Dr. Jorge Moreno has always been drawn to hands on natural medicine. Even while in medical school he was interested in using his knowledge and talents to treat in a more holistic way. A graduate of Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California, Dr. Moreno completed his education as a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine in 1995 and began a family practice residency that same year. His residency with Downey Community Hospital was a wonderful experience and led to his serving as the chief resident his final year.
Dr. Moreno worked for Kaiser for a short time after completing the residency and then joined a practice in Santa Monica, California where he would spend the next ten years. In 2011 the opportunity presented itself for him to open his Center for Wellness in Montebello, California where he is able to use his holistic treatment approaches to impact the lives of his patients. He is able to put in to practice the healing concepts of essential oils and homeopathic products, nutrition, vitamin c therapy, ozone therapy, laser energetic detoxification, quantum reflex testing and much more.
“My mom had worked at a pharmacy in her youth but she always had an interest in healing. Whenever I was sick she would do hands on work and just feeling the love and healing in her hands convinced me that there was such power in the human touch,” said Moreno. “As a DO we already take a more whole-body approach and with structural medicine we consider how the rib cage is aligned, we implement cranial work and the over-all structure of the patient.”
As a physician working with an alternative approach, Dr. Moreno has experienced mostly positive responses to his techniques. However, one down side has been the financial difficulty it can have on the patient as he spends more time with them than traditional physicians do and most services are not covered by insurance.
“Some people really appreciate the amount of time that I spend with them when they come to the center and they understand that they will pay a higher price for that type of care,” said Moreno. “But they are used to having co-pays and insurance coverage for office visits and services so they question why it has to be so much more expensive. I try to explain that I’m here for them whenever they need me, I’m not going anywhere and I want the best for them and I won’t cut their time short just to rush to the next appointment. Some get it and some don’t but it can be frustrating and a challenging aspect to a holistic approach.”
That aspect aside, Dr. Moreno believes that his relationship with his patients is by far his favorite part of his life work. Being able to develop that partnership with them that allows him to be a human right alongside them and walk through the healing process together is priceless.
“Being able to use structural medicine to help with their healing and having the chance to talk with them about their hurts in life, helping them understand that the emotional issues are causing health issues and being able to walk through pain with them is what I love,” said Moreno. “With this approach, I have the chance to do the human side and let God just shine through.”
For Dr. Moreno, this is the same aspect that draws him to ACIM as he believes that the organization is dedicated to the people and connecting with the people. A friend of Dr. Lee Cowden’s for over 15 years, Dr. Moreno has been associated with ACIM from the time it began and has enjoyed watching it change and grow.
When Dr. Moreno is not in his office seeing patients, he enjoys spending time with his family. A father of seven, four boys and three girls, he loves shooting hoops with the boys or playing four- square with the girls. He and his wife enjoy hiking, walking, horses, the beach and just being outdoors whenever possible.
As a family, the Moreno’s volunteer with Horse Sense and Healing at the ranch of Monty Roberts several times throughout the year. The program is designed for veterans, police officers, fire fighters, first responders and their families. It involves them working closely with horses creating a special bond built on mutual trust and respect. It is an effective tool for these men and women to rediscover themselves through the eyes of the horse and it deals effectively with emotional trauma, anti-social behavior and withdrawal, anger, stress, combat stress and eve PTSI.
To learn more about Dr. Moreno and the Center for Wellness in Montebello, California visit their website at center-for-wellness.net.