Doctors are a necessary part of being a healthy individual. I'm a firm believer in the combination of holistic and Western medical practices for a comprehensive approach to being a healthy person.
There is, however, a limit for each. When I was diagnosed with Graves' Disease the doctor I was referred to told me, in no uncertain terms, I was in danger of dying. My numbers were off the charts, my body was in total chaos, and everything she read on those lab sheets pointed to pre-pre-congestive heart failure. My legs and ankles were swollen with fluid and reinforced her lab results-based theory. I didn't feel nearly as terrible as she was making me out to be, and needless to say this was very confusing. After one particularly gloomy appointment I started calling her Dr. Doom. She had me checking my blood pressure every three hours AND taking my temperature every five hours in case I entered into a state of thyroid shock.
What wasn't listed in her lab results was how healthy I actually was. She had no idea of how completely my body had adapted to the thyroid overload. Granted, it would have eventually sputtered out, and I would have needed a heart transplant. Eventually, years and years down the line. Not in six weeks, or five years for that matter.
It's easier to sell pills to people who don't feel as though they have responsibility over their health. In defense of some doctors, most people are looking for those silver bullet pharmaceuticals. A fix all, mend all, no side effect too risky type remedy so they won't have to adjust their lives at all. Dr. Doom wanted me on six weeks of expensive anti thyroid therapy, which had very serious side effects, and three to five blood pressure pills a day. I told the doctor that I wasn't interested in "convenience treatments." I told her I was "willing to put in the work to get my body back" and she told me "your body is beyond your control. There isn't much you can do besides do what I say." (Insert heavy sigh.)
I was not impressed and wrote an email to my late grandmother's endocrinologist, begging him more or less for a second opinion. He thankfully agreed and told me that there was a significant difference between what he saw on paper and what he saw in my appearance. I was healthy beyond compare. My body was adapting to the breakdown, and he believed I could handle the radioactive iodine treatment without delay. No dangerous pill treatments or scary side effects, and he switched me to a blood pressure med that I took once a day, not five times. His feeling was to get past this breakdown as quickly as possible so I could get back to normal as quickly as possible. He also said that he would be glad to take me on as a patient until I stabilized, which was extremely generous considering he hadn't taken on any new patients in almost a year. In spite of feeling slightly defeated because the radioactive iodine treatment turned out to be the most effective means to heal myself, I was thankful to have found a doctor who believed in my ability to make my own healthy decisions.
We met every few weeks after the initial radioactive treatment. He was aware of my diet and my exercise regimen. Each time I came to see him the first question was "still not eating bread?" When I would call their office frantically with complaints of my hair falling out in clumps, my pulse was too fast, or my eyes were swelling he'd thank me for being so diligent but remind me to be patient. He was correct, it all eventually stopped.
The trick is not getting rid of doctors completely, but finding those that are willing to cater treatments to your goals. People that feel empowered in regards to their health have faster recovery times than those who feel as though they have no control. Guess which people spend less money on health care? (We shouldn't have to spend ANY money on health care...but that's another topic entirely.) Everything that doctors say should be taken as an option, not gospel. However, vitamins and broccoli won't repair my spleen after a car crash, so for that, I tip my hat the the Western medical establishment and thank them for saving the lives of people everyday. For everything else in between, barring pathogens and major illnesses, vitamins and broccoli will do just fine.
3 comments:
Love your post and I couldnt agree more! People may think because I've spent 14+years working in clinical research trials that I promote the "pharmaceutical machine". I dont! Never have....Never will. There are some really good treatments that have been developed in my career that have made huge differences in peoples lives who never asked for a disease or injury, but got one anyway. I'm so glad that you found a doctor that you trust who is interested in letting you take responsibility and control of your own health yet providing supportive educated treatment options and close monitoring at both your comfort level and theirs.
Teamwork!
Amen! Most things in this world are never strictly one or the other...it's finding the right balance. But we should always listen to our own instincts when it comes to finding that balance. I'm proud of how you have handles your thyroid issues. Great post!
I teach Hypnobirthing childbirth classes and this is the underlying concept of the class- getting women to believe in themselves and their bodies doing what they , as women, were made to do- conceive and birth a baby. Our bodies are made to do this, and the medical establishment just gets in the way of the normal and natural process of labor. There is no timeline, no two bodies are the same. I do agree that there is a time and place for doctors, and thank goodness we have them for emergency situations. But the body is a miraculous, self-healing machine that needs to be treated as such. Did you know most doctors have never seen a natural birth? Good on you for taking charge of your health and looking for a better and more sensible solution Great post ;)
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