My trip to the Naturopath - my treatment plan - YouLookFab Forum

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My trip to the Naturopath - my treatment plan

Anonymous

The appointment was productive, I think. Then again, I'm just getting started.

First, she highly recommends acupuncture (problem is that it's $75 per visit & not covered by insurance; my DH & I are putting our kids through college, and our oldest DD is facing jaw surgery in January 2016) and swimming (I'm a very poor swimmer and dislike being in a cold swimming pool).

Secondly, she wants me to go on a 30-day elimination diet. That will begin after my vacation in May, of course. No sense in starting something I can't stick with until I get back. It's a long list, but won't be too difficult for me I don't think, simply because most of what I'm supposed to avoid are things I don't eat in the first place. The challenges for me will be black tea, dairy (I only eat plain nonfat Greek yogurt, though, so no real biggie there), gluten, and nightshades. Of the nightshades, tomatoes and peppers will be a little difficult. Since I already love sweet potatoes, doing without white potatoes won't be bad. Mushrooms will be missed, but again, doable. I'm lucky that I already eat 99% of the listed foods I'm allowed to have. The idea, of course, is to find out if anything exacerbates my pain.

Lastly, she recommended EuroMedica Curaphen Extra Strength. It set me back $45 for 60 tablets, so it's not an inexpensive supplement. I'm going to try it, though.

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carter

Veteran

I'm sorry, BC, I'm not remembering your issue. Is it RA?

I'm a huge believer that it all starts with food and chemicals we put in our bodies, so hopefully you'll find something that's triggering pain/causing inflammation and is easy to eliminate.

Regarding the acupuncture and your insurance, a couple of thoughts. First, when I was dealing with my toe joint issue pre-surgery, physical therapy sessions included "needling", which I understand is very similar to acupuncture. Maybe your insurance would cover PT? Secondly, when we had crappy insurance before, I realized that there are at least 2 rates for nearly everything medical-related. For instance, when my insurance wouldn't pay for a chiropractor, he told me I could do the self-pay price of $25 instead of the insured rack rate price of $50. Ridiculous, but there it is. When my daughter needed a root canal that her insurance wouldn't cover, I sent her my list of dental HMO rates for the services. She took it to the dentist, and he matched it. Maybe you can negotiate enough of a discount to make it doable.

Would love to hear more about your experience with the Naturopath.

Helena

Veteran

I hope you find it a positive experience! I'm sorry that you are coping with pain.

Anonymous

Thanks. In answer to your question, Carter, I'm suffering from OA. It has an inflammatory component to it like RA, but is not (yet) considered to be an autoimmune disease like RA. The reason I say "yet" is because of the Stanford Univ. study I posted about in another thread.

I have some menstrual issues that make her think I might be "estrogen dominant," whatever that means. I can't be tested for that right now because I'm taking a low-dose BC pill to control my periods. I've been thoroughly tested in the past 4 years that I doubt anything has been omitted, so I doubt I have any serious hormonal issues. Still, I'm going to ask my PCP about all this.

Then there's hay fever that I've had since my mid 20s, and some skin problems I've dealt with over the years.

The diet is to hopefully improve my overall health by finding what foods are problematic for me. If I'm lucky, it might also help me manage my chronic pain. As for the acupuncture, I may try it once my DD's jaw surgery is behind us. It seems like we always have something major to pay for. Sigh...

My DH continues to dismiss all this. I'm saddened not to have his full support, but I have to do this. It's only 30 days, and there aren't that many things I have to eliminate. If I ate like most Americans, I would have some real problems with the diet. Thankfully, I just need to do some minor adjustments.

DonnaF

Veteran

Is it the Whole30 eating that TransconnaShannon's been doing?

abc

Veteran

I will be following along. I have a condition I suspect is auto immune. I should do the elimination diet but I can't seem to get myself prepared and do it. Please keep us posted. I'm hopeful for you.

Ledonna N.

Veteran

I pray that you find healing and recovery on your journey. Thank you for sharing something so personal. We are here to support you.

Anonymous

DonnaF, she gave me a typewritten handout, so I'm not sure if it's the same as Whole30 or not. I've been wondering about that myself.

Basically, she told me it's better to do this elimination diet once, and only once, in a lifetime and to "spread the net wide" to include all potential problem foods. In other words, don't just eliminate one or two things that you think are more than likely a problem.

At least I have a little time to think about what I'm going to eat before I start this. I don't know why my DH isn't on board with this. It really won't affect him at all. Dinner is the only meal I prepare for the entire family. Breakfast and lunch are individual. He eats his stuff and I eat mine. And since he loves rice so much, it's not like he's a meat and potato eater who is going to complain about having to eat something else. Eating out will be impossible for me; but again, I'm sure we'll all live. We only eat out once a week anyway, and sometimes only twice a month. We don't eat fast food, either.

stainedglass

Was swimming recommended because it's low impact? If that was reason why it was recommended, there are water aerobics classes for arthritis. Also, the water temperature should be higher for an arthritis based class than for a competition pool (competition pool temps are usually 78F-80F, while aerobics and general use pools should be higher at 86F-88F). You can also find higher temperature pools at physical therapy facilities.
You might also want to consider meditation; it won't help with the arthritis, but it can help to treat chronic pain.
I hope that you find something that works for you.

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

I wonder if your Naturopath suggested eating fresh organic ground flax seeds on a daily basis? From my own research it seems there is quite a lot of scientific data out there to support the benefits of adding this high Omega 3 and high fiber food to offset the years most Americans have had eating a high Omega 6 oil diet. Most oils in processed foods and restaurants use high Omega 6 oils like canola. Unless you eat high quality seafood high in Omega 3's, it would be likely you would be lacking. Omega 3 is helpful in many ways but it is vital to reducing inflammation in the body. And inflammation is said to be the major cause of most disease.

I've just begun adding ground flax seeds as a snack (use a small coffee grinder) and plan to eat about 2 TBS ground a day. I like the taste so I just eat it with a spoon. The are a bit like sesame seeds. You can of course add them to salads, cottage cheese, yogurt, oatmeal or whatever you like.

This is something you could try right away. It would likely take about 2 weeks to notice an improvement. But the recommendation is not to grind them ahead of time so you'd have to keep the coffee grinder with you on vacay - but it's a small item for potentially big benefits.

Anonymous

There are specific oils, etc. that are on the elimination diet, and specific ones that aren't allowed. Most of what's allowed is what I already eat, and most of what's not allowed is what I don't eat or can eliminate rather easily. I do eat flax seeds, but not in the quantity you mentioned. I can certainly up it to 2 T. a day and see if that helps. As for fiber, my diet is already very high in fiber. For some reason, my system doesn't function well without a high fiber diet, so that's not something I have to change.

Yes, swimming was recommended because it's low impact. I'm already cycling 90 minutes a day due to my rheumatologist's recommendation. She said I needed to strengthen my quads. It doesn't bother me in the least. I have a desk cycle at work, and cycle 30 minutes 3x/day (morning, midday and before 5:00 pm quitting time) at 10-12 mph on medium tension. My office is so cold that the cycling helps warm me up and doesn't make me sweat. I feel a little lightheaded each time I finish, though, so I'm sure it raises my heartbeat. I have to sit for a few minutes after cycling to get my heartbeat back down to normal.

We just put 2 DDs through college and have 1 more starting college this summer, plus 1 DD has jaw surgery coming up, so I really don't have a lot of discretionary income to spend on gym memberships, arthritis classes or what have you. She said I can go down to the aquatic center, and since I already pay a monthly membership for my youngest DD, I know it's not expensive. However, I'm fairly sure the water temp won't be warm. It's just a regular swimming pool. I'm still trying to talk my DH into buying a hot tub. It's hard when we have to pay so much for water. Our water bill this month was $219, and it's always this way in the warmer months because we water our lawn and plants.

Peri

Veteran

I'm curious about this and I hope it helps you...keep us posted!

As far as acupuncture and needling being similar though, not at all! I've had both and the only similarity is that they use needles. Acupuncture is like being soothed into feeling better. Needling is like being beaten up with the hope that as you recover from that you will recover more. I was left with huge bruises after needling and felt worse for days, then back to where I was with not a lot of improvement. It did help a friend of mine, but my experience with it was not good. Overall though, I do think regular PT is fantastic.

Anonymous

Peri, I've already gone through extensive PT. Nothing seems to help much, which is why I'm now visiting a naturopath.

My PCP thinks the elimination diet is a good idea. She also said they checked me out thoroughly (blood work) at the rheumatologist's office, so no concerns there. She said I can quit the BC pill if I want. I may do that after I get back from vacation. Not sure yet, but this estrogen dominance thing has me a little concerned.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Wishing you all the best and hope that we can support you in some way.

Sara L.

Veteran

Bettycrocker - my DH and I just bought this hot tub: http://www.amazon.com/Intex-Pu.....den&a... from Amazon. We've only had it a couple weeks but so far we really enjoy it and it's been working well. We didn't want to put a lot of money into a hot tub because we're not sure how much we'll use or if we'll want to maintain it. However, this might be an inexpensive solution for you.

DonnaF

Veteran

Let us know how this goes later this month. You and Shannon have me wondering whether I should do an elimination diet since my gut has been hurting a lot lately. Yesterday, I had two scoops of ice cream at great ice cream place, and an hour later I was very sorry. Today, I had doughnuts and the same thing. I rarely eat these things, but I was celebrating my birthday. Either I have to give up ice cream and doughnuts entirely or maybe eat them regularly in tiny quantities.

Anonymous

I wonder what doughnuts and ice cream would have in common besides sugar and fat. Could it be your gallbladder? Or the sugar overload?

Tania

Veteran

Sorry to hear about your condition. Regarding acupuncture, if you need to look into lower cost options, I've had good success with using the student clinic at a local acupuncture school (IME, supervising faculty were often great clinicians and checked the placement of needles and such), and there is community acupuncture as well, which is often "you-determine-what-you-pay" arrangement.

Anonymous

Thanks. The ND did recommend community acupuncture, but said they won't do my back. Well, that kills it right there. That's where 99% of my pain originates from.

Peri

Veteran

To answer the donuts and ice cream question...milk! I'm allergic to dairy and can't have either. DonnaF I hope you check back in because what you are going through sounds very much like me 15 years ago.

Anonymous

Milk - of course! Why didn't I make that connection? That tells you how long it's been since I've eaten a doughnut, lol.

I'm still searching for recipes I can use for this rather strict diet.