your opinion about alternative medicine (blood pressure, infection, remedies, research)

[PinkString]

Originally Posted by NewAgeRedneck

groove1 wrote:

The scars from my CTS surgery or so tiny you have to look really hard to see them. They now do it with an endoscope and cut into the line across the wrist.

I'm glad to hear that you weren't left with a big scar. My dog bite stitches left a very noticable scar on my leg.

blessings...Franco

My dog bite stitches left a noticeable scar on my face. Of course this happened when i was 8 years old. But, i still have the scar under my right eye, all down my right cheek. Makeup helps.

[max's mama]

Originally Posted by lherbe256

Yes, actually I have read The Maker's Diet...my aunt sent it to me. Here is what I am wondering about probiotics...my GI specialist says that my immune system is highly over-active in my intestines causing the inflammation and ulcers so they give me, along with anti-inflammitories, rx immunosupressors...from the research I have done on probiotics they boost your immune system function in the intestines...so how do probiotics work with Crohns? Can anyone comment on that for me? I am so confused...this is why I would love to find a doctor who can compitantly practice western and eastern medicine together...

Well, to be honest, I don't know much about Crohns' condition, I just remember how my friend felt good taking liquid probiotics and eating kefir and yogurt few times a week. You might need to ask your doctor if it's ok as he knows your condition better then anyone.
I think that it's very hard to find a doctor that does both. I would recommend to have a naturopath as well as your regular doctor but make sure that he knows all the details about your condition and what medications you take. And stay away from colonics.

[Miborn]

You might also want to try Bromelain for carpal tunnel.

[Mattie Jo]

B6 for carpal is also said to work.

[Miborn]

Originally Posted by jessaka

B6 for carpal is also said to work.

I knew a teacher that would take X-tra B6 at the first sign of pain and it would go away, she swears by it!

[lherbe256]

Originally Posted by max's mama

Well, to be honest, I don't know much about Crohns' condition, I just remember how my friend felt good taking liquid probiotics and eating kefir and yogurt few times a week. You might need to ask your doctor if it's ok as he knows your condition better then anyone.
I think that it's very hard to find a doctor that does both. I would recommend to have a naturopath as well as your regular doctor but make sure that he knows all the details about your condition and what medications you take. And stay away from colonics.

Unfortunately my current GI specialist won't address any "alternative" questions I have. I think you are right...I should try to find a naturopath and keep both them and my GI specialist informed of what am am doing/taking on both ends.

[Kids101]

Most of what I do professionally revolves around supporting health care services to children and families both in the hospital setting and clinic setting. Most of what I hope and pray for personally is that every day I go to work, I am in some way offering supportive services to those in need. That I may in some small way be consoling the sick, helping the poor, and rendering some level of mercy and compassion to those who are ailing or suffering.

I do believe that it is in the patients perception of what works, and the relationships they build around that. This becomes their comfort of care and where they will put their trust and hope. The challenge that we now face wether you are the provider or the patient, is to learn to integrate the two.

As many of you have said western when combined with eastern presciptions can be deadly.

You as patients have the obligation to let your practioners (eastern or western) know what therapies you are receiving, even if not under their care. Practitioners on the other hand have the obligation of understanding the interactions between the two and making the recommendations based on that. Finally as patients, you will have the burden of making decisions and advocating what you feel is best for yourselves when the two methods contradict one another.

For those of you who do enjoy eastern care, try and find practitioners who are trained in integrated care. For example, Seattle has a University called Bastyr (it's on the web) that's renowned for the work they have done educating practitioners in complimentory western medicine. Conversely, for those of you seeking western care, try and find a practioner who also will say "try some zinc lozenges for that sore throat" after swabbing it to make sure it isn't strep and diagnosing it as viral.

[missmousern]

I think an important thing to watch for when you deal with ANY practitioner is their attitude about other therapy. If you go to a Homeopath or chiropractor and they tell you not to go to a traditional Dr because they just want money or some other conspiracy theory I would be suspicious. If an alternative medicine practitioner said you needed a specific herb/vitamin/supplement that they just so happen to have for sale in their lobby, I would be suspicious. If I went to a traditional Dr who said all alternative therapies were voodoo I would be suspicious of them also. I do think that traditional Dr's shy away from alternative medicine more from lack of familiarity than anything else.
It is very important to be forthcoming to both sets what you are doing or taking. All natural in no way means all safe, and many herbs/vitamins interact with prescription drugs. It is unfortunate that it has to be an us against them scenario.

[edge_gordon]

I agree heartily with missmousern-- as a "complementary" practicioner myself, I know my scope of practice has firm limits (and I am extremely careful to rule out things like kidney stones and Lyme disease, which do not respond to manual therapy). I'm just a body mechanic, not a chemist.
I love working with doctors who "get" what I do, and the people we see are cared for much more effectively. Not just better living through chemistry-- which is sadly what stockholders & the medical "industry" pushes us towards. If I can help someone with severe degenerative disc disease (and I have) they don't have to stay on Lyrica or heavy NSAIDS.

Trigger point and some of the more comprehensive systemic myofascial therapies can resolve carpal tunnel in many cases. It's something to try, before you try surgery.

Palpatory diagnosis and manipulative management of carpal tunnel syndrome -- Sucher 94 (8): 647 -- Journal of the American Osteopathic Association

More info: Download the article

Enjoy!

Emily D-G

[dsh1127]

I agree with missmousern, too. I am really fortunate that the Naturopath that I now take my daughter to for autoimmune thyroid disease and her pediatrician are both open minded and willing to work together for her! The pediatrician was fine with my daughter seeing a Naturopath, because he knew he was limited in thyroid knowledge, and the Naturopath, after receiving chart notes from the pediatrician, said he was very thorough and she was very impressed by him!

This is how it should be.