Has anyone been to see a naturalpath or hoeopathic doctor? I have an appointment tomorrow with a doc who ptactices functional medicine... he is going to test me for toxins, deficiencies, and who knows what else - I was just curious if anyone else has pursued anything like this and what the results were. My goal is to get my body as balanced/healthy as possible so it can get to the point of healing. Tami K
I went to one just about a week ago. First he'll determine what type of person you are via some simple questions. Just search the net for Ayurvedic Medicine. There are foods certain foods that are either cooling or warming and that will be determined. He also asked me to get this book Ayurvedic Cooking for Westerners : Amadea Morningstar. This can be purchased used on Amazon or half.com. I haven't started yet to tell you the truth. I have to sit down and figure out my meals. Being celiac its a hair more complicated.
Steve
Hi Tamik :)
I went to a homeopath on and off for about 15 years before a noticeably visible thyroid sent me back to a conventional doctor. I think the homeopathy helped. I think it slowed progress and was good mentally. It has certainly worked sometimes when conventional medicine has failed, for example, getting rid of excruciating toothache after an extraction once. It also banished eczema for 3 of my kids, something that conventional medicine couldn't seem to do.
I think there's a definite place for it alongside the conventional. The one thing it never did was give me any kind of dx.
Take care - Scottie :)
I have to add that he said he would have me off all my meds in three months. I'm a bit leary on that one. I think it is good to add Eastern medicine to Western but I personally am not confident in giving up all my meds.
Steve
Hi Tami and Steve,
I definitely think alternative medicine has it's place in treatment of autoimmune disease. At the conference in Phoenix this year, one of the presentations was made as a team - a rheumatologist AND a naturopathic physician.
The only thing that I would be concerned about is a naturopath taking you off meds without your conventional physician's knowledge or cooperation. If they are aware of each other's therapies and both agree to treatment options, then I'd say go for it!
I have not visited a naturopath, but I do visit my chiropractor fairly routinely. I think that it helps me keep my joint pain and stiffness in check.
Please keep us posted as to your visit and progress with this treatment!
Julia
Hi again
I have a friend who believed so totally in homeopathy that she was prepared to go down that route rather than take antibiotics and was prepared to do the same with her children.
I'm more of a sceptic. I used homeopathy alongside conventional. I wouldn't dream of giving up Thyroxine or Plaquenil to 'wait and see' with whatever rememdy I was given. Mind you - that's what I'd tell the homeopath too.
I've read that acupuncture can be helpful too.
Take care - Scottie :)
I had acupuncture a couple of years ago for pain in my hip. I don't think it helped the hip very much, but it certainly increased my sense of well-being, which was wonderful.
Kathyx
I totally agree with you Scottie.
This is a big step for anyone to take and it should be taken only after careful investigation. If it were me, I would not stop my conventional medications without first discussing the whole thing with my rheumy.
Everyone to their own choices, just be very careful. Please let us know how you are doing and if you decide to go this route.
Pooh
I am not on any meds besides B-12 shots and Vitamin D. Plaquinil did nothing for me... and I really do not want to try conventional drugs with all the side effects until I know that my body is in balance. Since my B-12 and Vitamin D are low, I want to know what else is low too. The guy I am going to actually is an internest who practices both conventional and naturalpathic medicine. He will work with my rheumetologist. I will let you know what I find out. :) Tami K
Tamik, how long were you on Plaquenil? THree people including my ENT told me that I should probably get off Plaquenil. I am not getting any better and have been on it for five mos.
My sister thinks my problems are more of an estrogen dominance problem. After reading up on it I am beginning to wonder if that is a possibility?
Faithful
faithful, Did you ever get put on any prednisone to halt the autoimmune stuff while waiting for the Plaquenil to kick in. It seems that some people take a long time from what I have read---like 6-8 months. If you are not on Prednisone shame on your doctor. The prednisone is nothing to be afraid of as it is to be a short series.
Also, you may well need to take some cellcept or imuran to stop your autoimmune progression. If it was me there is no way I would NOT take one of these drugs as they have a pretty good track record. Unfortuately I am unable to take them due to my low t-cells.
Also, for the others who are contemplating alternative medicine I think that using common sense and having the regular doc kept apprised of any of the homeopathic docs ideas is the only way to go. The one thing that bothers me about so many of these homeopathic people is that they always seem to have a product to sell for huge money. This just sounds suspicious to me. There are so many products out there that are so similar and made by different companies and the markup has got to be horrendous. Interestingly the Indians and other cultures grew their own and dried them--so much cheaper and I bet they worked good too. Irish ;D
Irish, I was only put on Prednisone for a five day period for what the doctor thought was tonsilitus. The day after I took it I felt great! But then coming off of it I felt worse. None of the doctors have even considered putting me on it. I have another rhem appt next week. Hopefully he will do blood work since having been on Plaq for five mos it will be interesting to see what it is doing? I have struggled so much with taking Plaq b/c it doesnt seem to be working on what has been my main complaints. Along with the dry eyes and mouth I still have that fullness in my ears, feeling like someone is squeezing my throat and weakness.
None of my doctors know what is going on?
Faithful
Hi Faithful
I just hope you don't notice a difference coming off Plaquenil. I've read about someone stopping it because they didn't think it was working and they hurt all over about twice as bad when they stopped.
It sounds like an idea to tell your rheumy that Prednisone made you feel better last time you took it and see if he's give you a longer course.
Take care - Scottie :)
Scottie:
Your comment about stopping the plaquenil was right on the money. Last year, I stopped taking it (with my dr.s permission) but after about three weeks I was so miserable!! Then it took another two months to get things back under control. :o
I think that after I have been on some of these meds for a long period of time, I forget what I felt like before I started them. That experience was uncomfortable but I learned my lesson.
Julia
faithful, The symptoms that you complain about are autoimmune issues. The fullness in the head, etc is something that I have had and it is better now than it was years ago. It got better when I went on my Prednisone and I think it is even better since I started the IVIG. I had it so bad that sometimes I hardly knew where I was or what I was doing. I could hardly think straight and my balance would be so bad that even walking across level ground was very difficult.
These type of "head" issues are pretty much hard to isolate and explain to the docs. All I know is that I will be on Prednisone pretty much for the rest of my life. My neurologist put me on 10 mgm every other day because of my myasthenia gravis and I need to keep that dosage up to have an "edge" or being ahead of the game in case of respiratory failure and other muscle weakness that gets bad suddenly.
Did you ever consider the possibility that your condition could be getting worse over the months that you have been on the Plaquenil? This is possible and could make you think it is not working. I would ask about being put on prednisone and see what would happen. Prednisone is usually given along with the Plaquenil. They will start it at a higher dosage for several weeks etc and then taper it down and keep it on a maintenance dose for a few months until the plaquenil kicks in. The big thing is to make sure that you get your dosages every other day as the side effects are much less. I am on the 10 mgm of prednisone every other day and when I have increased issues the in between days will have added prednisone and then tapered off. My neurologist told me that the 10 mgm every other day is considered to be a physiologic dose. In other words it is pretty much what the adrenal glands will put out. It is enough to give a boost without adding the big weight gain etc.
I don't know what kind of weakness you refer to and it may well be that a 2nd opinion by another rheumy would be to your advantage. I do know that I was on 10 mgm every other day for a couple of years and then dropped down to 7.5 mgm and in 3 weeks my aches and pains started to come back. Much of my joint issues and other aches and pains are kept under wraps with the prednisone I am on.
Your rheumy may want to stop the Plaquenil, but I would sure ask him what he plans to replace it with. Even if you are put on one of the stronger drugs it is very common to also add the prednisone until the new drug kicks in. Doesn't your doc get it that you are in pain etc??? Take care. Irish
Faithful,
I was on the plaquinil for about 7 months -I actually felt better one I was off it. It does help a lot of people though. My new doc practices functional medicine - he practices internal medicine as well as naturalpathic medicine. Anyway, he was shocked that my D levels were not traceable 6 months ago and I was only on 1000 units a day -he upped it to 4000 a day for 6 days a week, plus a 50,000 once a week. Plus I need to have it retested in 3 months. He wants the levels up to 40. He says I will feel much better then and a lot of my pain will go away! Do not add mass vitamin D without a dr. He said my rhumey was very good, but she just does not know how to replenish vitamins in the body because that is not her specialty so she was being way to conservative. Plus he added sublingual B-12 daily as well as my monthly shots (that is for Pernicious Anemia). He says my body is way out of balance - which I knew anyway. HE DIDN'T THINK I WAS CRAZY!!!! He could not believe that I have had these horrible headaches for over 2 years and nothing has been done to resolve them - migraine meds did not work. HE SPENT 2.5. hours with me!!! He wanted to hear everything and not once mentioned anxiety. He is testing me for a zillion things like thyroid (more than just the basic level because he said that doesn't give enough information), food alergies, etc - My goal is to make sure my cells are nourished and as healthy as they can be so my body can start healing. I am holding off on the conventional meds again until I try this first. Prednisone really scares me as do a lot of the other meds - plus- then I would have to admit I have an illness instead of just trying to get my body balanced!! :) Tami K
Tamik, i need to find a doctor like that. THis meds are making me so sick, I literally throw up. My wt continues to drop, my energy level is barely able to get out of bed today. My head is so swelled up.
I dont know what's going on?
It is wonderful you have found a doctor who is willing to work with what your body needs.
Faithful
Faithful,
Do a Google search on functional medicine and there is a site that will help you find a doctor and also will tell you more about what they do. Let me know what you find out! You can PM me if you would like! Tami K