Give the Gift of Health

Emerald City Clinic can be one of your shopping stops! We are selling homeopathic first aid kits for your family for $40.00, and Organic Skin Care sets for $48.50. The skin care set includes eco-friendly and clean shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and lip balm. Highly recommended!

Meet Janelle and Passionate Nutrition!

Hello Dear Clients,

We are honored to announce two new members of the healing community surrounding Emerald City Clinic. Janelle Leonard, Licensed Massage Practitioner, and Jennifer Adler, Certified Nutritionist, and her Passionate Nutrition team, are thrilled to be serving our client base with their expertise in massage therapy and nutritional therapy. Feel free to contact either of these wonderful women with any questions you may have about their practices!

Welcome, ladies!

The ECN Team

Janelle Leonard, LMP, Empowering Healer

Layooesh Healing Arts

 

 

 

The mission of my work is to assist you in accelerating towards your own healing and self-empowerment through massage and spiritual healing practices.

 

During your session, I'll help you relax and bring your body into harmony by guiding muscle, tendon, and ligament structures toward their natural placement. You'll learn to calm your nervous system, lighten energetic blocks and align your body, mind, heart, and spirit to magnify your healing potential.

 

As a Reiki Master and Licensed Massage Practitioner for over a decade, I practice deep tissue, myofascial release, pre- and postnatal massage, self-empowerment consulting, guided meditation, and sound healing. I'm a Tibetan Buddhist and meditator. My active lifestyle includes skiing, snowshoeing, paddle boarding, horseback riding, Pilates, cooking, family, music and metalsmithing.

 

I look forward to connecting with you and supporting your unique healing experience.

 

Ballard/Crown Hill Location: Beginning this December I'll see clients on Tuesdays, Wednesday mornings, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Address: 1403 NW 85th Street Seattle (adjacent to the Emerald City Naturopathic Clinic, east side of the building).

 

I provide superbills, accept PIP claims and select health insurance plans. For more information please visit my web site at www.layooesh.com.

 

"Janelle is an intuitive and compassionate healer who delivers measurable results. "

-- Susan Dumett, Client, Co-owner of Iosis Media, Founder of The Light Direction.com 

 

 Passionate Nutrition

Jennifer Adler, MS, CN

 



 

Passionate Nutrition offers a whole food and whole person approach to your health and wellness. Whether you’re struggling with extra weight, low energy or just want to feel your absolute best, our team is trained to help you every step of the way — from cooking to nutrition counseling. We help our clients reach their goals everyday.   At Passionate Nutrition we promote a delicious and whole person approach to health, and provide individual and family nutrition counseling. We work with a diverse group of clients and specialize in the following:    •   Weight loss & Maintenance •   Food Sensitivity & Allergies •   Pre Natal/Post Natal Nutrition •   Anxiety & Depression •   Hormone Balancing •   Eating disorders •   Arthritis •   Hypothyroidism    We accept most health insurance plans.   Our team sees clients at our newlocation at 1403 NW 85th St, Seattle, adjacent to Emerald City Naturopathic Clinic on Mon., Wed., Fri. & Sun. beginning December 2012. Visit us at passionatenutrition.com to learn more.   Visit Passioanatenutrition.com for convenient online scheduling   We look forward to working with you soon!   ~The Passionate Nutrition Team

 



Please sign this petition

Look here! A great way you can help Naturopathic Physicians be federally recognized. Click on this link: http://wh.gov/9OGo and sign the petition!

 

 

Insurance Open Enrollment: How to shop for insurance

 

Insurance 101: Educate yourself!

Many of you will be shopping around for new insurance in the coming months, and I wanted to offer a few tips. When speaking with the companies, be sure to ask the right questions, especially if you are looking for good reimbursement coverage of your ECN appointments. Dr. Molly Niedermeyer, Dr. Kelley Barnes-Valdes and Dr. Erin Westaway are always considered out-of-network, as they are not contracted with any insurance companies. Please be sure to ask 1) What is my out-of network deductible (this is completely separate from your in-network deductible)? 2) At what percent is out of network reimbursed?, 3) What are my co-pay and co-insurance? The answers to these questions will greatly vary not only between different companies, but different plans as well, so be sure to do your homework!

 

If you’d like someone to do this homework FOR you, we recommend Sarah Freeman at Mutual Benefits: 206-709-2619. During a free meeting, Sarah will speak with you about what kind of coverage will work for you and your family, and then present you with multiple plan options that will suit your needs. If you work with Sarah, be sure that you still know the answers to the questions provided once you are established with a company so there are no future surprises.

 

Once you have established a company that you are comfortable with, be sure to pay attention to the explanation of benefits that you receive in the mail or online. Often times, the insurance company will deny claims for reasons that can be remedied, and you will receive reimbursement once corrected. Look for words like documentation, bundling, and yearly service already covered. Let your ECN doctor know, and we can correct the superbill that was given to you for reimbursement.

 

Remember that our clinic manager, Amanda Zuluaga, is always available to help you with your insurance needs!

Food Matters: Hungry for Change

An interesting and thoughtful take on how society drives not only what we eat, but the psychology behind why we eat what we do. Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MvAM97VDE8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Immunizations: Adult and Pediatric

Recently a client of mine asked to have me address immunizations in my blog.  I am happy to address any health issues that you would like me to.  Just email the office at frontdesk@emeraldcityclinic.com and we will our best to address your concerns publicly.  So here is a controversial topic of immunizations.  Public Health would not like my opinion about immunizations and therefore most Naturopathic physicians shy away from a stance because it goes beyond health into the political arena.  Given this environment I have never been one to shy away from an opinion.

First immunizations MUST be an individual decision between a client and the best medical advice that your physician can give you individually NOT societally.   It is a societal decision to immunize everyone and now it is societal health problem that everyone is allergic to eggs.  So I will attempt to discuss some of the "Fall immunizations".  First all flu vaccines are decide in the Spring as to what MIGHT show up and there is a great deal of money involved.   Flu vaccines generally do NOT improve your immune system and has some potentially life threatening side effects.  There are more health provoking ways to prevent the flu.   Washing your hands,  eating a good diet, sleeping, taking care of your immune system.  Once you have been exposed we have powerful herbal and nutritional medicines to prevent the horrible systems of the flu.  So generally speaking I do NOT recommend these annual flu vaccines.

Pertussis, otherwise known as whooping cough, is now being recommended for all adults to prevent spreading it to pediatric population.   The fear based advertising out there really irritates me.   If you are around infants under 2 routinely I might seriously consider getting immunized but it is NOT a given.  Pertussis vaccine does NOT give life time immunity and the disease does.   This is a "hot button topic" worthy of a John Stewart episode but I am not going to go there right now, I would just recommend that you talk to one of your Emerald City Clinic physician before accepting any immunizaitons.

Pneumonia immunizaiton:  Do not do it.  No reason.  Build your immune system.   Sleep.

Shingles:  Boy this is really an exercise in restraint for me.  A good case of chicken pox as a child will give you life time immunity.  Chicken pox vaccine given to pediatric clients instead of getting a case of chicken pox is resulting in higher levels of shingles.   If you never got a "good case of chicken pox"  and you are exposed to chicken pox as an adult AND you are stressed out and nutritionally deficient you can get shingles.  But shingles is easily treatable with Naturopathic care and a sign that your immune system needs some attention.

The bottomline is NONE of these immunization are getting to the cause of someone's compromised immune system.  For hours outside in fresh air and green spaces increase your natural killer cells which is a better protection for any virus then an immunization.  An immunization commits a portion of your immune semi permanently to only responding to that virus removing flexiblity from your immune system to respond to other insults.  For example if you have 100 white blood cells and 80% are committed to only recognizing a mumps virus in a blue hat, then when the mumps virus with the green hat arrives you only have 20% available to defend you.  Seems like an overcommitment of your resources.

Hum you can see I have returned to Emerald City feeling exuberant to get back to helping all of you optimize your health.   Once again I want to reiterate that immunization decision are individual and should be addressed with your concerns with your doctor at Emerald City Clinic.

Living Social Deal for Emerald City Clinic!

Check out our LivingSocial Deal! Have friends or family that you'd like to have visit our clinic, but the initial appointment cost is just too much at this time? Send them this deal--just $129.00 for an initial appointment!

 http://www.livingsocial.com/cities/223-bellevue/deals/311436-90-minute-naturopathic-consultation-and-treatment

Naturopathic Health Services: Emerald City Clinic

www.livingsocial.com

 

 

Time of day makes a difference in thyroid testing

Time of day makes a difference in thyroid testing
Jacob Schor ND August 14, 2012
 www.DenverNaturopathic.com


The level of the hormone, TSH that is often used to evaluate thyroid function, varies with the time of day the samples are collected.  Collecting afternoon samples can lead to under diagnosis of hypothyroidism.

Doctors test thyroid stimulating hormone, also known as TSH, to screen for and diagnose hypothyroidism, a condition of inadequate thyroid hormone.  TSH is made in the brain and as its name implies, stimulates the thyroid gland to produce more thyroid hormone.  Thus if TSH levels increase, it the brain is telling the body to make more thyroid hormone. When TSH levels stay high it suggests that the body cannot make enough thyroid hormone.  Most laboratories define  ‘normal’ TSH as between 0.5 and 5.0 uM/L.  TSH levels above 5.0 are considered hypothyroidism and those below 0.5, hyperthyroidism.

A new study published in the August 2012 issue of Endocrine Research reveals that our current approach to diagnosing hypothyroidism has been too simplistic and needs change.  Production of TSH follows a circadian rhythm that is it follows a 24-hour cycle with regular fluctuations.  TSH production peaks at its highest level between 2:00 and 4:00 am each morning and then drops reaching its low point between 4 and 8 pm in the evening.  Though this phenomenon is well known the actual extent of these fluctuations was much greater than was previously thought.

In this current study, researchers from the Federal Endocrinological Research Centre in Moscow, tested 20 women with subclinical hypothyroidism.  Morning and afternoon TSH levels were measured and compared.    The median morning TSH value for women with subclinical hypothyroidism was 5.83 mU/L.  Their afternoon median TSH dropped down to 3.79 mU/L.  Following the current guidelines for diagnosis hypothyroidism would have been diagnosed in only half of these cases when tested in the afternoon. 

These new data explain why many people who appear to have symptoms of hypothyroidism have been told their test results were normal, that they are fine, when in truth they hypothyroid.  TSH levels measured in blood samples drawn in the afternoon should be viewed with caution, as they may be falsely low and appear normal.  Samples for all thyroid tests should be collected first thing in the morning. 

It gets more complicated than this.  Many practitioners consider the current normal range for TSH values to be too broad.  Rather than judging TSH levels above 5 as hypothryoidism, some consider the upper limit of normal to be as low as 3.0, while researchers looking at what is called sub-clinical hypothyroidism define the condition by a TSH greater than 2.5.  Apparently that is the level at which risk for cardiovascular disease increases significantly.

Combining these two bits of news, the circadian variability of TSH and the benefits of treating even slight increases in TSH, leads me to think that we should be relooking at a fair number of patients who have previously been told that their thyroids were fine.  They might not be…..


Reference:

Sviridonova MA, Fadeyev VV, Sych YP, Melnichenko GA. Clinical Significance of TSH Circadian Variability in Patients with Hypothyroidism. Endocr Res. 2012 Aug 2.

Duntas LH, Biondi B. New insights into subclinical hypothyroidism and cardiovascular risk. Semin Thromb Hemost. 2011 Feb;37(1):27-34. Epub 2011 Jan 19.

Emerald City Clinic supports these wonderful classes offered by friend and colleague, Crystal Steltzer.

Greetings Community,

I’m pleased to announce my up-coming community class schedule for this fall.  I will be presenting three classes, which will be hosted at Dandelion Botanical in Ballard.  Below is a brief description of the class. 
_____________________________________

Saturday, September, 29^th from 12-2pm

Supporting the Immune System: herbs to help strengthen the immune system for cold and flu prevention

Before we know it the cold and flu season will be upon us.  Prevention is the key, and herbal support is paramount in maintaining a healthy and strong immune system throughout the fall and winter months.  In this workshop we will discuss --in simple concepts -- how the immune system functions, and then explore which herbs are best at strengthening the different functions of the immune system, and then we will end by delving into specific herbs to help support you in relieving the symptoms of catching a cold/flu.  Handouts will be provided, including herbal recipes, and samples will be passed around for tasting yummy herbal remedies.

Cost is $30, which will include handouts.

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Saturday, Oct. 3^rd-Nov. 3^rd from 12-2pm

Simple Home Remedies:  How to Make Your Own Herbal Medicine

Wk1: Intro to Herbal Medicine Making: Syrups, Elixirs, and Cordials   

Sat, Oct. 6th, 12-2pm, $25

Wk2: Honey, Vinegar, Oxymiel, and Wine Infusions                              

Sat, Oct. 13th, 12-2pm, $25

Wk3: Herbal Infused Oils (fresh/dry), Salves, Lip Balms, and Vapor-Rubs 

Sat, Oct. 20th, 12-2pm, $25

Wk4: Creams, Lotions, Essential Oil Emulsions and Spritzers         

 Sat, Oct. 27th, 12-2pm, $25

Wk5: Glycerites, Tinctures (fresh and dry), and Spirits                   

Sat, Nov. 3rd, 12-2pm, $25

Sign up for one class, or take the series of five for only $110!

_____________________________________

Saturday, Nov. 3^rd from 4-6pm

Simple Home Remedies:  How to Make Your Own Herbal Spa Products

We go to the spa to feel pampered and beautiful.  Making your own spa products is easy and rewarding.  Bring the spa into your home -- come learn how to make your very own herbally inspired spa products!  During this two hour workshop you will learn how to create herbal facial scrubs, toners, masques, and steam blends; as well as body scrubs, and foot soaks.  We will discuss herbal blends for any skin type, and explore the healing and rejuvenating qualities of the various products discussed.  Handouts will include instructions on how to make a range of products, as well as a discussion on the therapeutic properties of the herbs chosen.  In this workshop, each class participant will be able to make 3 products to take home with them!!!

Cost is $50, which will include handouts and supplies for making your own spa products. 

_____________________________________

For All Classes:

Registration is limited.  Payment is due in full at time of registration and is non-refundable.  Classes with fewer than five attendees are subject to cancellation.

To Register: Contact Dandelion Botanical at www.dandelionbotanical.com; 206-545-8892

I hope to see you there :-)

Green Blessings,

Crystal

May your herbal medicine support you in health and well being!

Do you know any families looking for low-cost ways to improve their health?

Tell them about APPLE Core!

APPLE Core Workshop

(Applied Pediatric and Parental Lifestyle Education)

An innovative healthy lifestyle program for families with kids 8-12!

Saturday, August 11, 2012

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Bastyr University, 14500 Juanita Drive NE, Kenmore, WA

Cost: $15 per family

Hosted by the Bastyr’s Department of Nutrition and Exercise Science, the one-day program includes:

Whole-food nutrition education for the entire family, with acclaimed chef Maxime Bilet

Behavioral counseling for the child and family

Fun, family-oriented physical activity

A family cooking class

Each family will receive lunch, t-shirts and a QFC gift card for purchasing healthy groceries!

To be eligible, children should be between the ages of 8 and 12, and parents must complete a registration and health history questionnaire form.

Play Together · Cook Together · Laugh Together

Sign up here!

Here is a link to video from last year’s event!

Dirty Dozen vs Clean Fifteen

With summer time comes inspiration to dive into the fruit and vegetable aisle at your grocery store a few more times a week than usual. We HIGHLY encourage this increase in these essential and nutrient-packed foods.... but be sure to purchase knowledgeably! We all know that buying organic is at the top of our list, however that list can sure get expensive! If you need to pick and choose, do so wisely. This link provides the list of those fruits and veggies that should always be purchased organically, and those that you may not need to spend the extra change on. Happy Shopping!

http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/

Summer Pharmacy Sale

We have some tremendous sales going on right now because we have a backlog of pharmacy items that are expiring or have expired. They are expiring because of my (Dr. Molly Niedermeyer's) medical leave. The pharmacy is not used as much when I am not working. So these wonderful products are outdated but still effective and we are selling them for 50% off (below cost). I would like to see them used and recap some of my pharmacy costs. The other part of the deal is I am willing to answer your questions and give you dosage for each of these items without additional charges if you purchase by the end of July....

There are some categories that I want to address first:

Cholesterol Reduction: We have multiple approaches to safe reduction of cholesterols with products running from $13 - $20 for a month's supply. They are Alli cinn (garlic and cinnamon) $13, Gugulplex (East Indian herb) $18.25, Cholesterol Support (multifactorial approach) $15, Cholestame (also multi factorial support)$20

Pain X: Great product for acute musculoskeletal pain relief for only $16

Mood and Sleep: Need a little mood lifter we have multiple products that work quickly ranging from Li-zyme (lithium dose) $5.50, Mood Food (multi factorial approach) $15, Balance D (multifactorial approach) $17, Ceralin Forte (multifactorial approach) $25.75

Urinary Incontinence: Great herbal approach called Flow-less $12.60, especially for nocturia both for mature men and menopausal women

Musculoskeletal issues: Thorne research Glucosamine for $14.50

Digestion: RF Plus (Robert's Formula for irritable bowel) $9

Immune support: Phytocort (adrenal support with chinese mushrooms) $20, Beta glucan (support of the white blood cells/general immune) $15, Cat's Claw (powerful south american herb for inflammation and immune) $13.25 All these things can be taken long term to support immune system.

Detox products: Thorne's Basic Detox Vitamins (amazing nutritional support) $33.75, Metagenics Advaclear (support phase 2 detox of the liver) $37.50 these are the 50% off prices of amazing supplements. These products are a two month supply.

If you have any questions please contact Dr. Niedermeyer at d2rmolly@aol.com. We can mail you these things for a small S/H fee or free with over $150 purchase.

Digestive Support Sale

I have not written on this blog for awhile but in my absence we are not selling as much product so things are outdating. So I cleared off the digestive support and there are some pretty great stuff at 25% off. They include:

Metagenics Hydrochloric Acid $11
Allergy Research Gluten Gest $15 (when you need that support with gluten)
Allergy Research Phloe $19.50 (delicious, chewable treatment for constipation)
Chewable Super Papaya Enzymes $5.50 (great for children or adults who can not swallow pills)
Standard Process Hi Pep $18.75 (great for occasional heartburn)

Already on the sale shelf are a plethora of multiples with and without iron, children's chewables, zinc chewables. You can call the office and have them mail them to you for this price.

I just have to come to the office sometimes. :) Love Molly Niedermeyer (aka Linton) for those of you who did not know I changed my name.

Big Changes at Emerald City Clinic

Dear Clients,

As part of Dr. Molly's transformation, she has made the decision to return to her maiden name of Niedermeyer. This has been changed in many e-visible areas (website, blogs, CaringBridge, etc), however we are still in the process of changing our signage at the clinic. Be on the look out for these changes-- and please look forward to working with Dr. Molly Niedermeyer!

We are also taking on the giant project of painting the inside of the clinic in the coming month. You'll notice that its looking quite bare at the moment with everything taken down off our walls. Please bear with us during this time-- as the saying goes, "Chaos before order!"

We look forward to you joining us as 2012 progresses!

In health,
Amanda Zuluaga
Clinic Manager, Emerald City Clinic