My Introduction to Holistic Medicine

My wife Maria and I were introduced to the power of holistic medicine several years ago. The interesting thing about alternative medicine is that most people find it because they have been getting no answers with traditional doctors and western medicine. This was certainly the case for Maria.

At that time, Maria was experiencing a number of unwanted symptoms, including nausea, anxiety attacks, difficulty sleeping and heart palpitations to name a few. She was not a happy camper. She went through various tests; upper and lower GI, things like that. She was given Nexium for acid reflux which she refused to take. She knew that the doctors, well intentioned as they may be, were giving her no answers.

A good friend of ours suggested that she go to see his doctor who used a whole different method of treatment. Instead of focusing on just the symptoms that Maria was experiencing, he would get to the root cause of what is causing those symptoms. Well, nothing else had helped, so why not? So, we made an appointment.

I will never forget that day that Maria went to see Dr. Tim. She called me as soon as she got out his office. “Jamie, that was amazing! My life is never going to be the same.” Dr. Tim had figured out, first of all, in one visit, that Maria had hyperthyroidism. This was one of the things that was causing these symptoms. Normally, with a thyroid problem, the patient is prescribed a pill that is taken every day for life. This is a radioactive pill going into your body day after day. Doesn’t sound too appealing to me. Dr. Tim told Maria, “Don’t worry about the thyroid, we are going to get that straightened out”. But he didn’t prescribe a pill.

He did give her some natural supplements, and along with some other techniques did some chiropractic adjustments. But the other thing he did was change her diet.

Maria was a bit of a sugarholic. She was also a vegetarian at the time, and she was not getting an adequate amount of protein and nutrients in her diet. She needed to cut out sugar entirely from her diet, at least for a while. Also wheat, which meant pasta, rice, bread; these were all off limits. His directive was to stick to proteins(beef, pork,, vegetables, and a little fruit.

Dr. Tim’s approach, like many other holistic practitioners, is that you treat the whole person. You don’t just treat a symptom, everything is taken into account: Chemical, Structural(skeletal), Emotional, even Spiritual. These factors all contribute to our overall wellbeing and health.

So, getting back to Maria… She did exactly what the Doc suggested, and visited him once a month as well for checkups. The first few months for her were, admittedly, tough. Getting off sugar was like getting off a drug. Sugar is a very addictive and dangerous thing, we found out. She actually had hallucinations a couple of times during the first couple of months. Plus, we were cereal, sandwich, chips, muffins, toast, pasta eaters.
Needless to say, we went through the cupboard and threw out most of our food. Literally, there wasn’t much left once the stuff that she couldn’t eat was gone. And while Maria told me that “It’s fine if you want to eat that honey, I won’t mind”, I knew that if it was in the house, she would be tempted to eat it. For her, it was too important, as a thyroid problem is nothing to mess around with. I knew that I needed to help her along and cut out the sugar and those other things in my diet as well.

So, this went on for a while, and then something amazing happened. Maria suddenly found herself with a new state of mind, and in her words, her “whole head cleared up” as if there was a haze that had been lifted from her vision. She began to see life in a different light, a more positive light, and she began realizing what her real potential in this life is. It was right around this time that she also made a major shift in her career, and she fulfilled a lifelong dream of working with animals. She began her path as a dog trainer/behaviorist, which to me was a no-brainer for her, as it came so naturally to her.
She does not think that she would have “seen” it if she hadn’t begun to balance out her body, mind and spirit in a natural way.

I noticed changes too. I noticed that I didn’t crave sweets so much, and I just felt better staying off things like bread and pasta. I also began exercising on a regular basis. Clearly, both of our lives had been changed in such a positive way. Through these treatments, and her dietary changes, Maria’s hyperthyroidism is gone. Her thyroid is exactly as it should be: perfect.

Since that time, I cannot help but try to spread the word about holisitic medicine. It’s kind of strange to me that it is called “alternative” medicine, when to me it is the most natural, using our own bodies as healing mechanisms. We just need to let it do what it needs to without getting in the way of its healing. We have too many pills, too many “isms” that are created for the purpose of selling another drug. Too many unneeded surgeries, and procedures that could be corrected with the right supplements, dietary and lifestyle changes.

So if you ask me why I believe in the power of natural, holistic medicine, I simply say with confidence, “because it works”.

-Jamie