I'd like to share a real life example of how my naturopathic doctor helped me when my medical doctors actually made me feel worse.
I suffered from increasingly bad heartburn and reflux for 3 or so years. I went to multiple doctors who told me to avoid the known heartburn triggers, and prescribed acid blockers. I tried two kinds, and honestly, both helped take the edge off for the first few days, then my heartburn was back like a volcano, worse than before.
When complaining to my general practitioner that the meds made me feel worse, she referred me to GI doctor. The GI doctor had no idea why the meds made me feel worse and wanted to do an endoscopy. Unfortunately, even though I was sedated, they were unable to do the scope because I resisted so strongly. Then she told me she wasn't too concerned about serious problems from the frequent intense heartburn I was experiencing because I didn't have any warnings signs. She then dismissed my complaints and that was that.
Around that time I began seeing a naturopathic doctor and told her my number one complaint was the heartburn. She put me on a supplement with licorce root, marshmallow root, aloe vera, an slippery elm, that I took twice daily 20 minutes before eating. Within 3 weeks of taking the supplement, my heartburn started to abate.
Then we started discussing the possibility that I have low stomach acid, which can have the same symptoms of high stomach acidity, and would explain why my symptoms felt worse on an acid blocker medication. My medical doctor dismissed the idea of low stomach acid, saying there are tests for it, but the outcome of that test on me wouldn't change her recommendation for treatment (which was currently nothing since I stopped taking the acid blockers). My ND suggested trying 1 teaspoon of lemon juice 15-30 minutes before every meal. Well the combination of the licorce root supplement and lemon juice has eased my frequent heartburn down to occasional epsiodes, usually after eating something that causes relaxation of the upper stomach sphincter (tomatoes, peppermint). But even still, rarely do I experience the symptoms I was feeling before, which were 24/7 and absolutely miserable.
My point is, there are some things that naturopathic doctors are better at treating than medical doctors. If you are seeing results with your ND's treatment, then keep at it. If you aren't and you've given them a reasonable amount of time to work, discuss this with your ND. And just like any doctor or professional you may hire, all ND's are not the same, so you may want to consider looking for another one if you're not happy with the one you have.
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Re: is Naturopathic/Alternative medicine BS?
