Patriot Ledger Article

RX: Nutrition ; South Shore Guru Offers Complementary Therapies to Conventional Medicine

Posted on: Wednesday, 30 March 2005, 18:00 CST
The Patriot Ledger

Before Beverly Plouffe ever received medical treatment for her breast cancer, her tumors shrunk in half - and she believes it was all because she followed the nutrition advice of nutrition guru Mark Dana Mincolla. "The doctors at Dana-Farber had never seen anything like it. They said, 'Keep doing what he's telling you to do,'" said Plouffe, who ended up combining Mincolla's recommendations with traditional medical treatments and is now cancer-free. "Mark saved my life. I thank God every day for him."Mincolla, 53, who practices in Cohasset, is considered one of the true South Shore gurus of alternative medicine, or complementary medicine as many call it today. Mincolla, who has been in business for nearly 25 years and has seen more than 60,000 patients, says he has helped heal people of everything from cancer and heart problems to migraines and digestive discomfort.
Mincolla is not a medical doctor. He earned his bachelor's degree in psychology, a master's in nutrition and a doctorate in health and human services. But he said he has a simple remedy to manage pain and battle disease: Food. Mincolla's methods for getting to the root of people's health problems would not be used by most traditional medical doctors. He finds energy points in the body, just like acupuncture points, and presses on them while pushing down on a client's outstretched arm with his own hand. If he feels good resistance in the arm muscles, the energy point that corresponds with a particular body part, such as the heart, spleen and gall bladder, is strong. If the client's arm falls, Mincolla might determine that a deficiency exists.
"The muscle will indicate that there's a strength or weakness in a corresponding area," he said. "If there's a weak kidney, the arm will go right down."
He does the same thing to test a client's tolerance for certain foods, running through long lists: wheat, corn, egg yolks, soy, coffee. If he says "beef," for example, and a client's outstretched arm gives out, he may determine that the client doesn't tolerate beef well. And he may hold homeopathic vials of concentrated food up to a person's body to determine if they are allergic to the food.
"The body and mind are talking to each other and reacting through a neural response," Mincolla said.
Mincolla believes nutrition is key, and if people eat the right foods and stay away from the wrong ones, they often get better.
"Food is a drug. Drugs can take lives, and drugs can save lives. People come to me for help and I'm a problem-solver at a chemical level," he said. "I can teach them how to use food to get the results they're looking for."
Many people may not realize that a certain intolerable food may be linked to their health problems, he said. For example, Mincolla said he saw a man in a wheelchair with crippling arthritis - until the man took Mincolla's advice and stopped eating wheat. "People can have very serious problems with foods," he said. "There are a lot of people running around who could subtract a potential inflammatory food and it would help."

Mincolla will give a client a specific diet to follow. For example, a person with inflammatory pain might benefit from a diet heavy in salmon, walnuts and pumpkin seeds, along with fish oil capsules, Mincolla said. A person with cancer should eliminate fatty foods, such as red meat, egg yolks and dairy.
"It's not a one-size-fits-all diet," he said.
Although Mincolla believes people should seek medical care if necessary, he believes people are too quick to solve their problems with medication.
"We've established a mind set where when someone has layers of problems, let's give them a purple pill and hope they feel better, rather than trying to detect the problem and eliminate it," he said. "Most people don't have a clue how their body works. I want to give them a road map."
Mincolla's work is part of a growing field of alternative therapies designed to give patients new insight into how to relieve pain, fight disease and stay healthy. About 16 percent of hospitals nationwide are providing complementary programs for patients, including Jordan Hospital in Plymouth, which began offering biofeedback, yoga, acupuncture and other therapies about three years ago.
"Complementary therapies are very popular in the country right now," said Nancy Anderson, manager of the Institute for Complementary Therapies at Jordan Hospital. "It's a huge, growing area. Patients are asking for it. I have patients with serious chronic pain who are hitting a plateau as to what their doctors can do for them and they want to try other therapies to see if that will help relieve their pain."
Anderson has told patients about Mincolla. "I have had people come back and tell me he has made an enormous difference," she said. "If I ever had a problem, I would go to him."
Mincolla said many of his patients are doctors and nurses.
"When I started 25 years ago, I got a lot of noses in the air (from the medical profession)," he said. "I don't anymore. I get a lot of referrals now."
Dr. Gabriele Roden, an anesthesiologist at Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston, has been seeing Mincolla for more than 10 years. She said he provided her with sound nutritional advice that keeps her energy levels high.
"I have consulted Dr. Mincolla over many years and have received great advice for a nutritionally sound and balanced food plan," she said. "Dr. Mincolla's holistic approach is based on over 20 years of research, experience and intuitive talents that are truly unique and inspiring. He is a gift to all of us and the medical community. I would love to send all my patients as well as my family members to him."
Jean Beneduci, a nurse in the emergency department at South Shore Hospital, brought her two young children to see Mincolla more than 12 years ago because they were suffering from chronic ear infections and other illnesses. Beneduci herself was having migraines and feeling tired a lot. After Mincolla told them what to eat, everyone felt better, she said.
"We were on the right foods to nourish and support us rather than make us ill," she said.
Jim Mitterando, a family doctor in Cohasset who also writes the "Ask the Doctor" column for The Patriot Ledger, said some of his patients have seen Mincolla, but he doesn't have a good feel for how effective they felt Mincolla's practices are. Mitterando believes in the benefit of some complementary therapies, often referring patients for yoga, massages and acupuncture. But he also advises patients to be careful before buying into all alternative healing and said it is wise to stand behind methods that have been proven through study.
"It's important people don't embrace every facet of alternative medicine," he said. "There are some fringe elements that are quack medicine and there's still the modern equivalent of the snake oil salesman. Show me the data. Show me it truly works."
Mincolla may not have any studies to back up his methods, but the proof, he said, is in the people he has helped. "I've had great success for 25 years. People have a hard time arguing with that," he said.
Mincolla, who lives in Marshfield and is married with three children, certainly practices what he preaches. "The key to fighting disease is not waiting until it's too late," he said.
He eats a lot of poultry, fish, fruits and vegetables and small amounts of whole grain starches. He stays away from red meat, dairy products, fried foods and sugar. He will treat himself occasionally on weekends to a glass of red wine or a fruit torte for dessert.
"My theory is that Monday through Friday you take care of business," he said. "On weekends, when you sleep a little later, you can have a little dessert or a glass of wine."
Mincolla charges $75 for 30-minute visits and $125 for an hour, an expense that is covered by some insurance companies. He sees patients on average every eight weeks. Some come only a few times. Others returRX: Nutrition ; South Shore Guru Offers Complementary Therapies to Conventional Medicine
Posted on: Wednesday, 30 March 2005, 18:00 CST
The Patriot Ledger
Before Beverly Plouffe ever received medical treatment for her breast cancer, her tumors shrunk in half - and she believes it was all because she followed the nutrition advice of nutrition guru Mark Dana Mincolla. "The doctors at Dana-Farber had never seen anything like it. They said, 'Keep doing what he's telling you to do,'" said Plouffe, who ended up combining Mincolla's recommendations with traditional medical treatments and is now cancer-free. "Mark saved my life. I thank God every day for him."Mincolla, 53, who practices in Cohasset, is considered one of the true South Shore gurus of alternative medicine, or complementary medicine as many call it today. Mincolla, who has been in business for nearly 25 years and has seen more than 60,000 patients, says he has helped heal people of everything from cancer and heart problems to migraines and digestive discomfort.
Mincolla is not a medical doctor. He earned his bachelor's degree in psychology, a master's in nutrition and a doctorate in health and human services. But he said he has a simple remedy to manage pain and battle disease: Food. Mincolla's methods for getting to the root of people's health problems would not be used by most traditional medical doctors. He finds energy points in the body, just like acupuncture points, and presses on them while pushing down on a client's outstretched arm with his own hand. If he feels good resistance in the arm muscles, the energy point that corresponds with a particular body part, such as the heart, spleen and gall bladder, is strong. If the client's arm falls, Mincolla might determine that a deficiency exists.
"The muscle will indicate that there's a strength or weakness in a corresponding area," he said. "If there's a weak kidney, the arm will go right down."
He does the same thing to test a client's tolerance for certain foods, running through long lists: wheat, corn, egg yolks, soy, coffee. If he says "beef," for example, and a client's outstretched arm gives out, he may determine that the client doesn't tolerate beef well. And he may hold homeopathic vials of concentrated food up to a person's body to determine if they are allergic to the food.
"The body and mind are talking to each other and reacting through a neural response," Mincolla said.
Mincolla believes nutrition is key, and if people eat the right foods and stay away from the wrong ones, they often get better.
"Food is a drug. Drugs can take lives, and drugs can save lives. People come to me for help and I'm a problem-solver at a chemical level," he said. "I can teach them how to use food to get the results they're looking for."
Many people may not realize that a certain intolerable food may be linked to their health problems, he said. For example, Mincolla said he saw a man in a wheelchair with crippling arthritis - until the man took Mincolla's advice and stopped eating wheat. "People can have very serious problems with foods," he said. "There are a lot of people running around who could subtract a potential inflammatory food and it would help."

Mincolla will give a client a specific diet to follow. For example, a person with inflammatory pain might benefit from a diet heavy in salmon, walnuts and pumpkin seeds, along with fish oil capsules, Mincolla said. A person with cancer should eliminate fatty foods, such as red meat, egg yolks and dairy.
"It's not a one-size-fits-all diet," he said.
Although Mincolla believes people should seek medical care if necessary, he believes people are too quick to solve their problems with medication.
"We've established a mind set where when someone has layers of problems, let's give them a purple pill and hope they feel better, rather than trying to detect the problem and eliminate it," he said. "Most people don't have a clue how their body works. I want to give them a road map."
Mincolla's work is part of a growing field of alternative therapies designed to give patients new insight into how to relieve pain, fight disease and stay healthy. About 16 percent of hospitals nationwide are providing complementary programs for patients, including Jordan Hospital in Plymouth, which began offering biofeedback, yoga, acupuncture and other therapies about three years ago.
"Complementary therapies are very popular in the country right now," said Nancy Anderson, manager of the Institute for Complementary Therapies at Jordan Hospital. "It's a huge, growing area. Patients are asking for it. I have patients with serious chronic pain who are hitting a plateau as to what their doctors can do for them and they want to try other therapies to see if that will help relieve their pain."
Anderson has told patients about Mincolla. "I have had people come back and tell me he has made an enormous difference," she said. "If I ever had a problem, I would go to him."
Mincolla said many of his patients are doctors and nurses.
"When I started 25 years ago, I got a lot of noses in the air (from the medical profession)," he said. "I don't anymore. I get a lot of referrals now."
Dr. Gabriele Roden, an anesthesiologist at Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston, has been seeing Mincolla for more than 10 years. She said he provided her with sound nutritional advice that keeps her energy levels high.
"I have consulted Dr. Mincolla over many years and have received great advice for a nutritionally sound and balanced food plan," she said. "Dr. Mincolla's holistic approach is based on over 20 years of research, experience and intuitive talents that are truly unique and inspiring. He is a gift to all of us and the medical community. I would love to send all my patients as well as my family members to him."
Jean Beneduci, a nurse in the emergency department at South Shore Hospital, brought her two young children to see Mincolla more than 12 years ago because they were suffering from chronic ear infections and other illnesses. Beneduci herself was having migraines and feeling tired a lot. After Mincolla told them what to eat, everyone felt better, she said.
"We were on the right foods to nourish and support us rather than make us ill," she said.
Jim Mitterando, a family doctor in Cohasset who also writes the "Ask the Doctor" column for The Patriot Ledger, said some of his patients have seen Mincolla, but he doesn't have a good feel for how effective they felt Mincolla's practices are. Mitterando believes in the benefit of some complementary therapies, often referring patients for yoga, massages and acupuncture. But he also advises patients to be careful before buying into all alternative healing and said it is wise to stand behind methods that have been proven through study.
"It's important people don't embrace every facet of alternative medicine," he said. "There are some fringe elements that are quack medicine and there's still the modern equivalent of the snake oil salesman. Show me the data. Show me it truly works."
Mincolla may not have any studies to back up his methods, but the proof, he said, is in the people he has helped. "I've had great success for 25 years. People have a hard time arguing with that," he said.
Mincolla, who lives in Marshfield and is married with three children, certainly practices what he preaches. "The key to fighting disease is not waiting until it's too late," he said.
He eats a lot of poultry, fish, fruits and vegetables and small amounts of whole grain starches. He stays away from red meat, dairy products, fried foods and sugar. He will treat himself occasionally on weekends to a glass of red wine or a fruit torte for dessert.
"My theory is that Monday through Friday you take care of business," he said. "On weekends, when you sleep a little later, you can have a little dessert or a glass of wine."
Mincolla charges $75 for 30-minute visits and $125 for an hour, an expense that is covered by some insurance companies. He sees patients on average every eight weeks. Some come only a few times. Others return annually for checkups. And then some, like Plouffe, come back every month.
"I need my Mark fix," said Plouffe, who follows her diet strictly, staying away from nuts, sugar and caffeine, among other things. "I won't put my faith only in doctors. Yeah, I'll go the traditional route, but I wouldn't do traditional without the alternative. We can heal our own bodies. You see it working and you feel good because you know you'll be in this world a little longer."
Mincolla will be in Norwell
Mark Dana Mincolla, who has written three books, will hold a seminar at The Company Theatre, 30 Accord Park Drive in Norwell, from 7 to 9 p.m. May 11. Mincolla will also will be hosting his own a show on WATD 95.9 FM on Sundays at 9 p.m. beginning June 9. Mincolla is working on a television show for PBS called "The Natural Doctor" that should start in the fall.
Dina Gerdeman may be reached at dgerdeman@ledger.com.

Source: Patriot Ledger, The; Quincy, Mass.
n annually for checkups. And then some, like Plouffe, come back every month.
"I need my Mark fix," said Plouffe, who follows her diet strictly, staying away from nuts, sugar and caffeine, among other things. "I won't put my faith only in doctors. Yeah, I'll go the traditional route, but I wouldn't do traditional without the alternative. We can heal our own bodies. You see it working and you feel good because you know you'll be in this world a little longer."
Mincolla will be in Norwell
Mark Dana Mincolla, who has written three books, will hold a seminar at The Company Theatre, 30 Accord Park Drive in Norwell, from 7 to 9 p.m. May 11. Mincolla will also will be hosting his own a show on WATD 95.9 FM on Sundays at 9 p.m. beginning June 9. Mincolla is working on a television show for PBS called "The Natural Doctor" that should start in the fall.
Dina Gerdeman may be reached at dgerdeman@ledger.com.

Source: Patriot Ledger, The; Quincy, Mass.