Au Naturale

Lily finally is on the mend. I know this because she is dancing around at inappropriate times, whipping her hair, legs and arms all around. This makes me happy. Not as much when she starts doing cartwheels in the house though, she's a big girl- now I have to get involved.


It didn't just resolve itself. I took her to my naturopathic doctor. In the "modern" medical world- naturopaths are considered quacks and charlatans. Some are. Just like some doctors are frauds and suck at being doctors. But if you find a good naturopath, it makes a difference. I met one such lady in Boulder and she is the type of doctor who makes me want to pack up and move back to Boulder- put on some birkenstocks(never have owned a pair, by the way) and just be healthy. Isn't that what doctors are for? 

No, every time I go to the doctor-doctor, I end up with a migraine. It's stress and worry and traffic and parking and rudeness. That is why people only go when they are sick- it's a last resort. So the Naturopath in Boulder referred me to a doc here- who happens to live in Waimanalo-one of the prettiest beaches on the island.  His office is attached to his house and has that old, beachy musty kind of smell- but I got over it because this place does not stress me out. Twice I have gone when I was coming down with or had a full blown cold- and twice- within 2 days of my visit I was better.  He has this electronic allergy, conductor thingy a mabob. I'll admit- the first time he handed me a metal rod and told me to hold it and touch my nose, I began to question the non quackiness of this whole operation. This electrodermal screening instrument essentially creates a circuit with you as the conductor. The doc can then introduce foods and such on a metal tray, to this circuit and if it doesn't agree with your energy- there will be resistance in the flow.  SO I'm thinking I am paying money for quackery. This is gonna be great- I might as well hunt down John Edwards and have him commune with my dead breast. The doc asks me what known allergies I have- I say tomatoes. I have like 5 that I know of, but it's my test.  There is resistance to tomatoes. Surprise. Then he tries various fruits and vegetables, cheese, meats. My 5 were all resistant and a few more. So he says try to avoid them, see if I feel better.  I'm still a bit skeptical, but I try. Now the acupuncture part. This is something I have always been curious about. I think it works. On a non measurable level- like positive thinking- if thoughts can change the outcome - why can't little needles help? Only one pinched a little and laying there was the toughest part- I have to work at trying to relax and hold still. It helps when you have dozens of needles sticking out of you- if you forget and go to scratch something- you get a nasty little surprise. So I imagine sunshine flowing in and out of all the spots to remind myself not to move. Oh God my inner hippie is being released. I've been several times- not headaches, no stress- I look forward to the appointments and the 10 minutes I sit on the beach down the road near his house and I've also visited the whole foods store after appointments. The biggest thing is that I feel better. I feel like I am learning more about natural ways to fix symptoms and that they work. It's pretty interesting.

So when Lily got sick and our team- who I trust- suggested the wait and see approach- I was not real happy. I know some things take time and especially with a system that has been beat down like hers-the body is a little sluggish, BUT from the mom point of view- I wanted her to not feel so yucky. SO I made an appointment for her to see my naturopath. I explain to her this is a different kind of doctor and tell her all about the machine he will use- but that mostly he will talk to her and ask lots of questions. Once she sees his dogs hanging around the office- she is set- she spends every moment playing with them. He points out that Lily is dehydrated. That could definitely explain the headaches. The other thing is- try to make sure she has protein in the morning, it will help stabilize her sugars. Basic stuff, but that can make an impact. He gives us several herbs and supplements to help her feel better and says to call him in 3 days to see if she is feeling better.  I trust him, but I take the supplements home and have to research 2 of them before I will even consider giving them to her.  2 are basic supplements- one is essentially broccoli and the other is minerals. The other 2 are silica and porcine duodenum- ick- pig intestine? He said the silica would help for the hot/cold issues she has and the pig gut was for her intestines.  I start my research- the typical silica patient is someone who tends to worry, is timid and shy. Well Lily worries, but she is not timid or shy. Yet this is a chronic silica user- I look up the occasional uses for silica- the hot/cold issue, getting rid of poo or any foreign substance, colds/flus and migraines.  It doesn't seem to have any harmful side effects, so I figure we will try it. Then I read it is used for those with profuse sweating, who tend to worry and are obstinant about their work. That sounds about right. The pig intestine- well there was actual science and support of how that works to soothe the intestine- go figure. All I know is that the pills smell really bad and Lily even scrunched up her nose- but took them anyway. In 2 days, she was dancing around again. She felt better, I felt better. Maybe it was just a virus and ran it's course. Maybe she needed some extra vitamins and minerals. All I know is that she is feeling better and faster than the wait and see approach. I know a lot of people with health issues. Some cannot be fixed by naturopathic remedies- but the naturopathic remedies can help support the immune system and combat negative side effects. I hope that truly integrated medicine- with an approach that supports health not just treating sickness- will someday be the norm. It's a high hope, but not unattainable.