DR. BRUCE VINIKAS, AP. DOM.
Bruce (“Dr. B”) is a nationally certified Diplomat of Acupuncture (by the NCCAOM – National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in Washington DC) and a licensed Doctor of Oriental Medicine (DOM) and Acupuncture Physician (AP) by the State of Florida, since 1994. That means Dr B has over 20 years of daily clinical experience treating people who have faced almost every ailment under the sun.
EDUCATIONAttending Valley Forge Military Academy, DePauw University and graduating Michigan State University, Dr. B. completed his post-graduate work and medical internship at the Florida School of Acupuncture. He has additional training in Functional Medicine, Nutritional Medicine and Inflammatory Disorders. He specializes in digestive disorders, including Candida Overgrowth Syndrome.
HISTORY
Dr. B is a 3rd generation family physician. He is co-founder of one of the Top Ten Wellness Centers of Central Florida (ranked by the Orlando Business Journal 2/2000), the Healthy Alliance Journal (Central Florida’s first wellness and health journal) and is well versed in techniques to enhance the mind-body connection. He is a certified Adventure ROPES therapist (partner of Esteem Builders and cofounder of Houston Youth at Risk Program), Flower of Life (Sacred Geometry) facilitator and a Initiator of Transcendental Meditation as well as an experienced Qi Gong and Yoga instructor. He has published numerous health articles, hosted a radio health talk show and is a public speaker on numerous health issues.
MY STORY by Dr. B
All the licensure and education is secondary to the practical experience of a clinical practice with 1000s of clients since 1994. A holistic practice I might add which is worlds away from the allopathic disease management approach of drugs and surgery. I am more interested in wellness, healing and cure – – but only a pharmaceutical company can legally use those words.
My healing journey began a long time ago in what I call the BB Age. That is, Before Breyers. Yes, there was a time before Breyers ice cream. My buddy was the food rep to introduce Breyers to the grocery stores of Michigan. Each week was an amazing new flavor. Ones I have never seen again – – swirls, fruits and exotic delights. So every Friday night he’d bring over a half gallon of the flavor of the week. It didn’t take long before Leaky Gut set in. Actually it did take months of relentless ice cream eating plus antibiotics but …Ahhh…what a way to go! I’m sure you have your own similar story (AND there is nothing wrong with Breyers Ice Cream which I enjoy today. My point is that leaky gut can be caused by any dietary excess and antibiotics. There is nothing wrong with ice cream or any natural non-preservative food IF your body can handle it).
I developed such bad food allergies and candida overgrowth that if I merely looked at any dairy product I would fill with mucus, snot and hacking cough. My friends called me the Phlegm Thrower.
Thus began a long journey to discover my Road to Wellness (also the name of a must see movie with Anthony Hopkins). You can see all the Paths I have walked in my Bio above. I am living proof that it can all be turned around. I believe, because I have seen and experienced, that with diligence, motivation, guidance and intelligence one can heal anything.
Today, I enjoy Breyers and all ice cream – as well as wine and cheese and any other thing my heart desires – all without harm (and in moderation). I believe we are here to enjoy life with all its abundance and diversity, not cower in fear and limitation. It is easier to wear a pair of slippers then carpet the world.
So this has become my passion. To assist others who also want to turn their life around and LIVE. Life or death begins along the shores of the alimentary canal. When the Fire in the Belly is re-ignited the whole body transforms into vitality and radiant health. It all starts with a choice.
ELIZABETH DeROSA
Elizabeth DeRosa earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from East Carolina University in 1994 and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Temple University in 1995. She has worked in several emergency shelters providing guidance and support to individuals and families that are homeless. Elizabeth will graduate in January 2016 from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. The rest of her story, in her own words: “I became aware of the National Candida Center in 2010. At that time I was struggling to help my son overcome numerous physical ailments and diagnosis’, including asthma and leaky gut syndrome. After 10 years of medications, antibiotics, inhalers, and sickness, I was ready to follow another path. The conventional medical model was not working for him and the time was right for a change.
We started the candida program not knowing what to expect or if it would work. After a few short months his symptoms began to clear and the fog of sickness for this child lifted. I cannot believe it was as simple as removing the chemicals in his everyday environment and most specifically his food. It is unbelievable to me that by simply changing what we eat, we can enhance the quality of our lives in the most profound and empowering way. We do that by choosing foods that add nutritional value to our body and reducing foods that create a toxic build-up that lead to symptoms, inflammation, and disease. The holistic (body, mind, and spirit) approach to health guided my family on a path of transformation and well-being.
“My son’s inspiring transformation has inspired me to write a book, Finding the Way, about our personal journey. It is now available on AMAZON. I am passionate about sharing what I have learned and continue to learn.”
KIRA ONA
Kira holds a MASTER DEGREE in Nutrition from the NCNM (the highly esteemed National College of Natural Medicine) in Portland Oregon, also a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and Business Management from the University of Miami. Her diverse training involves not only the scientific content of food, but the use of food as medicine to help the body heal. She has been around natural health her whole life and grew up with two healthcare practitioners as parents. Her father is a Doctor of Holistic Medicine. Her mother is a CNM- Certified Nurse Midwife. Good nutrition was ingrained into her since childhood. She understands that food can be your best medicine or worst enemy and changing your diet can change your life.She is a strong believer that physical activity is healing. Therefore, she is a certified Yoga Instructor and loves to help open people’s mind, body and soul through the practice of movement and breath. She is a Reiki practitioner and works with people to heal energetically. She says “There are many modalities to heal ourselves and it’s your choice to go down one path or many paths.”
