Taking Control of My Health
First of all, please let me say that I am NOT anti-western medicine. I believe 100% that there is a place for both holistic/natural medicine AND western medicine. The technical term for what I believe is Functional Medicine - which is neither holistic, natural, western, etc. It is about addressing the cause of the problems and taking measures to address those causes without simply writing a prescription for the symptoms. Sometimes that pill can have its own side affects that might even require another pill. I realize most people want instant satisfaction and by taking this pill, it will instantly relieve....."heartburn", "gas/bloating", "irregular periods", etc. Of course there is definitely a place for prescription medications. I know what you are thinking, but my dad had "insert disease here" and so of course I am going to get it too. That may very well be true. I believe that our genetics plays a huge role in our health, but it is not the only factor. As I also do not believe you do everything your doctor says without first asking question after question and researching it for yourself. Most importantly, I want to feel good about my healthcare decisions.
The Genetics Factor
After discussing my mom and grandma's medical history with my mom and talking with her about having children, I am convinced that both of them had/have PCOS. PCOS is hereditary. Both my mom and grandma also has had blood pressure and cholesterol issues. My grandma passed away with congestive heart failure, kidney failure and diabetes. My mom currently takes high blood pressure and high cholesterol medication. Does that mean that I am destined to have heart issues too?? Well, maybe, but not necessarily. I am determined to continue taking care of myself now because of the information I have and what I know about my history. I understand how insulin resistance affects my cholesterol and how the foods I eat can cause my blood sugar to spike and plummet which wears out my pancreas. I also see how stress has played a role on both sides of my family's health and how important it is to keep stress levels down.
Genetics is why I am so crazy about food for my kiddos. I have taken a lot of slack for not allowing my daughter to have a ton of sugar. There is a very good reason for this. Why do I want her to go through what I went through? What is wrong with wanting her to develop healthy eating habits at an early age? Since child number 3, I have been more relaxed on their food intake. They do get more servings of grains, but not "sweets", such as ice cream or cookies on a regular basis. So while they have been exposed to sweet treats, that is what I want to teach them, that it is only a treat, not for every day. I have looked and tried to find research on PCOS and when symptoms begin in girls (and boys for diabetes risk), with no luck. When I look back, my PCOS symptoms started as far back as I can remember, even before puberty. I want to teach my daughters how to take care of themselves to hopefully reduce symptoms, if she has any.
M.D.'s and Pharmaceutical Centered, Not Patient Centered
Again, I am not starting an anti-doctor campaign here, just wanting to increase awareness. I have several personal experiences that make me question whose interest that doctor had in mind....was it me or the pharmaceutical company that gave them that notepad. (Another disclaimer here: I worked in state government as a non-partisan staff. I am a little more skeptical when it comes to people's intentions and being objective, especially when money is involved.) I once saw an Ear, Nose & Throat doctor for some sinus issues I was having. I had chronic sinus infections throughout college and for the first few years after college. This particular ENT asked very few questions, told me I needed an anti-biotic and a nasal spray, which he wrote down the nasal spray I needed on a handy notepad from that nasal spray company. Fast forward a few years to when I really took control over my health and changed my diet completely. Not only was I feeling better, but my sinus/allergy issues disappeared. I do not know why for sure, but my theory is that the foods I was eating (starches and sugar/grains) was causing my body to not function at optimal levels in a way that could fight off minor infections/allergens (not really sure the word I'm looking for here). That meant no nasal sprays or anti-biotics. Since then, I have had maybe one or two sinus infections that I can remember.
The last time I visited an M.D. that was not an OB was August 2009. I had a huge blood sugar incident that was taking me several days to recover from. I decided to see a doctor. I was really concerned about diabetes due to my family history, yet I did not know about the PCOS at this time. My fasting morning blood sugar numbers were in the 90's and normal for me was 70-80. He told me I was fine and that I should keep doing what I was doing. If my numbers got worse then we could address something then. Basically, "You're fine, go home and don't come back until you are a diabetic". I felt like an idiot at first, but then I was angry. I had been working on my diet, changing from simple carbs to comlex carbs, but I still had a decent amount of grain type items (oatmeal, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat tortillas, etc) in my diet. The USDA Choose My Plate campaign recommends 6 ounce equivalents of grains for women. According to the USDA Choose My Place website, that could be a packet of instant oatmeal for breakfast, 2 slices of bread (2 servings) with a sandwich for lunch, 1 cup of cooked pasta (2 servings) for dinner, 3 cups of popcorn for snack. That is a lot of carbs. I even talked with the nutritionist at this doctor's office, which of course recommending the USDA's serving portions.
I was frustrated and confused by why I felt horrible (I knew why, but I thought I was eating what I was supposed to be eating) and what I should do about it. This is the point when I saw the naturopathic doctor. He was recommended by a friend, but I admit I was very skeptical. It turned out to be a life changing experience.
Naturopathic Doctors
First of all, naturopathic doctors are not licensed in Missouri, therefore, they are not covered by insurance nor can they write any prescriptions. Not being licensed also means, that anyone can call themselves a naturopath and "treat" people without any regulations or being held to any standards. (As a disclaimer, I can only speak of my experience and I do not know how other reputable naturopathic doctors practice medicine.) My first appointment was amazing. He listened to all of my concerns, we reviewed my entire medical history and we discussed tests that he wanted to conduct. The one thing that impressed me the most was that he did not automatically recommend something for me to take (and buy from him), until after blood work came back. This is what ultimately gained my trust, the fact that he did not try to sell me something in the beginning. It also helped that he had graduated from a very reputable naturopathic school (which of course I looked up).
The follow-up appointment after test results were in was just as impressive. He carefully reviewed my test results WITH me, by going over every measure and explaining what the measure should be and what my numbers meant, whether they were on target or deficient. He also had me write down what he recommended, which was regarding my diet and supplements. I spent a lot of time in his office over the following year and a half working to reduce my testosterone levels, boost my immune system and rid my body of toxins in hopes to get my hormones in balance so that I could conceive naturally.
I do hope that most or all naturopathic doctors are this patient centered and that everyone would have as positive of an experience as I have had. And although I have had to pay for all of my appointments and supplements out of pocket, I believe that in the long run it has been/will be more cost effective if it keeps me from a much more expensive disease.
The Genetics Factor
After discussing my mom and grandma's medical history with my mom and talking with her about having children, I am convinced that both of them had/have PCOS. PCOS is hereditary. Both my mom and grandma also has had blood pressure and cholesterol issues. My grandma passed away with congestive heart failure, kidney failure and diabetes. My mom currently takes high blood pressure and high cholesterol medication. Does that mean that I am destined to have heart issues too?? Well, maybe, but not necessarily. I am determined to continue taking care of myself now because of the information I have and what I know about my history. I understand how insulin resistance affects my cholesterol and how the foods I eat can cause my blood sugar to spike and plummet which wears out my pancreas. I also see how stress has played a role on both sides of my family's health and how important it is to keep stress levels down.
Genetics is why I am so crazy about food for my kiddos. I have taken a lot of slack for not allowing my daughter to have a ton of sugar. There is a very good reason for this. Why do I want her to go through what I went through? What is wrong with wanting her to develop healthy eating habits at an early age? Since child number 3, I have been more relaxed on their food intake. They do get more servings of grains, but not "sweets", such as ice cream or cookies on a regular basis. So while they have been exposed to sweet treats, that is what I want to teach them, that it is only a treat, not for every day. I have looked and tried to find research on PCOS and when symptoms begin in girls (and boys for diabetes risk), with no luck. When I look back, my PCOS symptoms started as far back as I can remember, even before puberty. I want to teach my daughters how to take care of themselves to hopefully reduce symptoms, if she has any.
M.D.'s and Pharmaceutical Centered, Not Patient Centered
Again, I am not starting an anti-doctor campaign here, just wanting to increase awareness. I have several personal experiences that make me question whose interest that doctor had in mind....was it me or the pharmaceutical company that gave them that notepad. (Another disclaimer here: I worked in state government as a non-partisan staff. I am a little more skeptical when it comes to people's intentions and being objective, especially when money is involved.) I once saw an Ear, Nose & Throat doctor for some sinus issues I was having. I had chronic sinus infections throughout college and for the first few years after college. This particular ENT asked very few questions, told me I needed an anti-biotic and a nasal spray, which he wrote down the nasal spray I needed on a handy notepad from that nasal spray company. Fast forward a few years to when I really took control over my health and changed my diet completely. Not only was I feeling better, but my sinus/allergy issues disappeared. I do not know why for sure, but my theory is that the foods I was eating (starches and sugar/grains) was causing my body to not function at optimal levels in a way that could fight off minor infections/allergens (not really sure the word I'm looking for here). That meant no nasal sprays or anti-biotics. Since then, I have had maybe one or two sinus infections that I can remember.
The last time I visited an M.D. that was not an OB was August 2009. I had a huge blood sugar incident that was taking me several days to recover from. I decided to see a doctor. I was really concerned about diabetes due to my family history, yet I did not know about the PCOS at this time. My fasting morning blood sugar numbers were in the 90's and normal for me was 70-80. He told me I was fine and that I should keep doing what I was doing. If my numbers got worse then we could address something then. Basically, "You're fine, go home and don't come back until you are a diabetic". I felt like an idiot at first, but then I was angry. I had been working on my diet, changing from simple carbs to comlex carbs, but I still had a decent amount of grain type items (oatmeal, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat tortillas, etc) in my diet. The USDA Choose My Plate campaign recommends 6 ounce equivalents of grains for women. According to the USDA Choose My Place website, that could be a packet of instant oatmeal for breakfast, 2 slices of bread (2 servings) with a sandwich for lunch, 1 cup of cooked pasta (2 servings) for dinner, 3 cups of popcorn for snack. That is a lot of carbs. I even talked with the nutritionist at this doctor's office, which of course recommending the USDA's serving portions.
I was frustrated and confused by why I felt horrible (I knew why, but I thought I was eating what I was supposed to be eating) and what I should do about it. This is the point when I saw the naturopathic doctor. He was recommended by a friend, but I admit I was very skeptical. It turned out to be a life changing experience.
Naturopathic Doctors
First of all, naturopathic doctors are not licensed in Missouri, therefore, they are not covered by insurance nor can they write any prescriptions. Not being licensed also means, that anyone can call themselves a naturopath and "treat" people without any regulations or being held to any standards. (As a disclaimer, I can only speak of my experience and I do not know how other reputable naturopathic doctors practice medicine.) My first appointment was amazing. He listened to all of my concerns, we reviewed my entire medical history and we discussed tests that he wanted to conduct. The one thing that impressed me the most was that he did not automatically recommend something for me to take (and buy from him), until after blood work came back. This is what ultimately gained my trust, the fact that he did not try to sell me something in the beginning. It also helped that he had graduated from a very reputable naturopathic school (which of course I looked up).
The follow-up appointment after test results were in was just as impressive. He carefully reviewed my test results WITH me, by going over every measure and explaining what the measure should be and what my numbers meant, whether they were on target or deficient. He also had me write down what he recommended, which was regarding my diet and supplements. I spent a lot of time in his office over the following year and a half working to reduce my testosterone levels, boost my immune system and rid my body of toxins in hopes to get my hormones in balance so that I could conceive naturally.
I do hope that most or all naturopathic doctors are this patient centered and that everyone would have as positive of an experience as I have had. And although I have had to pay for all of my appointments and supplements out of pocket, I believe that in the long run it has been/will be more cost effective if it keeps me from a much more expensive disease.