Snake Oil Part II

Why do I share this.  I share this because it’s part of my story.  It helped shape who I am today.  It started me on my path of self discovery, or maybe letting go of parts of myself that needed to be discarded.  I share this because I still have clients coming to me today that can’t get help for their complex issues because they do not fit into our present medical model of health.  I share this because I hope it may be inspiring to others...I believe there are answers if we are willing to look.  I share this because more change is needed.

We are not the sum of our individual parts! We are whole, and the body, mind, emotions and spirit all work together.  The medical model sees us like a car mechanic would a car; replace the muffler or put a new gasket on the manifold, and the problem is solved.

But is it that simple?  Is our physical body that simple?  What about when you add the emotional, mental and spiritual component?  Obviously even the physical body isn’t that simple, and though the medical community has a good understanding of how things work, we have far to go, but when you add the other components it becomes even more complex!

What does this mean, or how can this be applied?  

• Anything you do on any level will affect all other levels. Acupuncture, a more energy based therapy, affects our physical well being, but it also has an effect on our emotional and mental health. This is also true for Chiropractic, Massage, Counseling and many others.  This simply means that there are many ways to address an issue, and that all health issues need to be addressed from a more holistic approach for true healing to occur.

A simple example of this is someone presenting with a physical health issue with their colon.  The colons function is absorption of water and certain minerals, but its predominant function is elimination.  This can be addressed from a very physical perspective using laxatives, but it may also be related to other digestive issues which could benefit from Acupuncture, which can help the various organs come into greater balance and healthy function. Chiropractic on the other hand can help with nerve transmission to the digestive organs which can also be helpful.  Massage and other bodywork therapies; CranioSacral, Myofascial, etc. can of benefit by releasing restrictions in the area which can cause tension that leads to poor blood supply, muscle movement (the colon is a muscle), and poor function.  Counseling can affect mental health issues related to issues and trauma that the individual may be holding on to and hasn’t been able to “absorb/assimilate/eliminate”; this may even be related to an inability to forgive oneself with regard to past issues and relationships.

I share this with the hope that the medical community begin to listen to patients/clients and their symptoms again, knowing that our measuring instruments are still fallible. I have met many clients other than myself whose thyroid tests come out “normal”, but who have all the symptoms of Hypthyroidism.  And yet if a doctor treats a patient for thyroid issues without supporting blood work they can get into serious trouble with the board.  During my own health struggles I met many Gastroenterologists, but trained as they are no one was able to help me, until I met Dr. Rea, a Thoracic Surgeon, who ultimately performed colon surgery to resection my colon.  Why did the other doctors do nothing?  They didn’t see anything wrong on their tests.  In simple terms, I didn’t fit into their box.  They weren’t able to see the forest for the trees, and basically use “common sense”.

I share this so that others demand more from the medical community.  It is my hope that we kick insurance companies out of making medical decisions, and that we do the same to pharmaceutical companies.  It is my hope that we do what works, not what makes money.  It is my hope that we continue to integrate all areas of healthcare to get to a more comprehensive/cohesive system.

Snake Oil Part I

When I was 23 years old my father drove me from Fredericton NB to Montreal QE.  I was down to 140lbs from my normal weight of 185, and I think my father finally realized he would need to become involved in my condition or else I wasn’t going to make it.  

By this time it had been years since the onset of my health issues.  What started out as as mono type symptoms quickly led to a chronic condition that couldn’t be easily labeled or treated.  I had seen all the local specialists by this time, and started to read up on Complementary Therapies such as cleanses and nutritional approaches with little help.  I was on an elimination diet from trial and error because I learned that certain foods exacerbated my symptoms....

We spent two weeks at the MNI where I was poked and proded by Endocrinologists, Neurologists, Gastroenterologists, and a host of other specialists.  I had a muscle biopsy, as well as an upper GI scope, and yet by the end they seemed baffled.

I remember my temperature being so low that it would hardly register on the thermometer, but Dr.’s are trained to look at bloodwork, not to trust their senses, or listen to the patient's symptoms so I was never put on Thyroid medicine at the time, even though it was obviously low (I didn’t know this at the time).

At the end of this two week ordeal, the doctors all gathered around my bed.  I remember thinking it was like the 12 disciples and basically said this to me … ”There is nothing in science that can help you at this time, but that doesn’t mean something won’t be available in the future, or there may be some snake oil out there that can help you.”  That’s right, they said “snake oil”.  They knew I was eating a special diet, as I said, because it lessened my symptoms, not because I wanted to. To them all of this was just another sign that there was indeed something wrong with me...upstairs!  Well yes there was, because by this time I’d been sick for 3+ years, and chronic illness affects your mental state!  That was a long time ago, and the truth is not much has changed in the medical field.

At that time I could hardly dress myself, because what were once normal movements had become painful.  Laughing and sneezing went from causing soreness to creating tears in my muscles.  I was having severe digestive problems which only became worse till I had to do colonics on a daily basis.  At the worst of it I weighed in at a little over 110lbs, and was worse off then my grandmother who was 85 at the time.  In the end I gave up on traditional doctors and took up the job of being my own health advocate researching non-traditional methods of healing; Acupuncture, bodywork therapies, Energy based therapies, Nutrition, Herbs, and unorthodox medical treatments among others.