pgr@mtgzz.UUCP (p.g.russo) (10/17/85)
My wife is considering seeing a nutritionist at a holistic health center. She is troubled by periodic dizziness, muscle soreness (arms & legs) and some headaches and general fatigue. (I attribute most of the fatigue to our 2-year old son). She's also interested in what this holistic center calls `colon irrigation', since she suffers from the irritable bowel syndrome (also called spastic colon). My question is this (pardon my ignorance): Has anyone had success with treating any of these problems by dietary changes and food supplements? What are your experiences with these holistic centers? Has anyone gotten their insurance company to pay for the testing done by these places? (The place we're looking at says that they have an MD who completes the necessary forms. My company already told me that they won't cover the services of a dietitian) I'm hoping that this place can help her. She's had urinalysis, brain scans, heart checks, something called a balance test (by an E&T doctor) and has regularly seen a chiropractor and an allergist. No one can seem to find anything wrong with her. Thanks in advance. Pat Russo AT&T Information Systems Middletown, NJ email: mtgzz!pgr
sdyer@bbncc5.UUCP (Steve Dyer) (10/19/85)
> My wife is considering seeing a nutritionist at a holistic > health center. She is troubled by periodic dizziness, > muscle soreness (arms & legs) and some headaches and general > fatigue. (I attribute most of the fatigue to our 2-year old > son). She's also interested in what this holistic center > calls `colon irrigation', since she suffers from the > irritable bowel syndrome (also called spastic colon). If your wife has exhausted most traditional medical methods without success, she has little to lose other than time and money to try what is offered by a HHC, *PROVIDED* that the particular therapies recommended have not been shown to be harmful by the medical/scientific community. Other therapies might be considered useless or ineffective by traditional standards, and some are likely perfectly compatible with orthodox healthcare. Every medical consumer should attempt to determine the risks and benefits of a therapy against their current condition before making a decision. This, of course, holds true regardless of what school of treatment you feel most comfortable with. I would be quite wary of going to a HHC which offers treatments which have been outright condemned by traditional medicine, because they are usually not only based on faulty theories of physiology and disease, but are quite dangerous. Colonic irrigation is one of these. It was mentioned a few months ago on this newsgroup, and several people, including myself, enumerated a number of facts: a number of deaths have occurred due to fulminant infection through the use of contaminated irrigation solutions and instruments. Sterile technique may not be followed, and ordinary cleanliness does not suffice to avoid such contamination. The colon is a big osmotic bag, and the irrigation solutions are not only absorbed through the colon wall, but deplete the patient of vital ions like sodium and potassium. Chronic (and even acute) administration of colonic irrigation has been associated with low blood pressure, dizziness, and serious heart disturbances. For these reasons, its practice has been outlawed by the state of Massachusetts except by an M.D., which effectively eliminated such treatments from the state. Check, too, on the diet which is recommended. It might be considered strange (or not), but it is prudent to verify that it provides a well- balanced set of nutrients. If it is grossly deficient in any particular nutrient category, and they recommend that you follow this for longer than a few weeks, an alarm should sound, and I would recommend getting a second opinion. -- /Steve Dyer {harvard,seismo}!bbnccv!bbncc5!sdyer sdyer@bbncc5.ARPA
wws@ukma.UUCP (Bill Stoll) (10/20/85)
In article <1259@mtgzz.UUCP>, pgr@mtgzz.UUCP (p.g.russo) writes: > My wife is considering seeing a nutritionist at a holistic > health center. She is troubled by periodic dizziness, > muscle soreness (arms & legs) and some headaches and general > fatigue. (I attribute most of the fatigue to our 2-year old > son). She's also interested in what this holistic center > calls `colon irrigation', since she suffers from the > irritable bowel syndrome (also called spastic colon). > > My question is this (pardon my ignorance): > > Has anyone had success with treating any of these problems > by dietary changes and food supplements? I would doubt you could cure these through nutritional approaches alone. Biofeedback plus nutrition will solve most cases. > Has anyone gotten their insurance company to pay for the testing > done by these places? (The place we're looking at says that > they have an MD who completes the necessary forms. My > company already told me that they won't cover the services > of a dietitian) > > I'm hoping that this place can help her. She's had > urinalysis, brain scans, heart checks, something called a > balance test (by an E&T doctor) and has regularly seen a > chiropractor and an allergist. No one can seem to find > anything wrong with her. LEARN SOMETHING ABOUT CLINICAL ECOLOGY. If biofeedback and nutrition don't solve the problem, Clinical Ecology is involved. Also, in this event, you should read "The Yeast Connection" by Wm. Crook, MD. > Pat Russo Dear Pat, All of the things you mention can be very helpful if selected for the right individual and applied by a skilled professional. Unfortunately, since the medical profession is still trying to deny the existance of nearly all the Complementary approaches to diagnosis and treatment, rather than trying to learn enough about them to adequately assess the work of the practitioner, you will have a hard time learning if they are good at what they do. Also--the "MD who is signing the forms for insurance purposes" is going to get in real trouble unless s/he is knowledgeable in all the fields you mentioned and actively involved in deciding what you need (let alone assessing whether or not they are working). Colonics, given with inadequately cleaned equipment or, given by an unskilled practitioner, can be dangerous. You could learn something about the qualifications of the place you mention by contacting the American Holistic Medical Assn. in Annandale Virginia. At least you can track down a nearby professional who can help you learn what you need to know. Good Luck! -- cbosgd!ukma!wws(Walt Stoll) YOU Walt Stoll, MD, ABFP Founder & Medical Director ARE MORE Holistic Medical Centre 1412 North Broadway Lexington, Kentucky 40505 THAN YOU THINK (606) 233-4273