Pangaea Clinic of Naturopathic Medicine
interventional natural medicine for rapid, lasting health
Pangaea Clinic of Naturopathic Medicine
#120 - 12011 Second Ave
Richmond, BC
V7E 3L6
(604) 275 - 0163
(604) 677 - 5910 (fax)
Treatment at our clinic focusses on the reversal of chronic disease through aggressive, innovative, and natural treatments that are safe and work with the body to re-establish function. As an example, a patient with heart disease, even if they are on a wait-list for bypass surgery, may benefit from the chelation program and Plaque-Ex program. Often times, the by-pass can be cancelled altogether.
A baseline work-up for an internal medicine case usually involves a 30-60 minute initial consultation and physical exam, followed by basic and possibly specialized lab testing. In the cardiovascular example, the lab tests may involve a standard lipid panel and independent risk factors such as homocysteine, hs-CRP, fibrinogen, and insulin. A referral for ultra-fast CT and calcium scoring may be done for before and after purposes. The treatment plan is then decided upon.
Treatments and Services
Treatments are always individualized to the patient and
the patient's response to his or her disease. The services
below are examples of treatments used after a conventional
diagnosis (the disease) and an individualized functional
diagnosis (the person and how he/she is affected by disease)
have been reached.
Chelation therapy is an alternative treatment for various circulatory disorders, including atherosclerosis (fatty deposits on the arteries), and heart disease. We use the traditional ACAM (American College for Advancement in Medicine) protocol of a 1.5-3 hour drip to reduce calcium scores (and heavy metals) in cardiac patients. In cases of heavy metal toxicity, the more rapid administration of a different form of EDTA is more useful. We use this push or drip method in diabetic patients and certain chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia patients.
Plaque-Ex is a treatment innovation from Switzerland (www.plaquex.ch). It is used in conjunction with traditional chelation therapy in some patients. In a study at Baxamed Medical Center in Switzerland, 20 patients with heart disease and re-occurring angina completed an average of 30 treatments, and 19 out of 20 were completely free of symptoms and medication .
Allergy and Environmental Medicine is the study of the diseases in which sensitivities and allergies to foods, inhalants, molds, fungal infections, and chemicals play a pivotal role. Post-graduate training from the American Academy of Environmental Medicine has been completed by Dr Ward. After an initial consultation, allergy testing is done for foods, mold, and/or inhalants. With food allergy/sensitivity testing, if symptoms are provoked by the food allergen then we can be sure that sensitivity is a component. In office testing can in most cases determine the dose of the food allergen that neutralizes the reaction, which can be given to the patient for home administration (oral neutralizing drops). Diseases responding well include irritable bowel syndrome, eczema, migraines, acne, psoriasis, asthma, chronic sinusitis, and hayfever.
Adjunctive Cancer Treatment: Cancer is a disease that requires very complex treatment. A combination of therapies to stimulate apoptosis (cell suicide), immune recognition of cancer (loss of immunological privilege by the cancer cells), direct natural chemotherapy to kill cancer cells, and supportive treatment is used. We recommend that most patients do concurrent conventional therapy, and our treatments can be used to support the patient during this time. Therapies may involve intravenous sodium bicarbonate, UKRAIN, Careseng, IV vitamin C, oxidative medicine (usually followed immediately by Careseng), Iscador (mistletoe injections), and immune therapies.
Intravenous Medical Nutrition is the superior method of using vitamins and minerals, along with some herbal medicines, for the purposes of stimulating the body's own healing systems by providing proper nutrition at the cellular level. A generic name for such a therapy is the Myer's cocktail. This therapy bypasses gastrointestinal absorption problems, but more importantly, is able to achieve an extremely high blood concentration of nutrients beyond what is orally possible. This high concentration makes it a down-hill process for cellular absorption, and thus "sick" cells are able to absorb nutrients necessary for function and healing. By reading the Myer's article link, you will find that even in the example of congestive heart failure, diseased heart muscle compared to healthy heart muscle had 1/3rd the amount of intracellular magnesium.
Cerebrolysin is a natural nutrient derived from porcine sources. It is a neurotrophic (nerve cell growth promoting) and neuroprotective (protects nerve cells) agent used extensively in European countries. The pharmaceutical manufacturer is Ebewe, where you can read about technical data and before and after cell cultures of nerve cells treated with cerebrolysin. This treatment is used in stroke-recovery and brain-injury patients to restore proper mental mood and physical function. It may be useful in selected cases of developmental delay such as autism or Asperger's.
Neural therapy involves the injection of anesthetic agents to restore disturbances in the autonomic nervous system. Many cases of chronic pain have an over-activation of the sympathetic (fight-or-flight system), and thus the body is stuck in a state of stress, even though the initial stressor has passed. The injection of nerve roots, scars, and trigger points forms the basis of this effective pain reducing therapy.
Acupuncture has long roots in traditional Chinese medicine. It is a useful adjunct in the treatment of myofascial pain syndrome, or chronic muscular pain. The combination of neural therapy and acupuncture in the same visit provides superior results, especially for chronic pain problems.
Intravenous Vitamin C is a basic but powerful protocol used for most forms of cancer. Work with vitamin C for the treatment of cancer was pioneered by Hugh Riordan MD in the US. Our clinic uses the same protocol, with treatments given 3-4 times a week for 3 weeks, before reassessment of tumor markers or imaging studies.
Dietary and herbal medicines have traditionally formed the "basics" of naturopathic medicine. Supplements, oral herbal medicines, diet and lifestyle also make up an important basis for our treatment protocols. Many patients with fatigue that is not due to hormonal imbalances, major medical diseases, or anemia can be shown to have adrenal insufficiencies that respond well to a stabilized blood sugar diet and Myer's injections.
Medical Detoxification involves a protocol that includes but goes beyond fasting, saunas, and exercise. Our detoxification program includes dietary, oral, and intravenous methods of removing the body burden of inorganic toxins (eg heavy metals) and organic toxins (eg pesticides, solvents, environmental senstivities, etc).
Mesotherapy is an alternative to liposuction for localized fat loss. Injections are given below the skin that stimulates the fat cells to burn fat. ABC recently did a 20/20 article on it with beneficial reports. Mesotherapy patients tend to lose 0.5-1 inch a treatment.
Ozone therapy is one of the safest therapies that fall into the oxidative or oxygenation therapies, and in fact one of the safest therapies of all (when done correctly). Ozone has two main uses. It's greatest utility comes in the treatment of the patient's blood. This treatment, called major autohemotherapy, greatly increases the release of at least 3 chemicals in the blood: 2,3 DPG, interferon gamma, and tumor necrosis factor. The net effect is vastly improved oxygenation of the tissues (extremely useful in fatigue, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer) and a rebalanced immune system (extremely useful in allergies, autoimmune disease, and cancer). It's second main use is in pain and as a proliferative in prolotherapy.
Ultraviolet blood irradiation is a treatment that is very similar to the oxidative therapies. In fact, it is believed to act through the generation of superoxide ion from molecular oxygen. As such, it is extremely successful when used in conjunction with intravenous hydrogen peroxide or with ozone. This therapy outshines most others in the treatment of acute infections (intravenous vitamin C, and IV peroxide are also excellent), surgical pre and post care, and thromboembolism. In the treatment of chronic Lyme disease and in chronic fatigue syndrome and/or fibromyalgia, the combination of UV irradiation and ozone is an aggressive, interventional, effective method.
Autism treatments are focussed on identifying if metal toxicities or impairments in metal, especially mercury, excretion, are responsible for developmental delay. Assessment is through hair analysis and then provoked urinary (and sometimes stool) excretion. Treatment may involve transdermal DMPS or transdermal DMSA, oral DMPS, DMSA, EDTA, and IV EDTA, DMPS, glutathione (for older children). Additionally, food sensitivities and leaky gut is tested, as is any involvement of fungal infections such as candida.
UKRAIN is a natural chemotherapeutic agent that is used in the treatment of cancer. The natural drug is an extract of the celandine plant, and is chemically combined with a molecule that targets cancer cells. The mechanism of action seems to be very similar to some of the oxidative therapies used by myself to support cancer patients while they are receiving conventional chemotherapy or while they are receiving radiation treatments.
Articles for your browsing. These are past newsletters emailed to our patients and also responses for requests for information. If you have a specific topic you'd like a comment on, please email us.
The information presented within this web site is solely for education. It is copyrighted and protected as intellectual property. As all physicians have their unique opinions, this information is not to be taken as the opinion of any association or regulatory body. This website is not a substitute for personalized care by Dr Eric Chan or Dr Tawnya Ward; liability is excluded for misuse.
Chronic fatigue syndrome is a very common condition that patients have typically had little success with elsewhere. I have had had excellent results by addressing detoxification, allergies, hormonal imbalances, and especially multiple persistent infections in these patients. Lyme disease is a also a condition that closely mimics chronic fatigue syndrome, especially in its chronic stages.
