"There is no cure".
"You will be on prednisone and immune suppressants for the rest of your life".
"This is your only option".
This is what I heard at my first rheumatology appointment. I still cringe as I replay it over. Something in my soul was disgusted by these words and purely did not believe it. How can this be true? At 25 years old, how can lifelong drugs be my only option? There has to be another option for controlling my autoimmune diseases.
A couple weeks after receiving positive lab testing, two family friends, who don't know each other, recommended a local naturopath to me on the same day. Well, this is another option, I thought, and called scheduled an appointment the following morning.
What is a Naturopath?
Naturopaths focus on healing methods in a non-invasive natural way. They promote self-healing and emphasize prevention through healthy living and natural, holistic therapies. This approach is designed from century-old knowledge and philosophy that nature is the most effective healer.
Bastyr University in California is considered the top naturopathic school in the states. Their education is quite extensive and almost mirrors medical school. The only difference - their definition of health and health care. I recommend seeking out a Naturopath trained by Bastyr University and/or one who has many referrals.
What to Expect from a Naturopath?
My naturopath, Dr. Chan, had about a 2 month waitlist for an appointment. In the meantime, she asked me fill out an extensive questionnaire, which asked questions like "what symptoms do you have" to "did you have any infections or illnesses as a child" to "what do your bowel movements look like". This questionnaire took me about 40 minutes to fill out, but provided a mapping for my entire life.
My first appointment was about 2 hours long. The waiting room had plush couches with soothing music playing in the background. Meditation and herb books scattered the coffee tables and bookshelves. A little, white dog pranced out of an office and sat at my feet as my husband, Steve, and I waited.
Dr. Chan, a petite, compassionate woman, led us into her office, a warm space, colored in mossy green with potted flowers and plants scattered throughout. An acupuncture table sat in the back of the room, where she offers treatments to her clients, and an air purifier offers a soft hum in the background.
We started our conversation with niceties, like how are you and what do you do for work, but quickly moved into more details about how my symptoms started and what my lab results are. She started many of her questions with my answers from the questionnaire, like "you answered 'yes' for asthma, when did it start and what symptoms do you experience?".
Dr. Chan, like most Naturopaths, identify and treat root causes for disease. For autoimmune diseases, root causes typically fall within a couple of categories, mainly gut health, infection, and environment. Based on my symptoms and health history, Dr. Chan ordered numerous testing, some covered by insurance, like blood tests, and others partially covered by insurance, like stool testing, to identify my root causes.
The testing we did told a story. The normal flora, normal bugs that live in our mucosal surfaces, within my gut were imbalanced and some in excess. We used anti-microbials derived from natural sources, like garlic, to rebalance my gut flora. I also started taking a probiotic, VSL #3, to replenish good bugs. By doing this, I got a total of 6 weeks pain free and I learned my gut health is super important in fighting this disease.
Food is such a huge part of my gut health! If we have a damaged gut, the food we eat cross our gut barrier and activate our immune system. I did an elimination diet to find foods my body liked and did not liked. I found nightshades, sugar, and alcohol activated flares, so I tend to stay away from these to help control inflammation within my joints and make my gut happy.
We also found that I had several infections latent within my body, like Epstein Barr virus. Viruses and bacteria can harbor in various areas throughout our bodies' and our bodies' can have a difficult time getting rid of them. We used biomagnetic therapy to clear these infections. This was truly life changing therapy and has relieved so much of my pain and inflammation.
How does Rheumatology differ from Naturopathic care?
During my initial rheumatology appointment, the doctor looked at my joints and palpated my abdomen. She asked me a couple questions like "do you have a fever with your flares" and "how do your joints feel in the morning", but never once asked about the foods I eat or my stress levels. Instead she prescribed me harsh, life long medications that would destroy my liver and gut among other things. This is purely symptom management, rather than healing our bodies.
Rheumatology and conventional medicine treat symptoms, not root causes. Naturopaths identify and treat root causes, which in turn get rid of symptoms and disease.
How to prepare for your first Naturopath appointment?
- Do you want someone to join you? My husband, Steve, came with me to my first appointment. He colored my answers and offered timelines that I forgot. We also talked about the appointment together after and were on the same page about my care plan and health goals.
- Collect the last couple of years of any testing you've had. If you have an online health record portal, they can be printed through there or you can call your PCP and rheumatology office and request paper copies.
- Write down all of your symptoms and when they started. Do you have any other symptoms? How is your GI tract? How are your sleeping patterns? How would you rate your stress? How would you rate your pain and why?
- Think about your health goals. Mine was to heal my body without pharmaceutical products. Some may be to lower their medication or come off of it. Spend some time thinking about your various options and what you would like to achieve.
- Commit. Commit to healing. Commit to giving your body everything it needs to do so. This is a commitment of time, discipline, money and honesty. What are you willing to and can you commit? Be honest with yourself and work within your commitment.
