Naturapaths or Doctors

[Russell]

I ask this question for when we are seeking medical help... we either go to one or the other.

Is it a fair statement to say that apart from emergencies... Qualified Naturapaths are the better option...for the medicines at their disposal (herbs, homeopathics) tend to promote the body to heal itself.

Any opinions or experiences?

[Guest LadyC]

many physicians these days have taken courses in naturopothy because of the trend towards holistic health. to me, that's the best of both worlds. if you have one of those doctor-locate services in your area, you can call and ask for a recommendation of one who practices both.

i have been to a naturopath. i took my daughter once many years ago to a naturopath, and she was "prescribed" some herbs to take three times a day. i had to jump through hoops and threaten lawsuits before the school nurse would allow my daughter to take the herbs during school hours, because the naturopath is not a licensed physician.

after that i sought out a doctor who practiced naturopathy AND regular medicine. i actually liked that better, because the doctor used traditional medical lab analysis to determine what the problem was, and was then able to make a decision regarding herbs vs. medicine. and of course, the school didn't give me any problems that time because it was a 'real doctor'.

i can't leave this post without giving cautionary advice though. i was studying herbs and their uses myself, and was looking into schools for naturopathy. i had used echinacea tincture (and other herbs) many times without seeing a naturopath or physician to treat everything from minor colds to strep throat. but at one point, my oldest daughter had mono. i didn't know what she had at the time. problem was, the doctor couldn't figure out what she had either... lab tests came back negative for everything. you see, her white blood cell count was elevated because of her illness... and on top of that, echinacea works by elevating white cell counts. her white cell count was so high that it was interfering with the medical tests. they ran tests for leukemia, for mono, for meningitis, etc, and finally had to use process of elimination to figure out what it was. in the meantime, i had nearly killed my daughter. her white cell count was more than 50 times what it should have been. it was only after being told to try taking her off the echinacea that her cell count dropped, and dropped fast.

[godrulz]

Alternative medicine has its place, but some of it is quackary. Homeopathy is unscientific (there are not enough active ingredients to make a physiological affect) and will not stand up to double blind studies.

[Guest LadyC]

have to agree regarding homeopathy. i've never found a single homeopathic remedy that wasn't a total waste of money.

naturopathy is not the same thing, however. it uses the leaves, root, or tincture of a plant as the primary (or exclusive) ingredient.

all of western medicine is came from naturopathy, or was synthetically created to mimic the effects of natural plants.

for instance, how many of us know that aspirin's origional form is white willow bark? the bark contains salicin, which is converted by the body to salicylic acid. the synthetic version (Acetylsalicylic acid) is what is found in aspirin. digitalis, a commonly prescribed drug for heart patients, actually comes from the foxglove plant... the real thing, not synthesized. one should never use it without medical supervision and instruction.

if one has the knowledge of the herbs, and their proper (and safe) use, i believe it is far better to use the natural version to the synthetic, of many medicines. this is why naturopaths are very valuable... they undergo extensive schooling to know how the herbs work and interact with our bodies and other medicines.

but give me standardized lab tests to a naturopathic exam any day to find the cause of a problem!

[Russell]

Just to give you my experiences and what I have found has worked for me.

Something that some of you may not be aware of and that has only been brought to my attention of late and that is the effects of simple sugar (white & raw, honey, glucose, treacle, ) and caffiene has on our health.

I don't drink or smoke, some meat, no pork ( three times a year) , not overweight, but had 1.5 spoons of sugar in a cup of coffee or tea three times a day, with a biscuit or cake.

Well at 46 and having no previous health issues I developed a strange tightness in my upper leg muscles at first, than neck, than arms. The condition was becoming systemic. Movement was becoming quite restricted and painful.

I consulted a naturapath (good ones hard to find) and won't go to doctors, except in emergencies and he did a blood test (Bolan's clot retraction test) and a snap shot of my diet.

He told me my problem was caused by simple sugar (white or raw). This product he said acted like a preservative (which it is), in the small intestine causing food to not be digested properly. Longterm health issues arise. In me it became "Fibro Myalgia Rheumatica" This condition actually became autoimmune.

He gave me herbs (liquid), glucosamine tablets, and a good multivitamin. I gave up all simple sugars and caffiene. The condition immediately began to reverse itself and two months later had all but gone. He said as the condition had become autoimmune it would come back, he is right so far and so a remedial dose of herbs is required.

Now if I went to a doctor (orthodox) what would he have given me?? and would he have isolated the cause which is even more important.