A Naturopathic physician attends accredited schools and is state and nationally board certified, and they have very similar coursework especially in the biomedical and diagnostic sciences as their counterpart the MD (allopathic physician). However, as the training is similar, you may be surprised at how different the appointment will be in relation to your regular MD appointment.

 

Dr. Mendoza requires that the first appointment be 90 minutes long, she will ask you to talk about yourself and she will ask you many questions about yourself. The intent of the Naturopathic consultation is to treat the person, not to just focus on the disease process. It is important to proceed with a personalized treatment plan, and thus it is important to get a clear health history.

 

While it is probably in everyone's goal is to be healthier, there are many patients with specific ailments bothering them or have certain goals they would like to achieve, such as increased energy, so Dr. Mendoza will tailor your consultation and the treatment plan based on these expectations.

 

Dr. Mendoza will talk about Nutrition, and yes food will be a focal point. If you are experiencing any symptoms as you eat, it would be best if you kept a food diary or a journal of how you feel when you eat certain foods.

 

The condition of your skin, eyes, nails and tongue can speak volumes about a person's health, and so don't be surprised when Dr. Mendoza takes a very close look. Your sleep will also be an important aspect in her concern for you.

 

The medications and supplements you take are important and so it is imperative that you tell Dr. Mendoza about these. It is also necessary to tell her if you wish to remove them as she can work with you to achieve this. She will also work with you to ensure you are taking only those supplements you need and are not taking too much of any one thing.

 

Using the information acquired during your consultation, Dr. Mendoza will be able to begin the steps of developing your treatment plan. This may include dietary changes, exercise, physical medicine, stress reduction, medications, herbal medications or nutritional supplementation.

I know that weight loss can be frustrating. It is confusing and contradictory with all of the programs and products available. Looking on Google can further deepen the confusion. When you don't see results right away or if you do, but gain it all back and more is discouraging.

 

I will assess your diet, nutrition and lifestyle. Then based on this, I will help you modify your diet with meal planning that incorporates whole, natural foods that you will enjoy. There are many reasons why we gain weight, but it is important to find the reason why for you. It is not just a matter of "watching what you eat", as has been told to many of us searching for why we cannot lose any weight. A metabolic assessment will be accomplished as the relationship between our lifestyles, diet, genetics and environment and environmental toxins can have a profound impact on our hormone levels and metabolism, influencing our moods, energy levels and ability to burn calories and fat efficiently.

 

By taking stock of your hormone levels and metabolism, we can begin to correct the disharmonies that are preventing you from achieving your weight and wellness goals. Gastrointestinal health maintenance as food is our foremost medicine, providing the nutritional building blocks required to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle. Our gastrointestinal tract is the crucial system in the absorption of these building blocks. Without a healthy and intact digestive system, any other supplement or change you make may be pointless. I will assess and treat any impairments in your gastrointestinal system and teach you ways to maintain its health so your body will become more efficient at burning fat and staying healthy.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is one of the oldest systems of medicine. It is more than 3,500 years older than traditional Western medicine. Vital energy, known as "Qi," flows through the body and performs multiple functions to maintain health. My role is to correct or balance its flow through the body.

 

By stimulating specific points we open the proper flow of energy (or Qi) through the system of meridians (or pathways) that trace throughout your body. Ensuring the proper flow of Qi through these meridians will allow the body to heal its own stresses and injuries. It can also improve digestion, circulation, fertility, anxiety and depression, pain and sleep disorders. TCM views health as the stable and harmonious interaction between your body's inner systems and the outside world. Disease occurs when these factors are in disharmony. TCM traces the symptoms of the illness to the root of the disharmony and treats it directly with natural remedies and herbal cures to bring the body back into harmony, which cures the illness.

Autoimmunity is reflective of a loss of immune 'tolerance'. It is like a rain bucket, collecting drops of rain, until one day, one drop of rain causes it to start dripping over the side of the bucket.

 

The strength of our immune system can be easily assessed by questioning how many colds did you get this year? Do you get cold sores? Do you have recurrent infections? By answering those questions we will investigate the risk factors that could be compromising your immune system and couple that with several laboratory tests and exams we formulate a treatment plan that is right for you. If you suffer from an Autoimmune disease, the answer is not always medications, though they may help living with the symptoms, we will work to eradicate the cause of the symptoms.

 

There are many factors that affect our immune system:

• Stress level and how we cope
• Nutrient availability and absorption
• Alcohol, drug and tobacco use
• Sleep quality
• Diet and exercise
• Body weight and caloric intake
• Hydration

Once we assess the above issues, we will follow through with one or more of the treatment paths as outlined below.

1. Immune Enhancement

In this treatment path, we bolster your immune system by encouraging a healthy lifestyle and treat a variety of conditions that may be impairing it, such as:

• Acute or chronic infections
  
• Allergic responses (dietary or airborne)
  
• Chronic degenerative illnesses that compromise the immune system (e.g. cancer)
  
• Chronic inflammatory reactions

2. Immune Modulation

Immune Modulation is selected for patients with autoimmune disorders that create antibodies to things that they themselves produce. This can be damaging to the body, producing persistent inflammation as seen with systemic lupus erythmatosus, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma and autoimmune thyroid dysfunction.

 

3. Immune Support Therapies

We may employ one or more of these therapies to support your immune system based on the treatment path required: Nutritional modification, weight-loss, nutritional supplements, detoxification, or acupuncture.

 

Stage one—Sensitivity Testing and the Food Elimination Program

We will use the most innovative technology to test you for common foods to find out which ones are aggravating your systems and contributing to your symptoms.

 

We will then put you on a food elimination program, removing all the foods that you showed sensitivity to. This may last for three to six weeks. I will build you a list of alternative foods based on your tastes, lifestyle and other health factors.

 

During this time your major organs of detoxification, the liver and kidneys, will be given a chance to rest, allowing your body to shed its stored toxins and begin to rebalance and heal itself.

 

Stage two – Diet Planning

Once the food elimination program is complete I may retest you for the foods you've been avoiding. If they still cause a reaction in you, they are probably your primary sensitivities. At which time you will have a better understanding of what foods help you function at your best and which trigger your symptoms. With this knowledge, we can work with you to tailor your eating with less strict restrictions so your food nourishes your health and doesn't impair your immune system.

Hormones constantly stream through our body affecting our energy, mood and metabolism.

 

They are at the heart of weight-gain, mood swings, energy and our immune system Hormones are chemicals that carry messages to cells that tell them what they need to do. They stimulate or can inhibit growth, they control our immune system and regulate our metabolism. They let us know when we're hungry and prepare us to fight or flee. They begin at puberty, but in our later years, they also signal menopause and aging. When our hormones are actively working in concert and delivering the right messages to the right cells at the right time we experience improved mood, better muscle to fat ratio and just generally feel better. When our hormones are out of balance, it can impact our cognitive, cardiovascular and sexual functioning, create weight gain and as well as many other symptoms.

The cancer process starts long before the formation of a tumor or diagnosed disease. This is what we have the most choice in helping shape our destiny.

 

I encourage everyone to have an annual Pap smear, breast exam, and I also am adamant that it is very necessary to do a prostate exam and blood work. The reason why I am so adamant on these tests is because I am not motivated or mandated by insurance companies. I know because of my many years in practice, to catch a cancer after 2-3 years of growth is not easy to treat and does not always have a good outcome. To catch it quickly is much more ideal.

 

Complementary alternative care can be appropriate from prevention through to late stage illness. At Casner Mountain Healing Center you will be treated as an individual, always. I feel very strongly that preventive medicine is vital to detect the presence of cancers long before they have a chance to take root and become another devastation to a family. I feel, simply by doing the annual exams is important to be one step ahead of any diseases.

The majority of cardiovascular diseases are directly related to factors that are under your control.

 

Cardiovascular disease is defined as any disease of the heart and blood vessels and is one of the leading causes of death in most developed countries. But it doesn't have to be. At Casner Mountain Healing Center we will work with you to eliminate these factors from your life, to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease.

Diabetes is one of the most prevalent and deadly conditions we face as a society and yet it is also one of the most preventable

The Standard American Diet (SAD) focuses on simple carbohydrates that break down into an excess of glucose that our bodies can't use and so you store fat, instead of burning it. This excess glucose damages our organs and is stored as fat around our bellies and hips. These extra fat cells produce a hormone cascade that increases our insulin resistance and damages our ability to process sugar. I will work with you to eliminate simple carbohydrates from your diet to reverse this fat storage process. By building a healthy and comfortable meal plan, I can help you reduce your weight and normalize your blood sugar, thus targeting your type II diabetes and improving your overall health and well-being.

 

Exercise increases your metabolic burn rate, optimizes your blood sugars and uses up your extra fat stores. It is a vital part of improving your cardiovascular health and blood sugar management.

 

I will customize a program appropriate for your level of fitness and help you set achievable goals.

 

Pharmaceutical Management

While we incorporate all the factors necessary to improve your blood sugars and blood values it will be necessary to reduce your medications that you are currently taking because the need for these medications will diminish as you continue through our program. Ultimately, we would like to see you completely medication free!

 

Lifestyle

Every aspect of our life has an effect on our wellbeing and health. For example, chronic stress and fatigue can be a significant factor in your diabetes and cardiovascular disease and can impair your ability to manage it.

 

What is Type II Diabetes?

Ninety percent of people with diabetes have type II diabetes, which occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin in the setting of insulin resistance. Insulin resistance means that the body does not effectively respond to and use the insulin that's produced. This dysfunction means that excess sugar ends up circulating through the body. There are many diabetics that have no symptoms at all, come in and we will check you for diabetes.

 

Symptoms of Diabetes:

• Heart disease
• Kidney disease and failure
• Eye disease and blindness
• Loss of libido and erectile difficulties
• Nerve damage

Your risk of type II diabetes increases after age 40, after which you should begin to be screened for it annually.

Your risk increases if you:

• Are a member of a high-risk group (Aboriginal, Hispanic, Asian, South Asian, or African descent)
• Carry excess weight, particularly around your abdomen and middle
• Have a first-degree relative who is diabetic
• Have a prior diagnosis of gestational diabetes
• Suffer from high blood pressure, high cholesterol, increased levels of other blood fats or impaired glucose tolerance
• Have been diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, acanthosis nigricans or schizophrenia

Signs and Symptoms

• Unusual thirst
• Frequent urination
• Dramatic weight gain or loss
• Extreme fatigue
• Blurred vision
• Frequent or recurring infections
• Cuts and bruises that are slow to heal
• Tingling or numbness in the hands or feet
• Erectile difficulties

I feel as your primary care doctor I am your medical "home." I feel I am the doctor that is there for you, to be your best advocate. I am here for most of your medical needs, including wellness visits and routine screenings, non-emergency illnesses like earaches and sore throats, and the person you speak to about your health questions and concerns. I will refer you to specialists as needed. I will coordinate all of the information, we will discuss it and then you will be making informed decisions about your best course of action.

Diet is the key to controlling your cholesterol. If you have been given medication by a conventional doctor to take to control of your cholesterol, do not despair, there are other ways much safer to implement and control your cholesterol. And it is all in your hands!

Cardiovascular disease is largely the result of poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, drinking and stress, all factors within our control.

 

Our conventional counterparts have the answer of drugs, and then, well more drugs. I can treat these conditions, but I would rather help you take control of your risk factors to prevent disease occurrence in the first place. If you have already been diagnosed with heart disease, it is not too late! We can still work to change the disease process, and return you to a better state of health.

As we get older and approach "old age", our minds deal daily with aches and pains of seeing new lines, wrinkles, and marks on our face or body that we wonder, "is this from aging, or is this something I need to be concerned about?" So, we wait a day or two and we notice it either goes away, or it remains the same and we feel like we have an answer, we don't feel any pain so this must be what getting old is like. This is just one of the things we note as we traverse on our journey of life. Many people go to their doctor and are told they need to start on a new statin drug to keep their cholesterol in check. They tell us we need to get on blood pressure medicine to control our blood pressure. And then they tell us to "watch our diet" as our sugars are going up each year and soon, we will have to start on diabetic medication. We are told that this is just a part of aging and this is "normal".

Does this sound familiar to you? Is this your current situation, taking more and more medications? There is an alternative to this and I want to offer to you THE FREEDOM OF HEALTH. It does not matter how old you are, and it doesn't matter about your health status. What matters is that you want to start changing your health situation. If you are in great health and you want to remain that way—we can help you do that. If your health status is very poor and only seems to be getting worse and there does not seem to be any help for you, we can help, as long as you try.

We feel our mission is to bring you to a better state of health, no matter where you are starting from. We are now offering IV (Intravenous Therapy) therapy, which enables your body to receive nutrients in a much safer and easier way than having a whole grocery bag full of vitamins that you take every day. We are offering IVs to give you a Hollywood glam of Anti-aging IV therapy; we are offering weight loss IVs. We also offer Detox IVs, while also treating vitamin deficiencies, increasing energy, supplementing your hydration.

When you first come to see us your first stop will be with Dr. Dianna Mendoza, NMD, after being evaluated by Dr. Mendoza, she will recommend to you what is felt will help you best, writing out a plan for you to follow, it may be an IV, or a series of them or maybe an entirely different plan. She will spend the time with you to decide what your best options for treatment will be. She will ask about your diet and nutrition, she will ask about stress levels, your life in all of its complexities are important for her to understand to do the best for you.

If Dr. Mendoza is recommending an IV for you, you will make an appointment with our nurse. You will feel that you are in the best of health care hands. Your health picture will start changing, becoming a healthy, vital person looking forward to each day.

IV Therapy and Injectables

Boost your body!

Nutrient Infusions have been shown to help improve various conditions such as:

• Allergies
• Asthma
• Arthritis
• Acute viral illness and infections
• Fatigue
• Fibromyalgia
• Migraines
• Nutritional deficiencies

Infusions consist of nutrients such as:

• Magnesium
• Calcium
• Selenium
• Zinc
• B Vitamins
• Vitamin C
• Glutathione

Enjoy our new massage chairs as you relax and drip!

Boost Fat-burning!
Weight Loss Injections
MIC + L-Carnitine
NAD+ 

Boost your brain power. NAD+ increases neuron function and helps protect the cells from toxins and damage. This will increase mental clarity, helping you to have a sharper memory.

Toxins accumulate in all of your systems and can accelerate the aging process. They can be the cause of pain and untoward symptoms. The answer is not always medication, it is finding and treating the cause of your pain.

 

As we age, we are exposed to more and more toxins in our food, air, water, and the artificial substances we use every day. We can eliminate these toxins from your system and teach you how to avoid further toxic buildup. The relationship between our lifestyles, diet, genetics and environment and environmental toxins can have a profound impact on our hormone levels and metabolism, influencing our moods, energy levels and ability to burn calories and fat efficiently. By taking stock of your hormone levels and metabolism, we can begin to correct the disharmonies that are preventing you from achieving your weight and wellness goals

All Metabolic evaluations are comprehensively studied through laboratory analysis. This is a portion of Functional Medicine at its best. If we are seeking to discover why someone is forming kidney stones, has high blood pressure, or is currently fighting a battle with cancer, this is where it starts. We will discuss exactly what is needed and why, and then we will have more of the armament that is needed to help you in the best way possible.

A physical examination of any respiratory problems starts with assessment of general appearance and discussion of discomfort and anxiety, body habits, and the effect of talking or movement on symptoms (e.g. inability to speak full sentences without pausing to breathe). The past history of smoking or desire to stop smoking can be assessed on our first meeting.

 

My desire is to help you with any problems breathing that you may have, usually there are allergies to consider and to work to diminish these symptoms.

Allergies, food sensitivities, and autoimmunity are reflective of a loss of immune 'tolerance'; when our immune system loses tolerance we become highly reactive, experiencing reactions to otherwise benign substances such as foods, airborne particles, and even our own tissue.

 

Many times we regularly (and usually unknowingly) eat foods that produce inflammation in our bodies. Unfortunately, in our modern society this is becoming more common place now. We assume these foods are good for us, but the inflammation they cause can lead to heart disease, circulation problems, mood swings, as well as weight gain. Through a few simple tests and a food elimination program, we can determine your unique sensitivities and build a nutritional plan that works for your tastes and lifestyle.

 

These include, but are not limited to:

• Seasonal allergies
• Asthma, chronic sinusitis, repeated ear infections
• Food allergies, food intolerances/sensitivities
• Chemical intolerances/sensitivities, histamine intolerance, anaphylaxis
• Migraines
• Eczema, contact dermatitis, urticaria
• Arthritis of any variety
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Interstitial cystitis
• Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia
• Candida/fungal-related illness
• Hyperactivity/ADD/ADHD
• Autoimmune diseases or conditions including Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis

What is a wellness exam? This is an annual exam that is a comprehensive preventative exam with me as your primary care provider for the sole purpose of preventative care. An annual exam does not usually include discussion of new problems or a detailed review of chronic conditions (this is accomplished during a Primary Care visit). Annual exams may also be called routine check-ups, yearly exams, an annual pap, or preventive visit. I can combine an annual exam with a diagnostic exam, but I prefer to keep them separate.

 

What is the difference between a wellness exam and a problem visit? Preventative visits and tests can help you stay healthy and catch problems early.

 

Diagnostic visits and testing are used to diagnose a current health problem. Diagnostic tests are ordered when you have symptoms and I want to find out why. For example, I might want you to have a test because of your age or family history, that's preventive care, but if it's because you're having symptoms of a problem, that's diagnostic care.