Program

Welcome to Heart & Lung Wellness (H&L) our Naturopathic Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Medicine Clinic. Each week naturopathic medical interns and residents provide their expertise in the diagnosis, treatment and management of cardiovascular and pulmonary disease available to the public.  We also offer primary care/general medicine services and expertise in endocrinology, hypothyroidism, menopause, andropause and brain chemistry balancing. Our medical team is under the training and supervision of their Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Medicine professor, Martin Milner, N.D.

Vision and Mission

We view the H&L program as an indispensable service.  The type of care that we provide is truly unique, as is the training ground on which it is provided. We are the only facility in the world offering naturopathic cardiology training and care in a clinical treatment facility under the supervision of a professor of naturopathic cardiology. We are experts in this paradigm of health care and have been offering these services for over a decade.

We are committed to bringing that unique H&L experience to the greatest number of trainees and patients possible. Our mission is to provide that training while continually improving the quality of the care that our patients receive.

Our current Heart & Lung resident physician, Dr. Jeremy Mikolai, and Dr. Milner are working toward the creation of an intensive fellowship training program in naturopathic cardiovascular medicine to further develop this area of special focus for naturopathic physicians.  Ultimately, that work will lead to the board certification of naturopathic doctors in cardiovascular medicine.

Structure

Since 1999 the Center for Natural Medicine (CNM), in collaboration with National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM), has provided a teaching clinic (H&L), training naturopathic medical student interns in cardiovascular and pulmonary medicine. These students serve in a six month internship working as a team with a resident naturopathic physician, support staff and under the supervision of Dr. Milner to provide optimal naturopathic care.

The Patient Experience

Heart & Lung interns work in pairs to take patients’ medical histories, perform examinations and testing, and to generate and manage a treatment/wellness plan which is individually designed for each patient. Patients are seen in consultation for 30 or 60 minutes. During the last part of each visit Dr. Milner and/or a naturopathic resident work with the interns and patient to finalize the assessment and treatment plan. Before and after each shift the interns, resident, and Dr. Milner meet to review patient management and further optimize patient care.

Who is this program for?

This program is ideal for anyone who experiences the symptoms of chest pain, shortness of breath, coughing, heart palpitations, heart rate or rhythm disturbances, poor circulation or leg swelling.  We also offer primary care/general medicine services to the public and have additional expertise in hormone and brain neurotransmitter balancing.

Why choose this program?

True health comes from treating the underlying causes of disease and rebuilding health while treating symptoms. We spend a great deal of time with our patients, getting to know and understand them while searching for the underlying causes of their disease. Our goal is to build treatment plans which manage the disease process and foster the restoration of health simultaneously.

Our program can be either a complement or an alternative to conventional medicine.    We work collaboratively with primary care medical providers and medical specialists. We can also function as primary care medical providers, as an alternative to a conventional providers and medical doctors.

Naturopathic physicians in Oregon are licensed to prescribe conventional drugs and perform minor surgical procedures. We also provide physical medicine, skeletal manipulation, and physical therapy modalities. Such a broad expertise makes naturopathic physicians ideal providers able to address a wide range of concerns.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive care by a physician-supervised team of medical student interns.
  • Medical students are an excellent resource for cutting edge therapies and new research.
• Patient cases are reviewed by the entire team.
  • You get the full benefit and expertise of a team of providers.
• 50% discount on consultations & 20% discount on in-office procedure fees.
• Further discounts are available for the uninsured and those in financial hardship through our Community Clinic program.
• Free Body Composition Analysis – analysis of body fat percentage, hydration status, cell membrane health and other valuable markers.

What conditions do we address?

Heart and Blood Vessel Conditions

• Angina: Chest pain and coronary artery disease
• Arteriosclerosis: Hardening of the arteries
• Blood clots
• Cardiomyopathy: Enlarged heart
• Heart Failure
• Hormone Replacement for heart and lung disease
• Hypertension: High blood pressure
• Peripheral Vascular Diseases: Arteries and veins – claudication, poor circulation, and others
• Rhythm disturbances: atrial fibrillation, heart blocks, palpitations, premature beats, rapid and slow pulses
• Stroke Prevention & Management
• Syncope: Fainting episodes, near fainting and black-outs

Lung Conditions

• Allergies, Asthma, Bronchitis, Emphysema, Pneumonia and Lung Cancer
• COPD: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
• Interstitial lung diseases (ILD

Hormones and Neurotransmitters

• Diabetes: Diagnosis and chronic disease management
• Hormone Balancing: Using herbal and nutritional support and/or bio-identical hormone replacement.
• Hyperthyroid
• Hypothyroidism
• Menopause and Andropause
• PMS and others

Are you at high risk for heart or lung disease?

Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in theUnited States; it is often a silent killer. If you have a family history of heart or lung disease, diabetes, smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or triglycerides, obesity or a sedentary lifestyle we can help improve your health and reduce your risk of disease and complications. Cardiovascular screening needs to start at age 40 or even earlier if you have a strong family history or high risk factors.

Asthma and chronic lung diseases are on the rise. We can help assess risks and identify the underlying causes of acute or chronic lung diseases. We build effective treatment plans to improve function or reverse disease while optimizing overall health and wellness.

Services Available:

• Allergy Testing: Airborne and Foods – via blood ELISA, IgE, IgG or RAST
• Artery & Vein Evaluations: for Stroke, Circulation and Clots
• Body Composition Analysis: Body fat percentage, body mass, water and related risk factors
• Cardiac Monitoring: Ambulatory monitoring by 24-hour Holter, continuous outpatient telemetry, event monitoring, and continuous on-site monitoring.
• Cardiac Rehabilitation and Exercise with High Flow Oxygen (Oxygen Multi-step Therapy)
• Comprehensive blood panels, functional medicine testing and imaging services
• Consultations: History, examination & ongoing care – focusing on the reversal of heart disease and other chronic diseases with diet, exercise, stress management and natural therapeutics.
• CT Angiograms with dye enhancement via local imaging facilities
• Diabetic & Carbohydrate Metabolism Consultations and Counseling
• Echocardiograms: referred through local hospitals
• Electrocardiogram (EKG/ECG): 12-lead resting, rhythm analysis, monitoring
• Exercise Tolerance Testing
• Neurotransmitter Urine Analysis: Levels of serotonin, GABA, dopamine, noradrenalin, adrenalin.
• Oxygen saturation/desaturation analysis with exertion
• Pulmonary Function Testing: including Spirometry with/without bronchodilation
• Referrals as needed to collaborative MD cardiologists and other specialists throughout the region
• Second opinions – for conditions of the Heart, Lungs, Blood and Hormones
• Stress Testing: exercise stress testing for cardiac diagnosis and risk assessment
• Wellness Consultations & Weight Management: Optimal body weight, healthy lifestyle, stress management, and reversal of chronic diseases with diet, exercise, stress management and natural therapeutics.

Therapeutic Options:

• Chelation: Oral
• Diet: Optimal caloric, protein, carbohydrate & fat balance
• Exercise Training: Aerobic, flexibility, resistance and cardiac rehabilitation
• Stress management and restructuring: Lifestyle, breathing, heart rate variability biofeedback
• Oxygen Therapy: Conventional and high flow rates with exercise
• Fasting, Cleansing and Detoxification
• Herbal Medicine, Homeopathy and Hydrotherapy
• Intravenous Nutrients: Vitamin, mineral, & re-hydrating
• Minor Surgery: Biopsy, lesion destruction and wound closure of the skin
• Nutritional Supplementation
• Prescription Drugs
• Physical Medicine: including manipulation, massage, and therapeutic ultrasound

Fees

Consultations are discounted 50% and in-office procedures are discounted 20% off of Dr. Milner’s usual office fees. This discount excludes any products purchased from the dispensary.

As a member of NCNM’s Community Clinic program, we offer care to the uninsured, unemployed and underemployed members of the greater Portland area community for $20 per visit.  If you are not insured and/or unemployed or can’t afford the healthcare you need only call us at 503-232-1100 (dial 0 for our receptionists) and we can determine if you qualify over the phone.

Staff

In addition to the NCNM medical student interns participating, Dr. Milner, his resident physicians, nurse, medical assistant, office manager and receptionists assist in the design, development and implementation of the Heart & Lung Wellness program.

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