A Doctor Actually SAID it, People!

[Calm]

If this thread has been done, sorry :, I had computer problems and don't know if it went through.

I saw my gyno doc for a gyno problem (funny that!). He started giving me options for surgery and medication, as they do. My husband asked, "What is causing these problems?" and Doc said, "Hormones."
DH asked, "So, what is causing the hormonal problems? Let's get to the cause."
Doc said, "You don't want to hear what the cause is. No one does."
Dh, "Try us."
Doc, "Diet"

I nearly fell off my chair! A hospital allopathic gyno surgeon is talking wholistically to me?! So we urged for more information, and he talked about meat and hormones and all, that to be honest, we already knew - but hearing it from a doctor had just not happened before. They usually poo poo any idea that food or herbs etc can help in any major way. So the result was I am now on a vegan diet. I have been veggie, well, mostly veggie before with the odd fish (yeah, I know, you hate people saying that!) - but never full vegan before. I feel confident and optimistic.

Anyway, we asked him why he doesn't offer the real information until pushed and he said that people just want their surgery or medication and then just wanna go home and make no effort. Then the next one came out. He said, and I kid you not -

"The drug companies pretty much own us. We just play their game because the system is such that that is how it goes."

Now, this is all not new info, especially to us MDC mamas. However, a DOCTOR (and one very high up in the hierachy) said this to me only days ago. So I feel somewhat inspired that we may get somewhere with medicine and health. I wanted to share because many of us have had the same struggles with vaccination and the "system" and other such things. Keep the faith, mamas, it is only a matter of time.

[meco]

See a little honesty never hurt anybody.

[etoilech]

Good for him. That IS nice to hear.

Olivia

[hubris]

Sounds like my DH...another "enlightened" doc! There really are some good ones out there, it's a shame that so many of them find it easier to play the drug companies' game, or just stick with the status quo, or both.

[stafl]

Very cool!! When I told my first endo doc that a certain diet helped with my pain levels, he told me "That diet would make anyone feel better"
after that, I never mentioned it again, to any doctor...

[babybugmama]

Very impressive! And so reinforcing for all our efforts!

[GoodWillHunter]

Awesome!!! Tell us more what he said, Calm!!! Please!!!

[Fish]

I don't think this doctor was englihtened at all. He was willing to put the patient on drugs and go through surgery rather than telling them something simple like diet could change things. Her husband had to push the doctor.

The truth is that diet and lifestyle changes could cure a huge number of illnesses , but people are too lazy to make changes and doctors know that so they often don't bother. They assume the patient won't change and just go for the pills etc. Usually they are right, but they should stil be giving people the options.

[babybugmama]

Fish - I agree somewhat, but I think he cynically acknowledged that the pharmaceutical companies own the doctors. I think that influences a lot. But, despite the doctor having to be pushed, I believe calm and her husbands response may increase his likelihood of doing it again...we all influence one another.

[stafl]

Fish - diet and lifestyle changes can help with some disorders, but it is no cure for soemthing like endometriosis. There is no cure, period. Diet can help with the pain levels, and may play a role in developing the disorder in the first place. But nobody knows for sure what causes it. Most likely it is a direct result of environmental toxins, such as the hormones found in meat products, but there is also a genetic component that cannot be ignored.

[xenabyte]

Stafl,

naking

Not to hijack or go off topic, but I had endo (and infertility) for years. I saw several docs for it and it only got worse and worse. I had heavy, irregular and very painful cycles. I did a few things to 'help' it and possibly 'cured' it.

I went totally organic. I do 'Nourishing Traditions' style eating, but with a high emphasis on vegetables and some fruits. I grind my own grains and drink Kefir (milk and non milk based).

I had the ONE mercury amalgam filling (from when I was 13) that was in a molar tooth removed and did a 'heavy metal detox' with emphasis on mercury.

I stopped eating fish, period. I cut way back on grains, unless I soak and freshly ground them.

After basically not being able to get pregnant from the ages of 21 - 34 years old, and having terribly painful cycles, irregular cycles, my cycles first, normaled out to exactly 31 day cycles and I got pregnant within three months. Then after BFing solidly for a year, My cycles returned for 4 months (and they were light, regular and pain free). I got pregnant with second son, and am currently Breastfeeding again (going on 10 months) and still no cycle. I really do hope they are as light and pain free as they were after my first son.

I've heard having a baby can 'help' with endometriosis, and I'm hoping the dietary changes will keep me feeling this good. I was pretty much a vegetarian when I met my spouse, but could not afford 'organic' 100%. I felt good, but had the infertility issues. By adding in organic, free range meats, and doing the heavy metal detox, 'poof' I was able to get pregnant.

I know this is ancedotal, but wow, I know it helped me.

[sohj]

Originally Posted by Calm

...However, a DOCTOR (and one very high up in the hierachy) said this to me only days ago. So I feel somewhat inspired that we may get somewhere with medicine and health. I wanted to share because many of us have had the same struggles with vaccination and the "system" and other such things. Keep the faith, mamas, it is only a matter of time.

HOWEVER, YOU still had to ask him the quetion "What causes it?"

He didn't volunteer that until you seemed interested.

How many people ask questions of their doctors? Eh?

He was operating on assumptions...true, but I don't see any reason to shower him with praises for confessing something upon being pressed.

Big whoop.

When is he going to gather a group of like-minded MDs and open a clinic devoted to tacking things holistically, eh?

[Queen Gwen]

Sometimes I ask medical professionals holistic-type questions, and get replies like, "That is the weirdest thing I've every heard." (for example, when dd got a palate expander I asked if there was a diet that would aid the effort to expand her palate; all of you NTers know the answer to THAT question, but the doc said No, there isn't). I think it's refreshing when docs at least admit, "hey, there may be something to that," and when they go so far as to admit that diet can help I think it's worth applauding.

[Calm]

Fish - diet and lifestyle changes can help with some disorders, but it is no cure for soemthing like endometriosis.

This statement is exactly why what he said is enlightening and positive. Doctors are responsible for our subconscious thoughts such as that one above - that we have no natural control and it must be synthetic control (such as surgery). That is one of the biggest evils the medical profession has done to us.

I have endo and a fibroid - the endo was operated on and removed and the fibroid left to grow (or think about later, kinda thing). I have a scan on thursday to see how all is. Most docs are fast to say exactly what Stacey said, but this doc lead me to www.drmcdougall.com (I think that is the spelling) and also said that it has been medically seen that diet (removal of ALL meat and fish and meat products) removes the hormonal problems that CAUSE endo and such like. They even see fibroids shrink, and endo be reabsorbed by the body. These are doctors too, not naturopaths or nutritionists.

He even asked me "So, you are willing to go vegan...you realise what a big change that is and that means NO animal fats or organs?"
And I said yes of course. This doc had cured his heart condition with diet alone - no surgery and he was about to have a heart attack, literally.

Even now, some readers/lurkers on this thread are thinking yeah, right and rolling their eyes. That is why it is going to be a big struggle - because few are willing to forgo meat products (entirely) for the length of time it takes to bring the body back into alignment. And not to forget lifestyle - breathing, less stress, sunshine, exercise etc. When someone does a complete turn around, the proof is in the pudding. There are cases everywhere of people curing "incurables" from making these efforts.

Oh, and some of you are right when you say it ain't all that - he isn't fighting on our side as such yet. He has come up against too many (almost ALL) people that either say, "too hard" or say they will and don't make much effort and are back in the next year for surgery. I know after 35 years in practise I would probably lose heart, too. But we are working on him...

Ps mods, sorry you had to move this. I wasn't sure myself where to put it.

[Simply Nurtured]

Originally Posted by Calm

meat and hormones

A lady doc in NH told me that removing beef and pork in particular from my diet - because of the hormones that are injected into animals we eat - could help decrease the fibrocysts (they hurt!) that were suddenly appearing in my breasts at age 27. That is when I went off meat, over 13 years ago, and after only a year of eating that way, the pain from the cysts went away. I am sure it is the cause of many more problems as well...

Glad to hear...

[Calm]

Ah! Thank you Nurtured! I have fibrocystic breasts and only now (when you mentioned it) realised it is probably related. Ha ha! Cool. Also, to add, I did ask Doc about organic meat, and he said no, it is the hormones in the meat itself - animals have their own hormones (of course) and regardless of if they are injected with more or not, we ingest them as the hormones are in the organs and muscles anyway. Injected animals are worse, but organic meat is bad in and of itself. Chicken is a really bad offender, as they are often injected with tons of hormones. Fish confused me, but research is showing me that it is the particular fats in flesh foods that cause our own hormones to develop at a different/rapid/strange rate and type. I love fish .

[USAmma]

That's great! I've come across 2 doctors this year who say they don't touch dairy b/c of all the bad effects of it.

Nitara's current Ped GI suggested pear juice for constipation instead of milk of magnesia, etc.

Darshani

[heldt123]

That is a positive story. It is good that he admitted it. I don't trust most doctors because of what you mentioned--being owned by the drug companies.

My grandma, who is a heart patient, went to the doctor for gout (after I told her to get some cherry caps). He quickly gave her a perscription for an expensive drug (recently pulled from market) that had side effects like incresed blood pressure and increased risk for strokes! Two days later it was on the news and she immediatly stopped taking it, and went to the health food store to get some cherry juice. She has been taking the cherry juice for months now with no gout problems and no side effects.

Now it is widly known that people use cherries to treat gout, and yet a supposely educated doctor gave a prescription for something that was potentially dangerous and expensive. What is wrong with this picture????

[lauraess]

Calm> I love your story! It really IS encourageing. Honesty really does pay off sometimes. IF drs could spend time with patients and the entire process was honored and respected than perhaps we'd be in a different boat. I am hoping as you are that this is light in the tunnel. It is so frustrating for dr.s to be at the mercy or whatever you call it of the drug and insurance companies. Genuinely concerned dr.s that carry the intention of peoples health and healing in their hands will someday help many people and so... yeah we MuSt believe this

~Laura
ps: Calm>> you are absolutely beautiful ~what a stunning family!

[Indigomama]

Do MDC mama's really think people prefer pills?

I don't. I'm sure some always will no matter what... but from a former pill taker, dr listener person... going to a chiropractor and having him sit me down and say...

You have control over this, and it's never going to be 100% better until you... [insert all those dreaded healthy lifestyle changes]... was awesome.

I just see so many people become so frustrated with their medical care I really believe that they want to feel as if they have some control over their healths... but maybe i'm just being naive.

But good for you! Everytime someone pushes him into providing healthy alternative methods... he'll start thinking that maybe that should be the first suggestion out of his mouth