provided until reaching a clinically responsive level and normalization of thyroid function.
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