East-West Fusion Under the Golden Gate
“I approach health with a 360 degree view,” explained Bradley Jacobs, MD (or Dr. Brad, as he’s affectionately known to staff and patients), as we strolled the grounds of Cavallo Point, the stanchions of San Francisco’s famous bridge visible in the distance. “My goal is to be the nexus between the worlds of Western and Eastern medicine by looking at all the options available to my patients.”
Just a tad over four years old, the uniquely appointed resort and spa is tucked away in Horseshoe Cove, just north of the bridge on land that was once part of Fort Baker.
“This is an incredible place to practice healing,” Brad continued. “And there is a long history of it here, starting with the coastal Miwok tribe.”
Taking patients out for walks reveals a lot about their health that they might not reveal in an exam room. “People often think they’re pretty fit, and will tell me so, but when they’re huffing and puffing up a small hill, I know better,” he said.
He creates an integrated wellness plan for each patient by identifying deficiencies in what he calls the “six pillars of health” — active living, healthy relationship with food, restorative sleep, stress awareness and reduction, relational connection, and finding passion and purpose — then works with the center’s dozens of practitioners to carry them out.
The “medi-spa” concept on display at Cavallo Point is relatively new. Over the past ten years, the approach has been catching on as spas work to cater to clients seeking a more comprehensive path to wellness. And who can dispute the fact that being ushered into the calming ambiance of a spa is more enjoyable than a sterile old doctor’s office?
As we continued walking, I told him about my main health concerns: not getting enough sleep and periodically being overcome with anxiety, especially in the evening when tasks for the next day insist on running through the hamster wheel of my brain (apparently these issues fall into pillars four and five).
Dr. Brad suggested that I institute a “no blue-screen rule” 90 minutes before sleeping, citing studies that show cortisol levels (a hormone that keeps you awake) increase for prolonged periods of time after a person interacts with things like a computer, TV, or smart phone.
And he has the credentials to back up his advice. Just take a look at his bio: MD from Stanford; Master’s in public health from Berkeley. In case that wasn’t enough, he went on to do “5-element” acupuncture training based on Chinese medicine and has studied martial arts since he was 8 years old (something he says “opened [his] mind to the idea of an energetic body”).
Inspired by his grandmother, he began practicing yoga for chronic back pain, and found that it was the only thing that consistently helped. Now he’s a firm believer in its ability to reduce physical, emotional, and mental stress. Which is why he prescribed it for me in addition to the “no blue-screen rule.”
Just before I was to leave for a relaxing treatment at the spa — doctor’s orders — I asked Brad about telomere genomics, the idea that by looking at telomeres (the “bow-ties at the end of our DNA strand” in his words), we can predict a person’s longevity. If the telomeres are ragged and short, it doesn’t bode well. Now, tests are being developed to assess telomere “health” — something one of Dr. Brad’s colleagues, Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, is pioneering at her new company.
Once a person has a snapshot of what their telomeres look like, they can work to improve their health — mainly by managing stress perception. At least, that’s the goal. But when Dr. Brad suggested doing the test on my telomeres and getting me on a comprehensive less-stress-and-more-sleep program to see if it would have a positive effect on my little bow-ties, I shuddered to think what that would cost.
While I experienced an abbreviated version of the resort’s “integrated wellness program,” Cavallo Point offers themed immersion packages and retreats that focus on things like brain fitness, weight loss, and how to flourish. But even after my short time with Dr.Brad, I felt poised to tackle health from a whole different angle: by chilling out. In fact, I got started right away…with an oxygen facial followed by a soak in the spa’s heated salt pool.
The Curious Traveler is driving a Ford C-MAX Hybrid on her Road to Wellness tour.
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