I'm finally fed up with my ongoing symptoms (basically, the big "D") after nearly three years gluten-free. I've decided to see a naturopath who specializes in homeopathy. He seems wonderful, but it's expensive, as my insurance doesn't cover it.

Does anyone have any thoughts on naturopathy/homeopathy, positive or negative? My GI has ruled out things, and I'm just not feeling any better, so I'd really like to go the natural route.

Thanks!

Naturopath/Holistic is a good choice. Another choice is a good, reputable LLMD (lyme literate medical doctor). They test for many different things, not just lyme.

You want to rule out parasites, yeasts, molds, metals, vitamin/mineral deficiencies. In short you want to see someone who can run all the bloodwork to start ruling things in or out. If you do get tested for lyme it is imperative that you go through Igenex labs and make sure you get a copy of all you test results. Many times people are told they don't have such and such but it really is a problem. You also might want to consider ELISA testing or doing a strict elimination diet (if you haven't already).

I don't know where you live but ART (autonomic response testing) or BioSET may be a good choice as well. ART is advance kinesthiology.

Also, if you'd like, swing by the OMG thread and post about your symptoms, what you've had done etc.

I've recently begun seeing a naturopath and some more integrated doctors. After years of suffering with diarrhea and other digestive issues and having all sorts of testing run by conventional doctors, I turned to the more alternative methods and so far I'm very pleased.

Thank you very much for your responses. It's very frustrating to still have problems, and I just don't know what it is now. I've eliminated soy and dairy, and nothing changed. Ugh.

Maybe I'll pop by the "OMG" thread--I was always intrigued by it since I'm still having problems, but I didn't want to barge in to a thread if I was in the wrong place.

Thanks again!

No one is in the wrong place on the OMG thread.

I have started seeing an acupuncturist and am very pleased. He, too, is expensive and my insurance does not cover it. I plan to continue as long as I can but I am also interested in homeopathy. My MD is good but does not know enough about celiac. Hope you do well. G

Hi,
I love my homeopathic. If you live in Sacramento, he is worth seeing.
Health Associates Medical Group 916)489-4400 / 800)675-4515
You can actually call, and talk to him between 8am and 9am.
He really believes strongly in the "Eat Right for your Type"
4 blood types, 4 diets, it is really an amazing book.
-Nancy

I started seeing an herbalist myself. It has been about 4 months and things are SO much better!!!!! The Big D, under control, Intestinal pain gone. I have even had an accidental, cross contamination. The symptoms were gone so fast!!! I also have DH with my celiac. (I like the deluxe version of everythng. ) I have not had a break out in over four months even with the CC. That in itself is amazing. The DH I had when I started going to the herbalist was gone in one month. And this was the worst case I have ever had. I even went to the doctor and asked for Prendesone to stop the itch. Of course it worked while I was taking it but came right back afterwards.
So as you can tell, I highly recommend alternative medicine. I think we all need to do what we believe in. But my herbalist is my hero. And best of all, I can afford her. She is very inexpensive compared to the accupunture I used to use.
Good luck. Let us hear your success story after you have seen the naturopath for a while.

There are many who have a great result from seeing these folks. I am unfortunately not one. I had been seeing a well respected naturopath and acupuncturist in my area. The first visit was a long one and we went into great detail so stupid me I felt safe taking what he prescribed without checking it. Big mistake. The first set of meds he gave me had one that glutened me. When told his response was that there was not enough gluten for it to be a problem, yea right. Figured since I am hypersensitive that after that he understood. I recently got my testing from Enterolab so when I went back I gave him the results and told him that unfortunately I am also showing antibodies to soy and casien. Again I thought he understood. I spent over 70 dollars on more of his 'meds' after I got home there was a clear soy and milk warning on one of them. When I called his office to ask why he 'prescribed' this after we had just had a half hour talk about antibody reactions I was told again that there was not enough of the substances to cause any reaction. This guy has written books, he practices at a local hospital, he is one of the most respected in my entire state but he is clueless when it comes to intolrances. As with any medical proffesional in the US we must use caution and common sense as too many are really uninformed about our needs and for some reason reluctant to listen or learn.

I have had good and bad experiences. You HAVE TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE GOOD. But even that sometimes is not good enogh. You need someone who speciallizes in whatever you need help with. For example, I went to an herbalist before my celiac dx and she suggested I add spelt bread to my morning breakfast!! It obviously made me way worse and I felt AWFUL! Then I went to another guy in her same office and he told me NEVER To put gluten in my mouth again (which my Dr. had suggested in the interim, so I was already gluten-free). But at least he was better than she was...that is like killing a Celiac. She also made me herbs (they do muscle testing to see which ones you need) and they made my stomach worse and gave me more D. So, my point is that you have to make sure they are really confident in what they are doing. I went to another herbalist today and she again was useless, even though she came very highly reccomended. The mistake we made was not calling her to see if she could deal with the complexity of my case (even most MD's can't). Good luck!

Kassandra

I agree that its important to look for someone who specializes in the areas which are pertaining to your particular health needs.

I did see one Naturopath more than 2 years ago and I did not benefit from my visists with her. She did not put me on any supplements since I was already taking stuff on my own....but she really wasnt knowledgable in the areas which I needed her to be.

If she *had* been knowledgeable she would have been able to determine what things we should test for in order to give me a diagnosis. Instead she just agreed with my self-diagnosis of candida and left it at that. She didnt attempt to look into underlying causes which may have been causing the candida situation in the first place.

I now have 4 people that I'm working with...a great team of alternative Dr.'s. I cant say enough good things about alternative medicine....these Dr.'s have served me well.

They are actually not all naturopaths.....two of my Dr.'s are MD's....however they have shifted their focus to alternative methods of healing rather than conventional.

Anyways, my first experience wasnt anything to get excited about but now that I'm seeing some very good Dr.'s who have a great deal of experience in treating chronic illness...I'm feeling very blessed.

After a little browsing on these forums I'm very much disturbed by the number of people that are in favour of homeopathic remedies.

For those that are unaware and are considering homeopathy as an option I would suggest you first perform some critical research on the subject. Although there are many good articles out there, this one sums things up quite nicely; http://www.badscience.net/2007/11/a-kind-of-magic/. You can also find lots of interesting tidbits on http://www.randi.org/.

Hi Adrian,
I certainly wouldn't want to take away your right to be disturbed by whatever you wish. However, I am a strong believer in the medical arts and as such, embrace alternative medicine when it seems appropriate. I would not seek a homeopath for a heart condition, celiac or anything else that might prove fatal - I do have enough faith in current Western medicine to use that. On the other hand, I have found quite a bit of relief through yoga and homeopathy for my radial tunnel syndrome and naturopathic/homeopathic remedies for the onset of colds. There is much more than a placebo effect going on when I take a course of homeopathic remedy for flare-ups of the radial tunnel syndrome. My father is a physical chemist, so I can just imagine how this rocks the hard science world. Whatever makes a person in pain feel better, without the detriment to their overall health is something that I believe any responsible person should pursue.
Sincerely,
Margaret

Margaret,

I mean no disrespect when I say this but all the scientifically valid trials have shown that there is absolutely no difference between homeopathic remedies and a placebo. This is not the same as saying that there were no noticeable effects at all as it has been shown that placebos can have a physiological impact although they are always quite minor. At best the majority of the more bizarre alternative methodologies like homeopathy are useful for nothing more than the feel good factor they engender in believers.

And actually, I would not class Yoga in the same category as homeopathy (okay, well at least not the physical and some meditative aspects); it is an excellent exercise and stress relief system.

As for your comment that, “so I can just imagine how this rocks the hard science world”, well, it doesn’t. Rock the science world that is. Any information that you’ve had to the contrary is, I guess, misinformation from homeopaths.

I find it telling that you say, “I would not seek a homeopath for a heart condition, celiac or anything else that might prove fatal.” After all, if it works as they say, then it should work for everything that they say, heart disease included, right?

My very best regards,
Adrian

I did that, too. My digestive issues finally ended up being the result of bacterial dysbiosis and Bartonella (a coinfection of Lyme Disease).

I also recently took Humaworm and had a tapeworm! Humaworm is a great product that gets rid of various bacteria, parasites, and yeast in the intestines. Maybe it would be a help.

The other thing is to take a good probiotic. I take VSL#3, which has 450 billion organisms.

I originally tested negative for celiac disease and do not carry the gene. Now that I've treated these other problems, my severe gluten intolerance has gone away completely.



You can't barge into that thread! Everyone is welcome!

At the same time, it's good to post in the forum so that everyone can learn from your issues. Many are intimidated by the size of that thread .... but all are welcome.

No offence taken, Adrian, I just disagree on some points with you. Homeopathy has an effect on my radial tunnel syndrome that is not a placebo effect. When I take the remedy, my condition exacerbates for a few days and then calms down. I was on another course of homeopathic treatment before my current remedy and it did nothing towards healing, so the suggestion of a placebo effect didn't work there. My homeopath is an M.D. who has decided to go to homeopathy. My health insurance covers it, so there is at least some credence about it on this side of the pond.
Perhaps I did not stress the part about medical arts enough. What is good for cancer, heart conditions and other potentially fatal diseases might not be appropriate for homeopathy or naturopathy. Different treatments for different ailments are something that I consider appropriate. Many people are driven to the doctor for viruses that can't be cured by antibiotics, yet they are prescribed over and over. I really don't believe that any of the current medical practices, Eastern or Western have it down pat. What works for the individual involved is most important and not always what current media would have us believe.
Margaret

I've had great results from Homeopathy. The key for me was to find a "classical homeopath" who treats the entire picture, not just the presenting symptoms. I would say I'm 80% better when I am on my remedy. With classical homeopathy there is not one remedy for celiac, but there is one remedy for you...your exact picture. I hope you find a good homeopath.

My naturopath has been enormously helpful. He helped me track down some additional food intolerance problems, helped my with my intestinal absorption problems, and put me on really good nutritional supplements to deal with adrenal fatigue, depression, and osteoporosis. He knows SO much about nutrition. So many of my health problems are nutritionally based--I had no idea, and assumed it was hypochondria, or aging. I thought once I went on a gluten-free diet I would be "cured", but years of intestinal damage, poor absorption, and leaky gut really wreaked havoc with my nutrition. Regular MDs do not know much about nutrition and a (good) naturopath does. I still see my regular MD for routine things like strep, but for most things I now see my naturopath.

Adrian, please keep in mind that many of the mainstream medical treatments don't have any better than a placebo effect, too.

In fact, many of them CAUSE more problems than they fix, because they usually mask symptoms rather than address causes, and in addition they have side effects.

Look at how many shelves of cold medicines there are at your local grocery store--and NONE of them cure the cold.

How many babies have been prescribed antibiotics for ear infections, 90% of which are viral? How many CHILDREN have been prescribed Ritalin? Yet EVERYBODY here with an ADD-diagnosed child reports HUGE improvements when gluten (and sometimes casein) was removed from the diet.

And you might do a search on this board about vaccines, which have been discussed on many different threads. Or just check out www.nvic.org.

I'm not saying that there is no value whatsoever in Western medicine, nor am I recommending homeopathic remedies. I AM saying that often, Western medical practices cause more harm than good, and most of us have BEEN there.

I haven't read a single article from a reliable source that claims that correctly prescribed medication is no more effective than placebo.



Lets face it, incompetence and mediocrity exist in every profession and I, my friends and my family have also experienced it from the medical profession on more than one occasion. But, and this is a big BUT, you cannot judge an entire science by its incompetent practitioners. Not only that, but it's quite irrelevant when judging the efficacy of homeopathic remedies; which have been proven time and again to be just smoke and mirrors.

Actually, I find it quite amusing that there is so much talk of incompetent doctors on these forums but when a homeopath also happens to be an MD then they are praised and held in high regard; seriously people, these are some of the most incompetent doctors you could possibly meet and it boggles my mind that they managed to pass their medical exams.

And yes, I know that there is heaps of anecdotal evidence that says homeopathy works but anecdotal evidence is not at all useful for determining efficacy due to all sorts of issues including confirmation and expectation biases.

As for the cold remedies; of course they don't cure the cold and none of them claim to but they can alleviate some of the symptoms which is a lot more than any homeopathic remedy can lay claim to.

Anyway, my initial post was not intended to start a flame war or even to convert the faithful as that's almost always impossible; it was however meant to raise a red flag of warning to those that haven't already been drawn in to the silliness; to those I say this, do not be fooled. Do some research first. Read the article that I originally posted, (here it is again http://www.badscience.net/2007/11/a-kind-of-magic/) and read the links that are referenced within that or if that article is too cutting for you try the more objective sounding wikipedia article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeopathy.

Now as Mr Gump once said, that's all I have to say about that.

Peace.

I have had mixed results with a homeopath. It wasn't related to my current situation with trialing a gluten-free diet, but it did work supremely to get rid of my morning sickness when I was pregnant with my last child. It did not work on my infant son who has extreme food protein intolerances.

Now, as a newbie, I have to ask...what is the OMG forum/board?

Thanks!!

Julie

the only way i got a diagnosis was from a naturopath. I had medical doctors saying that my symptoms were in my head, basically along the lines of "you're imagining your symptoms." Yeah, its expensive, but it seems like insurance doesnt cover very much as it is, so I think it's worth it in the long run.

I have only wonderful things to say about holistic medicine - the number one reason is that they seem to understand that in order to treat a patient they have to listen to them! We've all been thru that with our doctors.

After finally getting someone to diagnose me I was told "Yes, you have celiac. Come back in 3 months." And left me on my own. No explanation, no direction as to what I was supposed to do - nothing. I called up my "voodoo" doctor in tears and he got me in that day. He put me on a regiment of supplements which helped me tremendously, he sat with me and explained what celiac is and what I should eat and what I should avoid and he did all of this without making me feel stupid! That was something NO ONE in the "normal" medical community has ever done for me. He also explained that I may also have other food allergies and to not be surprised if other foods will become eliminated from my diet. So far only lactose has had to be eliminated. The supplements have certainly helped.

I am also seeing a naprapath for my fibromylgia (diagnosed June 2007) and he is also very big on the listening skills! Again, he sat with me for about 1/2 hour and explained what FM is and what he does to help FM patients and what I could expect from his treatment. He is also familiar with celiac, as one of his office staff has it.

So I would say go for the holistic approach - they seem to have a more open mind than "western medicine" doctors and certainly more caring!

Elizabeth Secora
gluten-free since March 2007

I am new to this forum.. but I suggest you read Live Right for your Type and a new book just out The Genotype Diet. Both books are written by an ND who loves biochemistry.
The intestine is the most important organ in the body.
Your local library probably has them both.

Welcome LovelyCherry!