A Naturopathic Approach
Choosing my treatment
After years of feeling neglected and misunderstood by the Western Medicine industry, it was a seemingly easy decision to go the naturopathic route.
A Naturopathic approach, combines the teachings of Eastern medicine and self healing, through non-invasive treatments and lifestyle changes. This natural approach involves the use of intuition, spirituality, and the belief and evidence in nature’s ability to heal the human body. Naturopathic doctors use their teachings to take preventative measures towards healing the body and sustaining ones health, rather than simply prescribing solutions to symptoms and fixing ones illness after it’s taken place.
There are a lot of misconceptions about naturopathic medicine, and whether or not it’s effective on the human body. To an extent, sure, I can see where people who disagree with it’s affects are coming from. A Naturopath can’t perform surgery or fix a broken bone, that’s what Western Medicine doctors are for; but Naturopaths are onto something when it comes to the overall health and well being of the human body and quality of life. I believe it’s important to take an integrative approach, and going with what feels right to me, and I encourage you to do the same for yourself.
Different types of Naturopathic approaches include herbalism, homeopathy, acupuncture, nature cures, physical medicine, applied kinesiology, chelation therapy, mineral IV infusions, botanical medicines, vitamins, minerals, allergy treatments, and nutrition and dieting. I have found that through the integration of IV infusions, lifestyle changes, and the applied understanding of nutrition and the human body, I have already experienced massive changes in the overall health of my body, aside from the diagnoses I have received.
In July of 2018, I began seeing Dr. Starr Ramson at Nourish Medical Center. I had seen a few naturopaths before, but Dr. Starr has an overwhelming healing energy and intelligence that I had yet to see. I was skeptical at first, seeing as so many doctors shoved me out the door or told me to change my diet without explanation, but as soon as I sat down with Dr. Starr, I could feel her empathy, knowledge, and beautiful personality through the first hour I had with her. After word vomiting my symptoms to her, trying to get a grip on where I should begin, she stopped me from rambling to ask me what my mental health was like as a child. I instantly burst into tears. She proceeded that question with another list of lifestyle questions like, “What do you do for work?” and “Are you happy with your life?” She asked me about childhood traumas, my lifestyle as a teenager, my lifestyle as a young woman in my mid-20’s. I was stunned to be asked these questions, but these were considerations I had never thought about before. This, was the beginning of my new life.
Throughout my visits with Dr. Starr, I was diagnosed with several conditions and tested for ailments I had no idea I had. Some may find this to be bad news, but I was desperate to understand the ins and outs of my body. Over the course of 8 months, I was tested and diagnosed with SIBO, H.Pylori, Candida, low stomach acid production, low immune system function, C. Diff, a severe allergy to eggs, amaranth, wheat, (gluten, which was previously diagnosed,) and an intolerance to sugar cane, yeast, lettuce, and mushrooms. We proceeded with five phases of treatment, with different sets of protocols and dieting plans.
The first was an herbal round of treatment to attack and kill off my SIBO and H. Pylori. Although I was familiar with SIBO, I had no idea what H. Pylori was. I was shocked to find out that H. Pylori is a pre-cancerous stomach infection. A pre-cancerous stomach infection? How was it that after all these years, this was the first time I was being tested for this condition, and informed of it’s impact on the body? Dr. Starr informed me that if we did not take care of the H. Pylori, it would develop into stomach cancer in my 40’s or 50’s. My diagnosis of H. Pylori is what lead me to adopt a plant based lifestyle. Through this diagnosis, along with a the diagnosis of low stomach acid production, I came to understand that my body doesn’t have the ability to digest meats. The meat I would consume would sit and rot in my stomach for days, leaking toxins into my blood stream, giving me brain fog, nausea, diarrhea, leaky gut symptoms, and abdominal pain.
My second round of herbal treatment was meant to promote healing and rehabilitation to my gut, integrated with a dieting plan tailored to my body and conditions. I was still slightly unaware and admittedly naive, when it came to the importance of my dieting plan, so after the first two rounds of treatment, my SIBO spiked and next thing you know, I was being diagnosed with Candida and C. Diff at the same time. Fortunately, after following my protocol and eating plant based, my H. Pylori had been eradicated, which lead me to be hopeful; but knowing I had elevated levels reflecting my SIBO infection, lead us to decide in choosing to continue our third phase of treatment with the Elemental Diet. The Elemental Diet is an amino acid formula, meant to starve out the bacteria causing my SIBO. I’ll be sharing details about this treatment in a post, soon to come. After the Elemental Diet, my SIBO levels went down by about 80%, which felt like a total miracle. I was still fighting off Candida, but that was the least of my worries at that moment.
My fourth phase of treatment included another round of herbal supplements and an even more intense dieting plan, which inspired me to create this blog. After following an intentional diet, consisting of developing my own recipes, cooking with several anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal ingredients and herbs, along with understanding the importance of making my own nut milks, non-dairy ice creams, and egg free recipes. After my fourth round of treatment, my C. Diff and Candida were completely eradicated, while my SIBO levels continued to decrease. Unfortunately, we found a small viral infection that entered my system after testing out a few restaurants in my area. Although I was choosing organic, health conscious restaurants, my body was still in an incredibly weak state and susceptible to infection.
This is why I felt so moved to create A Bit of Thyme. While attempting to heal my gut, I’ve consistently learned the importance of controlling my diet and intake of products as best I can. I don’t always know what condition the kitchen is in at a restaurant, I don’t always know the condition of their ingredients, or where they’re sourcing them from, but when I cook in my own home, I can sleep peacefully knowing I did the best I could for my body. Today, I’m currently going through my fifth round of treatment, where we hope to completely fight off SIBO, another part of my journey I’ll invite you into.