A Doctor Actually SAID it, People! - Page 2

[gretasmommy]

Oh, Indigomama, I wish more people didn't want pills, or a quick fix. Most people don't want to hear the truth, particularly when it involves making a lifestyle change that thay feel is too difficult. As Calm said, after years and years of noone wanting to listen to anything other than the popular hype, it's a wonder her doc even tried to tell her there were pther options out there!

Yes, her DH had to ask first, but we don't know how well he knows them and whether or not he would have finished his list of options with the non-medical option of radically changing her diet.

You know, every day I tell people that they need to work on their diet and exercise more, that they are at tremendous risk for diabetes and heart disease as they get older, or that with a few changes at home and at school they could really avoid ADHD meds for their child . . .and in almost six years I have had two people actually modify their lifestyles in a positive way that made a difference. It gets harder and harder to do the right thing year after year . . when everyone seems to want the "magic pill".

Sorry to hijack your thread, Calm. I am so glad your doc listened to you and your DH and offered you an option that you are willing to try. With more patients like you both he might even begin to offer that as a first option!

Hope you are feeling better!

[Queen Gwen]

When we lived in a different state we went to a doctor who pushed lifestyle changes...but he became frustrated because, he said, not 2 in 10 people were willing to even listen. He said most people wanted a pill, which would then have a side effect which would then need to be treated, and so on down the spiral. I'm not sure if he's still practicing medicine; I know I'd have trouble facing all that denial every day.

[sohj]

BTW, about cystic breasts, giving up coffee also helps with the pain.

Can't remember why. But, it made a huge difference for me when I did. (And I was living in Spain at the time and could get wonderful coffee. I used to go and sit at Meson del Cafe and get a Vichy Catalan and an ensaimada just to have an excuse to smell the air in that place. They roasted their own. But quitting coffee made a HUGE difference.)

[Electra375]

I think you should write him a letter of thanks and tell him you appreciate his honesty.

Horomones, yeah...
Have you been eating organic meat and dairy prior the horomone problem? If vegan doesn't work out (becareful of the horomones in soy), you might try going organic that way you are not putting the artifical hormones that the food industry puts in our food to get a higher yield more quickly than natural.

It gives me a small ounce of hope for the medical community, but anger still is my overwhelming feeling. It is a sorry state of affairs when the drug companies own doctors and mal pracitce ins owns hospitals!

[tayndrewsmama]

Originally Posted by xenabyte

I went totally organic.

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

My sister is going the same route that you have, in addition to acupuncture. She is going to start The Maker's Diet by Jordan Rubin. I have been on the diet myself for a while and have had drastic improvements in my own health dealing with colitis.

I hope that more people begin to realize the healing powers of good nutrition.

tayndrewsmama

[lauraess]

The Magic pill...... goes right along with american consumerism and instant gratification.... we all know this... and simply being human in my opinion makes it very difficult to Not seek relief in faster ways. Put on top of that the misunderstanding that has prevailed in america for so many years about "natural healing', or alternative medicine... all lumped up into one category of "granola freak" as my boss puts it (She's a director at the Y too! )
I am so hopeful that the tide has truly turned, so that more and more people are getting wise ... it can only happen that way since sooo many people are suffering from side-effects and not truly healing.
Thanks again for going to the dr. with your husband and using teamwork in a natural and beautiful way to open the lines of communication, Calm
I dont usually go to the dr.s with anyone-- although if it's really necesary-- that is a good idea for anyone to consider. sometimes we are too intimidated or just plain think the dr. does not have alternatives to offer and just leave frustrated. however, if someone who can support us and be a 'second brain' (as I often need) comes along we might get further.

Laura

[meco]

Originally Posted by 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...

I know so many people do rely on, and think they have to rely on, pills. Most everyone I knew was on some kind of medicine at some point.

Not everyone believes in mind over matter and mind control. My sister, for example, lets the smallest thing just ruin her day. I get a headache and I place my focus on something else and it goes away. It just overcomes her. And she HAS to have meds.

New York did an article on the consumption and reliance on meds. And almost lightheartedly. It blew me away. I only take pills if I have to (read have not taken in quite a while). I prefer other alternatives and dealing with my pain, but not everyone does or can.

I do not believe all people truly people they have control over their health (remember people in our society sue fast food companies for making them fat, where is the responsibility in that?).

[Simply Nurtured]

Originally Posted by sohj

BTW, about cystic breasts, giving up coffee also helps with the pain.

Can't remember why. But, it made a huge difference for me when I did. (And I was living in Spain at the time and could get wonderful coffee. I used to go and sit at Meson del Cafe and get a Vichy Catalan and an ensaimada just to have an excuse to smell the air in that place. They roasted their own. But quitting coffee made a HUGE difference.)

Yes, yes, true, it has to do with the caffeine and methylxanthines.

I just never drank coffee, I never got used to the taste of it. I am a tea person, and in general tea contains less caffeine and many have no caffeine. But if you are a cola drinker, it helps to give up cola. I don't drink sodas either, because they seem to trigger kidney infections.

If I don't pay attention to my body, and do what makes it feel good, it lets me know.

[Calm]

Stafl told me about coffee for my endo problems (she has lotsa great info) and I admit I have cut it down, but I still have half a cup a day....oops. I really have to get off coffee, I don't want to ruin all my other dietary efforts...it's just....ooooh, that first morning sip....hard to let it go! :LOL

[lauraess]

Coffee The Greatest drug made naturally and consumed obsessively by most adults.... hmmmm... what are the numbers??? wow.... I love it tooo -Of course, I loved cigarettes at one point, certain people, certain clothes, drinks, cheese..... the list goes on... yet i cut down or cut out all of these and all for the better.
~Laura

[Queencaledonia]

But isn;t it against Federal Regulations to inject chicken w/hormones?

I see this on the plastic wrap all the time: "the poultry industry is federally prohibited from injecting hormones." I can't afford to buy organic chicken. Neither can the average person. I know meat has its own hormones without adding any. A person has to be really sensitive to be very affected by them. I'm concerned because I wonder what the ramifications of extra hormones in are meat have on women with hyperemeisis gravidarium. Saturated fat causes a hike in female hormones that affect puking. That's any saturated fat, not just animal. I had it myself and while I once wanted a large family, I;m now just hoping that I'll get the courage up tp try again some day. I do have one happy healthy daughter from my first and only pregnancy, but I;d like her to have a sibling.

[applecore]

I'm glad you have decided to make a radical change to your diet, however I would like to urge you to rethink going totally vegan. I followed a strict vegan diet for over a year. In that time I lost a lot of weight and began to suffer from vitamin B12 deficiency. The most disturbing symptom was unexplainable feelings of extreme anger. I also had serious insomnia. This was occurring even though I was taking B12 supplements.

I found out that the supplements were providing a B12 analog, if you will, but my body wasn't able to utilize it like true B12, which can only be gained through animal sources.

I am still vegetarian, but now I eat dairy and eggs(organic, of course), and I feel much healthier. I would suggest that you atleast occasionally eat either- especially if you can get raw milk.

Good luck!

[macbump]

Wow!!

That's awesome! I'm glad someone finally said it!


Fio

:tandem

[eilonwy]

I probably shouldn't say anything but...

I don't believe that diet can cure everything, even if I could afford these dietary restrictions, which I can't in 99% of the cases.

When I posted to ask about natural alternatives for treating my asthma, I got two responses from people on the same drug regimen as myself, and not a single one offerring even a suggestion for a natural treatment.

When I posted to ask about natural treatments for depression and bipolar disorder for someone who's allergic to St. John's Wort, I didn't get a single answer.

I've had loads of doctors suggest alternative treatments, rather than medications; I'm still taking the pills, though. I haven't been able to do anything and I haven't been able to find anything aside from regular, evil allopathic medicine to control my asthma or my depression.

I'm not at all surprised that your doctor recommended a change in diet. In my experience, they do that all the time. I don't see anything to get excited about.

[Arwyn]

Originally Posted by eilonwy

When I posted to ask about natural treatments for depression and bipolar disorder for someone who's allergic to St. John's Wort, I didn't get a single answer.

I also don't think that diet can "cure" everything. But it can help with pretty much everything. That said, I think that a complete rejection of allopathic medicine is just as shortsided as a complete rejection of all other treatment modalities.

As for bipolar disorder, and particularly bipolar depression, there are lots of treatments that are known to help some-to-most people that try them. The biggest, related to diet, is Omega-3s. (Not broad-spectrum Omegas [3-6-9], because the problem is actually an imbalance in the proportions.) Studies that have shown efficacy used from 1g to 8g daily of EPAs.

That said, using allopathic medicine to help treat a cronic disease is not inherently wrong - relying JUST on allopathic medicine and trusting it blindly and expecting it to be perfect is wrong (not to mention stupid). Also expecting it to the be best option in every case is wrong - as many people have said here, it's often not.

As for gout, yes, MDs will often push medicine, but if an MD doesn't talk about how gout relates to diet, they're being criminally negligent. The FIRST line of treatment for gout is avoiding certain types of proteins. Resting just on one treatment (cherry juice) without understanding why it works and without watching the other aggravations of the disease is nearly as bad as relying just on the allopathic drug prescribed. (And may I say now the going cold-turkey on many medicines is a very, very bad idea? Taking charge of your own care isn't - it's brilliant! -, but do be careful to do it knowledgeably. It's also worth noting that most "beware these drugs!" news stories are WAY overblown or ill presented, and that they rarely present information that MDs didn't already know or suspect.)

I'm really glad there are MDs out there who are willing to admit there are other ways of dealing with diseases, and that the OP encountered one. Yes, it would be better if he were promoting less harmful (if harder!) methods first, but considering how many MDs are just plain ignorant about other modalities, it is worth celebrating when you find one who isn't!

[Calm]

I don't know if you have the Buteyko method of asthma treatment in the States, but here is a couple of sites to check out:

http://www.buteyko.co.nz/

http://members.westnet.com.au/pkolb/buteyko.htm

They have a high rate of success of treating asthma drug free, and this high result is directly related to the amount of committment the sufferer gives to the treatment.

It seems also that it is hard to see a Naturopath without digging deep into our pockets, but in case it is ever an option, one can help you with chemical imbalances also.

Thanks, Applecore I am a naturopath myself actually, but I can't technically call myself that because I haven't practised in a decade (in other words, I'd need to go through it all again :LOL). I have a lot of resources on tap for nutritional support, and what you say is definitely a risk, so I will be keeping my eye on such things.

As someone in the natural field, or at least my fingertips still are, I have come across mostly negative things with doctors. It took until last year for my doctor to recognise cranberry for treatment of urinary infections! It was even published in a medical journal. The Natural community has known this forever, but doctors refuse to believe that their decade of expensive training can be trumped by picking a few berries - IYKWIM.

I have banged my head against allopathic walls for 15 years. So while I am glad others have had positive allopathic experiences, it isn't the case for so many others. Even diet and lifestyle is neuvo for docs - but herbs and food for treatment? They are taking baby steps into that frey, but they really have no clue, to be honest. Nutrition and herbs take years to learn about, aside from a medicine degree - and that is half the problem.

[heldt123]

Quote:The FIRST line of treatment for gout is avoiding certain types of proteins. Resting just on one treatment (cherry juice) without understanding why it works and without watching the other aggravations of the disease is nearly as bad as relying just on the allopathic drug prescribed.

I do know what the first line of treatment for gout is and I do know why cherry juice works and have explained that to my grandma...just didn't see the enitre explanation as relevent to the original post. I originally told my grandma that being on the Adkin's diet and water pills are the aggrivating factors for her gout (doctor never mentioned diet or water pills--just perscribed a medication to treat the symptoms). However, convincing her to go off of a high protien diet which is helping her loose weight is a difficult task. She has a delicate heart condition and she went off her water pills once and ended up in the hospital with fluid on the heart--I am not going to tell her to go off of medications that keep her out of the hospital. Seing as the cherry juice has no side effect for her and has gotten rid of the gout, I would say it is a good thing.

[cresorchid]

radical diets

I wanted to say Welcome to the Vegan Lifestyle. I and my son have been vegan for his whole life–16 years. We are in great health. And while I don't believe that diet will cure everything, it will prevent the VAST majority of the medical problems that americans currently face.

As for the B12 issue, rather than taking pills, I eat fortified foods and things like nutritional yeast which has lots of B12. I don't know whether my son and I have been lucky, whether the foods which have been supplemented are simply the rights ones with a form of B12 that we can absorb or what, but we have never had problems.

I also always tell my carers (rarely allopathic doctors) that I am vegan. When I was pregnant the 1st time around, I couldn't even tell them that I was vegetarian because 17 years ago that horrified them despite being healthier than the average american diet. These days, especially among alternative practitioners, I have no problem. Right now I am using mostly an acupuncturist and a midwife. Until a year or so ago, I was seeing a naturopath. I don't know where all of you live, but I have found that it is cheaper to see alternative practitioners and pay out of pocket (usually) than to even try using insurance–they always seem to have an excuse not to cover anything and leave me with the bill which is much larger.

And unfortunately, I have to agree with those people who say that most of our society are too lazy to change their diet. First of all, they seem to resent being told that is what is needed, even though it is probably both less expensive and safer. And then many "cheat" on the dietary changes and blame the diet for not working. Part of the problem is that when Americans think diet, they think restrictions /deprivations rather than lifestyle change due to most diets being focused on weight loss. At any rate, I find that the vast majority of alternative practitioners are knowledgeable on diet and how it affects health whereas doctors, whether aware or not, act as if I am some radical freak. I may be radical, but I'm not stupid, flaky or a freak of any sort and I am darned tired of putting up with THEIR attitudes and problems personally.

So glad to find the MDC forums where i can speak to rational, THINKING people

[Calm]

Big kiss for you, Cresorchid, just the info I needed! Thank you. My DD and I eat lots of sea vegetables, especially nori in our miso soup, and I just found out that where a cup of milk contains 118 mg of calcium, only 2 TABLESPOONS of nori contains 260 mg. So that solves my calcium dilemma (of course, the tofu wasn't hurting). Strange, but that was one thing I didn't know - even with my pile of nutrition books.

I have read more about nutrition in this last month than in my whole college degree . I am turning into a food trivia freak.

[Rox5266]

I amazed a doc who was not holistic actually said it was diet! Wow! I am learning alot about diet and it's effect on health. I agree that staying away from hormone laden meats is important, but soy is also high in estrogen so any vegans should stay away from it as well.

I am not vegan, but I eat only meat free of hormones, and buy organic foods only. I plan on doing a complete blood and colon detox to try and control my acid reflux and depression.

Roxanne
Daniel 8/9/03