It's not always what it seems
We see it all the time now: a set of symptoms that appears (especially to non-physician) to describe a particular health condition. Patients are researching their own conditions on the internet now, coming to their physician with the information, hoping to validate it. This comes with a set of risks and benefits that seasoned physicians didn’t have to deal with 30 years ago. The information accessed, isn’t always what it seems.
I have seen the gamut of self-diagnosis, based on internet findings, that has left me both laughing and impressed. I recall a patient coming in, relating her set of symptoms to me, then with full confidence and seriousness announcing that she had already determined what it was she had – prostatitis! After questioning her deeper about her symptoms and why she felt convinced of her diagnosis, I gently asked her if she knew that only men had prostate glands, and not women. She stared at me like a deer in headlights, then tears streamed down her face.
She was so convinced!
I have also seen patients come in with a set of symptoms that they had researched on the internet, and their self-diagnosis was pretty unlikely due to the rarity. Then I too would research it, then send the patient in for testing to confirm it. Lo, and behold, they were right, and all physicians involved were shocked. Because conventional medicine, has become so segmentalized, some diagnoses are too simplified, missing some critical information that makes the original diagnosis not what it seemed on the surface.
For instance, a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis gets treated as an inflammatory autoimmune disease. It is treated with medications to suppress immune function and downregulate inflammation.
That all sound reasonable until you ask simple questions: “WHY would the immune system suddenly turn on its host?” “WHY the joints and not some other part such as the thyroid?” “WHY now?”
If you look at this simply from an autoimmune standpoint, you will miss the big picture.
This is also where internet research can get one into trouble. When auto-immune challenges come into play, the first thing I look at is digestion. How many Rheumatologists start here? If the joints are breaking down, we should be asking WHY. What is missing that the body needs for joint integrity? What is happening that is causing it to break down, eventually progressing into an auto-immune condition? Are you digesting the needed nutrients, or are you on acid-stopping medications, causing nutrient depletion that results in tissue degeneration? The definition of degeneration is when the body is breaking down faster than it is rebuilding.
WHY?
When a set of symptoms isn’t making sense, don’t ever allow it to be attributed to age, weight, athletics, or depression. While some small component can be connected with one of those, there is generally much more involved than it seems, and should be investigated in whole-body entirety.
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Holly Carling is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Licensed Acupuncturist, Doctor of Naturopathy, Clinical Nutritionist and Master Herbologist with nearly four decades of experience. Carling is a “Health Detective,” she looks beyond your symptom picture and investigates WHY you are experiencing your symptoms in the first place. Carling is currently accepting new patients and offers natural health care services and whole food nutritional supplements in her Coeur d’Alene clinic. Visit Carling’s website at www.vitalhealthcda.com to learn more about Carling, view a list of upcoming health classes and read other informative articles. Carling can be reached at (208) 765-1994 and would be happy to answer any questions regarding this topic.