Connie Basch, MD

Philosophy

See Our Philosophy. I am a work in progress, and will be for all of my career - there is always more to learn, and I continue to add tools to my toolkit, but a couple of themes persist:
1. I am a partner to patients, and a co-traveler. I am eager to share the information I have regarding health and healthcare, but my patients have taught me that they have what is within them to heal.
2. Basic lifestyle measures (sleep, adequate nutrition, regular movement, healthy relationships) are core, but sometimes elusive. We all benefit from support to be in our highest selves.
3. There are many tools that can support healing, but some will be more suited to any particular task, like hammers for nails and a screwdriver for screws. Sometimes an allopathic pharmaceutical is the safest and most effective option, sometimes an herb, sometimes meditation techniques are all that are needed, and often a combination of these and other modalities will achieve the best results. The art (and fun!) of medicine is in exploring the tools available, the level of evidence for their effectiveness, and then in exploring the values and goals of my patients to offer options and help determine which ones resonate with them.

Training:

Medical School: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Residency Training: Family Medicine at Contra Costa County Health Services, Martinez, CA

Board Certification:
American Board of Family Medicine since 1994
American Board of Integrative and Holistic Medicine since 2003

Herbal Training: Studied with Jane Bothwell, David Hoffman, Lois Johnson MD
Mind-Body Medicine: Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine
Functional Medicine: Completed certification with the Institute for Functional Medicine 2013.

Acupuncture: Medical Acupuncture Training with the Helms Medical Institute (300 hours of Medical Acupuncture training)

Honors:
Phi Beta Kappa, 1985
Alpha Omega Alpha, 1990.
Physician of the Year, Mad River Community Hospital, 1999
Outstanding Faculty, FMSW Residents, 2009, 2013
Exceptional Physician, PeaceHealth Southwest Dept. of Family Medicine 2012

Faculty:
Assistant Clinical Professor, University of Washington School of Medicine

I left the Arcata area in 2008 to teach family medicine to residents at Family Medicine of Southwest Washington. That has been very rewarding, but it is time to return home to family.

Here with my favorite person:

Nicole Nada, Nutritional Consultant Shifting Gears Nutrition

I focus on whole foods nutrition as it relates to the prevention of illness and the promotion of
optimum health. My specialty and desire is to help people modify their diet through education,
inspiration, and goal setting. Success is achieved by making small, daily challenges and my
motto is “one step at a time”.
Through a non-dogmatic approach, I will help you choose target nutrients (plant nutrients,
minerals, vitamins, protein, and/or fats), and make recommendations in order to help prevent,
slow, or reverse the progression of chronic illness and obtain optimum health. This program
works best if we meet for an hour consultation followed by a minimum of two follow up
appointments.
I began to study nutrition (diet and lifestyle) in 2013 when diagnosed with a stage 3 breast
cancer. I believe my diet and lifestyle changes and healthy choices helped me to thrive through
mastectomy surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. The following year I went on to
study nutrition formally so that I could share my passion and expertise professionally.
Formal Training: 2016 Graduate of Bauman College Nutrition Consultant Training Program

Melissa Bukosky-Boodjeh, M.S., CYT

Melissa Bukosky-Boodjeh, M.S., CYT. is a certified Hatha yoga instructor who has been practicing yoga since 1992 and teaching hundreds of students since 1999. She has well over 1000 hrs. of advanced study and teacher trainings hours to her credit. Melissa has advanced training and certification in a variety of healing, heart-centered styles including Anusara Yoga, Yoga for Multiple Sclerosis, and Yoga for the Heart (Cardiac/Cancer). Yoga allows Melissa to offer the benefits of yoga to a large cross-section of the community. She works with each individual student to custom design a yoga practice based on ability and condition. Techniques taught include: yoga postures using principles of biomechanics; stress and pain management using breathing and mindfulness exercises; guided positive imagery and meditation.