"THE medical world has built an infinite literature without any (except erroneous and vacillating) ideas of cause. Medicine is rich in science, but now, as well as in all past time, it suffers from a death of practical ideas. The average doctor is often educated out of all the common-sense he was born with. This, however, is not his fault. It is the fault of the system. He is an educated automaton. He has facts—scientific facts galore—without ideas. Ford has mechanical and philosophy facts—not more, perhaps, than thousands of other mechanics, but he joined them to an idea which made him a multimillionaire. Millions have facts, but no ideas. Thousands of doctors have all the scientific data needed, but they have not harnessed their science to common-sense." ~ J. H. Tilden, M.D. from Toxemia Explained: The true interpretation of the cause of disease.
How the System is Broken
Wow, what powerful words of truth and insight into the crux of the problem with healing disease today. Medical technology and advancement is quite amazing and we are all thankful for it. But a big problem exists when the medical system does not create more room for stepping outside the medical norm in diagnosing and treating a specific condition. We have experts in natural remedies, out-of-the-box testing, nutrition, exercise, alternative health care modalities, changes in lifestyle, etc... These experts are naturopaths.
However, naturopaths are not licensed but in 16 states so how a naturopath can care for you like in Maryland where naturopathic physicians are not licensed yet is greatly limited. For instance, if you present to a naturopath with complaints of symptoms that require blood testing with a blood draw, they cannot perform this test without violating the law. They can only educate you about what might be going on and recommend you get testing, etc... from other providers who are licensed. Naturopaths cannot even diagnose you. This is truly an insult to these professionals and a huge problem for consumers needing this unique testing, care and advice on nutrition, exercise and lifestyle.
(Get involved in licensing Maryland Naturopathic Physicians - www.MDANP.org)
How are YOU affected?
As a consumer of healthcare looking for your diagnosis like I am or at least the underlying cause or causes so you can "fix" your medical issues once and for all, you are negatively impacted by the broken medical system and how it is set up. We must go to our Primary Care Provider (PCP) and get assessed. From there, we are shipped out to an "expert" in certain types of medical conditions like if arthritis is suspected, you are sent to a Rheumatologist. If digestive problems are plaguing you, you are sent to a Gastroenterologist. If your gums hurt, you are sent to a Periodontist.
Our medical system today contains doctors who are not specialists in nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle changes. Certainly, that does not mean you won't get such advice from a physician, but most medical doctors would submit that they do not consider themselves experts in such advice. Especially when it comes to use of homeopathic remedies, herbs, supplements, vitamins and which alternative health care practitioner can best take care of the patient's needs.
Do We Really Need Care by This Many Specialists?
The simple answer is probably not. If all ailing consumers were receiving care, diagnostic testing and treatment from a naturopath first and foremost, most consumers wouldn't need to have highly specialized testing and medications prescribed by a medical specialist like a neurologist, a psychiatrist or a dermatologist. Amazingly, just altering diet, exercise, habits, lifestyle, reducing stress, getting more rest, taking supplements or vitamins, etc... are all most people need to correct their ailments.
Some consumers might need testing outside of the normal CBC, metabolic panels, lipid panels, etc... not offered or sometimes just not thought of by PCPs or specialists. Some digestive or arthritic or auto-immune conditions would never prompt the typical medical doctor to refer you for further testing like to look for allergens, toxic metals, etc... A licensed naturopath can do all of these things and help you avoid going through the frustration of weeks of waiting to see a specialist, highly technological and even invasive testing, receiving a diagnosis and then medication to relieve the symptoms. However, none of this will get rid of the underlying CAUSE of your newly diagnosed condition and most medications come with side effects that cause other health issues to occur.
Understanding the Root of ALL Problems within Our Bodies
Let's start with what is inflammation and why it should matter to you.
"The most powerful concept in disease prevention and treatment today is inflammation... Inflammation touches every aspect of our health. In a series of medical breakthroughs, scientists have discovered that inflammation is a common thread linking heart disease, some forms of cancer, diabetes, osteoarthritis, asthma, migraine, headaches, Alzheimer's disease, fibromyalgia, periodontal disease, sinusitis, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, and chronic fatigue syndrome...What they thought was a relatively simple body function turned out to be massively complex, involving many different types of body cells and occurring in multiple stages...Until recently, most inflammation research has been disease-specific, mainly because research scientists tend to specialize in particular areas of medicine". ~ William Joel Meggs, MD, PhD from The Inflammation Cure
Dr. Meggs believes all conditions go back to inflammation in our bodies. He also believes there is a cause for all types of inflammation whether you have diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, muscle pain, memory issues, digestive complaints, etc...
Many of us think our conditions of the body are isolated and are not connected. Research is showing scientists and doctors who will listen that all of our body's conditions are related to one or more causes that when removed, the condition would be cured providing the body has not experienced irreparable harm in the time since becoming inflamed. Dr. Meggs wants us to set aside compartmentalization of medical conditions we've all been trained to do, and instead to think outside the box...
"When the artificial boundaries of specialization are ignored, a pattern emerges: inflammation is not disease-specific. It affects the entire body, not just individual body parts. And research has shown that disease we thought were unrelated are actually intimately linked...This inflammation connection tells us that caring for our health means more than just caring for individual body parts...When we treat inflammation in one part of the body, other parts of the body also become healthier." ~ Dr. Meggs
Using My Medical History as an Example
Over the years, I've been diagnosed with or experienced the following symptoms with no diagosis: anemia, irritable bowel syndrome, anovulation, amenorrhea, anxiety, heart palpatations, chronic bronchitis, low-back pain (pre-pregnancy), extreme fatigue, unusual systemic body itch lasting months with no relief from any type of treatment nor any diagnosis after three bags of IV antibiotics, muscle pain, joint pain, nerve pain, inflammation of nerves in my neck and back, hot flashes, freezing cold in arms/legs, memory issues, focus problems, cat dander allergy, food allergy (dairy/eggs), sensitivity to all kinds of fragrances/detergents/odors, vitamin D deficiency, yeast infections vaginally/breast, mastitis, and in my last pregnancy, proteinuria, high blood pressure for me although under 140/90, hyperuricemia and nearly pre-eclamptic (liver enzymes were elevated but still inside the normal range just days before delivery).
Today, I primarily suffer from pain in my back, arms, legs, feet, hands, toes, fingers off and on. I also suffer from mental focus issues, memory issues and chronic yeast infections, colds (recently pneumonia), extreme fatigue (dangerous while driving and experiencing this), nausea, digestive upset, low energy for hours or days, and all over weakness which leads to irritability.
My most recent cause of immune system issues came after my naturopath gave me a home finger prick blood test kit so I could test myself for IgG and IgA food allergies. That's when I learned I have a high immune reaction to eggs and a moderate to moderately high immune reaction to all dairy from bovines including milk, cheese, yogurt, etc...
How I'm Doing Today
I have experienced a drastic reduction in pain, an increase in energy and strength since going dairy/egg free in the last few weeks. But my symptoms are not completely resolved. Dr. Meggs said we may have more than one cause. I think mine is certainly multi-faceted. I have my theories and will explore them later on this blog.
Why I Don't Just Pump My Body Full of Medications to Relieve Symptoms and Neither Should You
A couple of weeks ago I had a very inflammed nerve in my back that was so painful it felt like I was being constantly stabbed. I went to the chiropractor and then another one who uses physical therapy. It helped but didn't take the pain away that prevented me from moving, holding my children, breastfeeding my daughter, sitting and standing or any other normal function of a mother of four. I simultaneously had a horrible cough that was worsening with unusual noises. With my history of bronchitis, I knew it wasn't that.
I went in on a Saturday to see my PCP. She gave me an antibiotic for my pneumonia (yikes!) and a steroid to relieve my back pain. For days, I had been living with ice affixed to my back most of the day. Within a very short period of time after taking the steroid, my back pain was gone. The steroid took away that inflammation but also took away inflammation I felt in other areas - I had more energy and less pain all over.
This was a welcomed relief! However, with every anti-inflammatory drug there is also the down side - it can lower our immune function. Getting over the pneumonia and cough was now even harder for me. It was also only safe for the short 3 days I took it for my daughter who is exclusively breastfed and is only 6 months old. This remedy was a nice quick fix and a great "break" from the chronic inflammation I experience daily but it was only that, a quick fix. It didn't remove the cause and it wasn't "the cure".
There is so much more to explore from here. For now, I'll end with Dr. Megg's words...
"Inflammation is influenced by what we eat, how much exercise we get, the level of pollutants in the air we breathe, the toxins in the cleaning products we use, the insectisides we spray, the amount of sleep we get, how much stress we experience, the intensity of our emotions, and the quality of our social relationships. In short, everything we eat, breathe, think, feel and do has an effect on inflammation."
Coming soon... "My Inflammation Story" -- a post about my journey to-date and what daily life has been like for me and my family.
More about inflammation: William Joel Meggs, MD, PhD is a professor and chief of toxicology division of Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University and is board certified in Medical Toxicology, Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine, and Allergy & Immunology. You can buy his book, The Inflammation Cure.
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