And the doctor said..

Five little monkeys jumping on the bed
One fell off and broke his head.
He went to the doctor and the doctor said,
“Too many monkeys jumping on the bed.”

The diagnosis in this child’s rhyme happened to be correct.  But some things the doctor says, are only true in their little universe.  Consider the following:

“I went to the doctor and the doctor said…

1.  “Herbs lack scientific validation”

NOT TRUE.  Ask if they are familiar with Pub Med, or searched that database for research done on herbs.  (There’s lots of research to be found, if they’d look.  Educate them.)

But let’s look at what they do routinely that lacks scientific validation.  The FDA requires scientific studies be done on each drug being brought to market (these are paid for by those who plan to market the drug – just sayin’)   So each individual drug has ‘scientific validation’.   BUT several drugs all taken together has NOT been studied.   So if you are on 3 or more medications ask your doc for the scientific studies done on the population of people who are on those 3 drugs.  Ain’t none.  So his medical treatment ‘lacks scientific validation’.

“I went to the doctor and the doctor said…

2. “Herbs won’t help your condition”

So ask if they have researched natural remedies for your condition.   (Likely not, unless they have the condition themselves). Doctors are experts in their very small universe.   Their little universe does NOT include remedies or therapies that nourish your body into healing itself.   Their little universe of ‘remedies’ has been restricted both professionally and legally by huge financial interests (viz. the pharmaceutical industry) so docs are smart people put between a rock and a hard place, and that is where they are the expert.
BUT there IS life outside that little universe (literally) IF they would look.  There ARE herbs that help your condition.  AND, they have been used for longer than the FDA has been in existence.   Some docs acknowledge that they’ve seen their patients improve using ‘something natural’.  Others have seen it but display a deplorable lack of curiosity.

“I went to the doctor and the doctor said…

3.  “Herbs are not FDA approved”

Herbs predate the FDA and have been effectively used long before patented man made chemicals (black tape to cover the ‘check engine‘ light) came along masking symptoms.  AND, FDA approved drugs kill over 140,000 people per year (Baycol, Vioxx, Celebrex to name a few – were all FDA approved!)  Herbs WILL help your body’s ability to resolve your condition in time, whatever it is, and improve your quality of life.  And for some reason God has not sought FDA approval for His remedies.

“I went to the doctor and the doctor said…

4. “If you don’t follow my recommendations you will die” (or have a heart attack, a stroke, bleed to death, go blind, suffocate to death, or other dire consequences)

First of all, giving bad news is bad medicine, period.  Doctors are not God and God can prove that to you.  Taking away hope is taking away a very important and effective remedy.  That said, remember their restricted universe does NOT include remedies or therapies that improve your health!  THAT is why they are pessimistic.  THAT is why they scare you, or cannot offer much hope or any constructive options.

They will produce charts or statistics that tell you what will happen if you don’t do what they say.  Those charts are produced by independent organizations or universities which receive funding from Big Pharma, or, by the pharmaceutical companies themselves as an ‘educational tool’ for the doctors.  Those charts and statistics are paid for by those who profit from the doc’s recommendation.  Economic pressures keep the medical universe restricted, and that is just the way it is, and that is the little universe they live in and the one they present to you.  But there is life outside of that universe.

“I went to the doctor and the doctor said…

5.  “This is what ‘we’ can do in your case.”

Not only does their little universe NOT include remedies or therapies that improve health, it only contains sophisticated and sometimes toxic tests, surgery or toxic patented chemicals with side effects that damage health.  Here are some questions to think about and if you don’t know the answer ASK YOUR DOCTOR …

a. What is the success rate of this therapy?  Will this improve my health, address the underlying cause of this problem, or just mask a symptom?

b. Have any of  your patients quit or regretted this therapy/test because of its outcome, side effects, or cost?  What are the worst outcomes you have seen personally from this kind of treatment?  (Give them plenty of time to answer this.)

c. If surgery is recommended, please ask the surgeon: Have any of your patients gotten worse (or died) as a result of this surgery, or from the hospitalization, or from ‘complications’?   AND, what are the typical long term effects of the surgery?  What are the worst outcomes you have seen from this surgery?  (Again, give them plenty of time to answer this because you need to know to make an informed decision.)    I am amazed how many people are NOT told of the ramifications and long term outcomes of their surgery.  The docs call those ‘complications’ and they are usually your fault!   Of course they cannot predict them, but they should know what they are statistically or, at least in his experience!)   Often surgery requires more surgeries!   They know this!!   What is the likelihood of that?

Then be prepared because you will have to sign a small print form that says something like this, “I understand the practice of medicine and surgery is not an exact science and I acknowledge I have received NO guarantees regarding the outcome of the treatments received.”    Just FYI.

d.  If a test is recommended you can ask the same questions as in b. & c. above, because some people experience serious health setbacks from invasive tests (colonoscopies in particular).   Consider what recommendations are going to be made as a result of the test’s findings.   If you don’t plan to follow those recommendations, there may be no need for the test.  To give an example, it was recommended to me, as a pregnant 38-year old, to have a test to make sure the baby was OK, and if not, I would have the option to abort the baby.  I refused the (invasive) test because I would NEVER EVER consider aborting my baby.

e. It is fair to ask them: If you had my condition would you do drugs/surgery before seeking safe and natural approaches?  And if they say “There are none”, ask them how long have they spent researching it.  The point of all this is NOT to create an adversarial position but to gather LOTS of data helpful to make an informed decision.

f.  Then ask if they would they be willing to monitor your progress regularly as you pursue nutritional intervention for 2 to 6 months?  If so, what medical measure(s) would they use to determine if nutritional intervention or other alternative therapies are working?  Blood tests?  Ultrasound?  Etc.

How can I know nutritional intervention is helping?

The KEY is how you feel, how much energy you have and how you sleep.  (Those are the reasons you went to the doctors in the first place.)   Know that without energy and good sleep your body cannot heal itself.  Fatigue greatly delays repair.  If your energy ever drops as you decrease the herbs then you need to increase the dosage again.  If that does not increase your energy in 2-3 days, contact me for a potential change of course.

Sometimes there are other measures you can use to evaluate your progress: palpation, blood tests, blood sugar tests, blood pressure tests, etc.  You can order your own blood tests to monitor your progress (PSA, Cholesterol, cancer markers) on several websites like Life Extension, Direct Labs, and you can search for other websites to find the best prices.  Insurance will not pay for these.

Mindset is also important.  It is wise to address the stress causing the imbalances that are manifesting.  Or, consider living with your diagnosis.  With good nutrition and good energy you can have good quality of life and forget you even have your condition.  Many do.

©Pat Block ND 2007

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