Visit to the Naturopath: my conclusions.

     How am I doing?  Are the diet and supplements doing their job?  If you remember, I went to the naturopath with concerns about insomnia, frequent headaches, and various musculoskeletal complaints. Two weeks after starting the new regimen, I began a busy rotation in the hospital!  As if on schedule, my insomnia struck.  I faithfully took the prescribed remedies, but my inability to sleep was worse than ever.  No sleep, combined with no coffee in the morning, is a brutal combination. I managed to survive a busy first day without too much problem. On night number two, I went to bed tired but nervous.  I wondered, “What if I can’t sleep again?”  As I lay down in bed, my heart started to race. I knew this was a bad sign. I strove to stay “natural”. I wanted to give the naturopathy a chance. I checked the clock every 15 minutes and right around midnight, I realized that I was no closer to sleep, but much closer to another sleep-deprived night. Just the thought of another sleepless night followed by a busy day at work made my heart beat faster.  Finally, I broke down and took an ambien (a sleeping pill). This bought me 3 ½ hours of sleep.  Not enough for someone who needs 8 hours a night, but enough to allow me to survive day #2 at work.  I repeated this pattern the following two nights, attempting natural sleep followed by a brief ambien-induced coma.  I was a train wreck.  I was forced to drink coffee in the morning just to survive.

On the fifth night, I decided it was time to try something different.  I forced myself to go for a run before dinner (more of a stumble in my sleep-deprived state); I stayed up 1 hour later than usual; I read my book; and, I convinced my wife to “have relations” with me (code words for sex).  I managed to sleep about 5 hours without the help of ambien!  Finally, the cycle seems to be breaking.

On the sixth night, I played basketball in the evening.  I was so tired, I found myself fouling people uncontrollably.  No one was mistaking me for Michael Jordan.  That night, I repeated my new routine of  staying up late, reading (it was getting hard to focus), and “having relations” with Beth.  She really is very tolerant of me.  My routine was rewarded with 9 hours of blissful sleep. The following nights, I slept well even without my wife’s assistance (I can only push her so far).  I had finally shed the yoke of insomnia!  It did not appear that my Lycopodium, Nux Vomica, or Calcarea Carbonica, all of which claim to treat insomnia, helped in any way. Maybe not enough time had passed.  Maybe I am not a true believer.

            What about my other complaints?  I must admit I have had a pretty good stretch regarding my headaches.  During my week of insomnia, I had some minor headaches, but I never had to resort to taking my prescribed Maxalt.  Since I began sleeping again, I have had no major headaches.  My head might still get a little achy, but nothing disabling.  Could this be a sign that the Tuberculinum, Nux Vomica, and the Calcarea Carbonica are doing their intended job?  Who knows?  I suspect cutting back my coffee intake and the near elimination of alcohol are largely the reason, but who knows.  Maybe it is my more relaxed outlook, thanks to the Linden Flower extract.  

            My back, hip, and foot pains are unchanged.  I suppose had I more rigorously adhered to the exercise and stretching program this might not be the case, but the anti-inflammatory diet clearly hasn’t done the trick.  Nor have the multiple anti-inflammatory and “adrenal adaptogen” substances that I have been taking.  I have continued with my regular exercise routine which includes biking to work (9 miles each way) 1-2 times/week, basketball 1-2 times/week, maybe a trip or two to the gym for some weight lifting and stretching, and then chasing my kids around. After any of these activities, lifting and stretching aside, I feel pretty inflamed the next day!

            In conclusion, I grade my Naturopathic experience a 5 on a 1 to 10 scale, with 10 being the best score possible.  I am very impressed with the amount of time that the naturopathic doctor spent with me.  This amount of time would be unheard of in a traditional medical practice.  I think that the lifestyle modifications, both dietary and exercise, prescribed by the naturopath are fairly common sense and similar to that which a standard nutritionist and physical therapist might recommend.  Some aspects of the “anti-inflammatory” diet are obvious, such as eating natural foods, more fruits and vegetables and avoiding processed foods and saturated fats.  Again, these are not groundbreaking principles.  I am less sure about the restrictions on coffee and alcohol.  The unique components of the naturopathic experience are the supplements and the homeopathic remedies.  I can see the allure of these relatively inexpensive remedies. You can look up your symptoms in a reference book and then find any number of “natural” supplements and homeopathic remedies.  This ability to determine your own treatment plan, with the naturopath’s assistance, is very empowering.  Unfortunately, beyond these admirable qualities, these remedies largely fall flat.  If I am going to spend $150- 200 a month on remedies, I would like to see some proof that they work, not just writing in a century old book!  I would like to think that medical science has advanced the practice of medicine even just a little bit since Boericke wrote his homeopathic treatise, Materia Medica, in 1929!  Just because it is written in a book does not make it true.  Despite the many fallibilities of modern medicine, I believe there is a role for proof of principle.  I will admit that my 6 weeks experimentation with Naturopathic medicine was just that - “experimentation” - but I certainly have my doubts which have been magnified the more I have learned.  I liked the holistic approach to medicine, but I think my money would be better spent seeing a nutritionist and a physical therapist (and my insurance might even help).