a statement, some whining, and a question!

[rollinsgirl]

I've starting seeing a Naturopath for a whole host of health problems. I won't bore you with the details, but most notably migraine, fatigue, and belly aches. She did a few tests, and yesterday was my follow up appt

Comments

[antikythera]

Plus, if she's going to take this magic-potions approach to things, I would wonder if she really knows what she's doing in the allergy testing department. I would definitely get a second opinion, either from a naturopath or a standard doctor, but one who specialises in allergies.

[rollinsgirl]

point taken. However, I didn't go to her specifically for food allergies. I went to her because I feel like crap all the time, and I get debilitating migraines as well. She thought maybe I had some food allergies that were contributing, and apparently she was right. All this other stuff is supplements and cleasing/detox stuff.

[alicemarkovski]

You don't want to put your body through two different things at once though (addressing the allergy issues AND detoxing at the same time). I would think it would be better to address the allergies first, see if that helps, and once you adjust to a new diet start detoxing. I've never done a detox though, and have addressed most of my food allergies through trial an error myself, so yeah. All that stuff being thrown at you at once just seems psychologically, finalcially, and physically stressful though :(

[antikythera]

What kind of tests did she do for the allergies, though? Allergy testing is actually one of the most holistic things I can think of in modern medicine, in that it can't be done just by testing a dish of cells or a blood sample. The body has to be systematically exposed to small amounts of allergen, and observed for reactions. How did she diagnose the allergies?

[grace_om]

If it's specifically *cow's* milk that's the problem, you could try looking for sheep and goat's milk cheese and yogurts. They're out there, but will be more expensive.

If it were me, I'd probably try making one change at a time, and give each one a few weeks to see if it helps the specific problems that sent you there.

[soldiergrrrl]

This. If you're trying to figure out causes for illness, changing six million things at once isn't going to help you find out the root cause, because there are too many things changing at the same time.

Eliminating one or two things at a time, take note of what helps/doesn't help and then keep going methodically.

Also, unless you've got liver problems, or have been sick, your body should be able to "detox" itself.

[my_serandipity]

Agreed. I highly recommend changing ONE thing at a time and allowing a reasonable amount of time to monitor any changes and/or improvements. I have had a lot of experience with strict elimination diets this year and honestly if you don't follow a routine of just one change at a time, you'll never know whether it was A or B that was problematic or an improvement. And then it's back to square one with eliminating it and implementing it again.

[absenthine]

I second the goat and sheep milk thing. I love cheese, and goat cheddar, feta, and goat or buffalo milk yogurt hit the spot like soy products can't!

[ellenclaire]

I agree with the above comment about eliminating the alleged allergens, and seeing if that helps, before adding in a whole lot of suppliments and other things.

Did your naturopath say what specifically you're allergic to in cows milk? Is it that you're lactose intollerant, or that you're allergic to the milk protein (casein), or something else? Because lactose and casein both show up in a lot of products that you wouldn't expect. You need to know what exactly you should be avoiding. If she can't give you an answer, I'd go see an allergist and get a second opinion.

[rollinsgirl]

mostly whey... The allergy page listed all the components so I was able to see them. Whey was moderate to highly allergic. Casein was low to moderate, and lactose didn't even register.

She recommended Goat cheese, so I am going to try to incorporate more of that as well.

[ellenclaire]

That's not so bad then, at least you have other kinds of cheese available to you! Goat cheese is the best, really. Moosh some together with honey and use it as a dip... mmmmm....

A friend of mine is very allergic to casein and is careful about reading the ingredient list on everything she buys, because casein turns up in all sorts of things. It's completely manageable, but you do have to be vigilant about it.

Good luck!

[star_lace]

First, definitely talk to her about your concerns. Huge life changes take time and maybe there's a way you can ween yourself into her regimen instead of jumping right in

[rollinsgirl]

thank you so much for your comment. I believe in the Naturopathic approach, and I want to try all this stuff, but it seems impossoble right now. Not to mention, she took another test, and will have those results next week....

I'm afraid she's going to have more crap for me to do!

Thank you so much for your comment, it's good to hear that I am not the only one who feels like crap all the time, needs a holistic approach!

[manycolored]

A nutritionist and an allergist who practice conventional medicine would be useful at this point for diagnostic purposes.

Do some research (avoiding sites that sell things or have testimonials) on those potions and pills, ESPECIALLY if they're something you're buying from her.

[breakableheart]

Oh my. I don't think you really understand what naturopathy is. Hmmm.

[soldiergrrrl]

Maybe you could, instead of sounding superior, point out some good sites to help educate? I'm not educated on naturopathy, since I'm a huge fan of "normal" medicine, and I'd be interested in seeing what exactly it is.

[rollinsgirl]

I'm the OP, not the one who posted the comment, but I just wanted to say that I was a fan of conventional medicine before I got sick. All the doctors do (and I've been to a lot of em) is give me drugs... with side effects. To a person who feels like crap most of the time, giving drugs with side effects instead of trying to find the root of the problem, sucks.

Naturopathic medicine looks at the whole body, rather than the one problem. I personally think that all my troubles relate to one another, and I am sick of taking migraine drugs, belly drugs etc, and living on caffeine all the time. So, this is my 2 cents about natural vs conventional medicine.