Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Homeopath/Naturopath doctors vs. Medical doctors - My journey and Experience

I suffered a long bout of "sickness" last summer.  I put it in quotes because I'm not exactly sure what happened or if it was any sort of a sickness at all.  My youngest, then almost 2 years old, had a seizure in my arms last July due to a spike in her temperature.  It was one of the scariest things I have ever gone through. I'm actually embarrassed to admit that I never knew what a febrile seizure was until we were in the emergency room and the doctor had to explain it to me.  Three days later I got "sick."  And I just couldn't get better - I was weak, I had no energy, I couldn't breathe, I felt faint when I stood, I couldn't eat, I felt depressed, I had heart palpitations. It was so horrible, but looking back I can say that my "sickness" was probably a culmination of so many things converging and my body just not being able to handle it anymore.


I've always been what I would consider sort of a Super-Mom.  I've prided myself on having a company-clean home at all times and delicious home cooked dinners from scratch on the table every night.  Add to that, the stress of  CD having a job for many years where he was traveling constantly and I would be alone with the kids for days, weeks or months (and yes, even years, - he was deployed to Afghanistan and Qatar for a year each) at a time with no help.  I'd always just bucked up and taken care of the kiddos because I had to.  Little did I know, I was taking all the stress of my day to day life and stuffing it down.  When Princess got sick last summer, my body released ALL of the stress I had tucked away for years.  At that time, though, I was led by many doctors, to believe it could be so many things: Auto-Immune Diseases, Asthma, Heart Problems, Anxiety/Panic Attacks.  I was poked and pricked for this test and that test.  I was referred to a Rheumatoid Specialist, a Pulmonologist, an Acupuncturist, a Chiropractor, and a Heart Specialist.  All of whom I went to see because I was genuinely scared something was wrong with me.  I can not begin to tell you how much money I wasted by these Medical doctors referring me to everyone under the sun because medically and by the textbook there was nothing they could find.  When I kept getting prescription medications shoved down my throat, literally and figuratively, for symptoms I didn't have I knew it was time to take matters into my own hands and get to the bottom of what was going on with me.  Why was I being given Advair, Nexium, Steroids, Nosesprays? What was wrong with me?  No one knew.  I was so disgusted with the lack of  care, empathy or expertise that these "Medical" doctors displayed that the bitter medicines I was forced to take were nothing in comparison to the bitter taste left in my mouth after dealing with these guys for months.  Truth be told, I don't care much for "Medical" doctors anyways - I personally think they tell you what the text book tells them to say and not what they honestly believe themselves.  Strike 5002. So, naturally, I went to go see a Homeopathic/Naturopathic Doctor instead.

Oh. My. God.  Loved her! She sat with me for two hours in our first visit and read me like a book. She was so in tune with what was going on inside my body, more so than I was myself.  She knew, before I got the test results back, that I was missing certain nutrients and vitamins in my system.  Just by talking to me and hearing my symptoms she was able to "diagnose" me.  I loved feeling like I was being listened to and heard. She put me on a strict diet of no sugars (even fruits - I could only have very little) for weeks.  I had no idea that sugar weakens your immune system!  She added  a multi-vitamin, vitamin D3, magnesium, calcium, fish oil, and probiotics  into my daily routine.  Within 2 weeks I was feeling better.  Within 2 months I was perfectly healthy again.  I had worked my body into such a state of chaos, that I needed to replenish it back to it's healthy state a little bit at a time. When the test results came back from the regular doctor - weeks after I first had them done at the end of July - they told me I was extremely deficient in vitamin D and Magnesium.  How could she have known that without the test results?   She's my hero and I've become a Naturopath/Homeopath convert for sure!

By the way, for the women out there... CHECK YOUR VITAMIN D LEVELS (both D2 and D3) EVERY YEAR!!!  I think some astounding percentage of women - like 50% - are severely deficient in vitamin D which leads to being constantly fatigued and tired, and can lead to certain cancers and autoimmune diseases if not fixed.

I wanted to pass on some of the tidbits of wisdom I learned from my Homeopath/Naturopath:

1.  Raw Organic Honey and Cinnamon.  Make a paste of 1 tablespoon honey and 1 tsp cinnamon and eat it first thing in the morning. Either before breakfast or on toast for breakfast.  It is found that a mixture of Honey and Cinnamon cures most diseases.  Ayurvedic as well as Yunani medicine have been using honey as a vital medicine for centuries.

2.  Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil.  Put  some in your coffee or eat it on bread in place of butter.  Coconut oil helps the body heal and repair faster. It aids and supports immune function, protecting us from a variety of cancers and it protects the body from free radical damage and prevents premature aging and degenerative diseases.


3. Spices like Turmeric, Ginger and Garlic.  These warming spices are wonderful for you - use them in your recipes!   A little bit of turmeric goes a long way - so don't be heavy handed with that - but use as much ginger and garlic as you prefer to flavor your meals.  Garlic is an known for its use in treating high blood pressure, lowering cholesterol, and for helping to prevent certain types of cancer, as well as its use as an immune stimulant.  Ginger helps boost the immune system, as well as aids in digestion and alleviates high blood pressure.  In Ayurvedic cooking, turmeric is everywhere, this multifaceted wonder spice helps to detoxify the liver, fight allergies, stimulate digestion and boost the immune system.


Notice the constant theme of boosting the immune system?  This was very important for me personally and I'm happy to report that I feel a 110% today.  What I learned from my my Doctor was a something that I will incorporate into my life for the remainder of it.  Eating less sugars, eating more "warming" spices, taking my vitamins, etc.   I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to stop my self from absorbing and tucking away stress because that seems to be my personality, but hopefully by keeping my self healthy through proper foods, vitamins and supplements, I'll never have to go through again what I went though last summer. 


I'll leave you with one of the best homeopathic recipes I've come across for colds/coughs, and especially for people like me who have asthma: Tumeric Milk with Honey.  Warm a cup of milk on your stovetop* with at least 1/4 tsp of turmeric - I use more because I've gotten used to the taste, but I would start at the lower end.  Heat until nice and hot (but don't boil), add honey to taste and drink while warm.  I can't say it tastes the best, but it does work!  Next time you are feeling that cold coming on, give it a go and let me know what you think.   


*avoid the microwave because it supposedly alters the properties of foods.



1 comment:

  1. Great post, you reminded me to take my vitamins. I've been battling with low vit d for a long time too. I've been baking with organic cold pressed coconut oil for a while now and I love it. Expensive but worth it.

    I found your blog on Etsy and I'm following. I'm at http://repurposehistory.blogspot.com/

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