We need medical doctors. It has never been my intent to suggest that my clients would never have need for a medical doctor — that they could solve everything with just natural medicine. Can you solve most of your health problems with natural medicine approaches? YES! Can you minimize your need for conventional medical treatment? YES! But we must keep a balance. In this Update I want to give some guidelines for when and how to use your medical doctor. But I also want to give you some guidelines as to when to avoid your medical doctor and conventional medical treatment.
GET IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION IF:
The following is a partial listing of situations requiring that you see your medical doctor immediately:
- Accidental Injuries — This is probably pretty obvious, but I just wanted to be thorough. Broken bones (or possible broken bones), severe burns, severe lacerations, or any other kind of accidental injury require immediate medical attention. This, in my view, is one of the most important legitimate usages of your medical doctor.
- Unexplained Pain — Pain is an indication that something is wrong. Some pain is obvious as to its cause, such as hitting your finger with a hammer, indigestion from overeating, a headache from a stressful situation, etc. But when pain has no obvious explanation and/or continues, it should be checked out by a medical doctor.
Understand that seeing your medical doctor may not result in finding out the cause. Often, one of the most important purposes of conventional medicine is simply to rule out specific, often more serious, problems. I repeatedly ask my clients regarding many health complaints whether they’ve seen their medical doctor to rule out this or that. I would be very uneasy working with a client with natural medicine methods when they might have a serious problem that legitimately did require conventional medicine. For example, if you’ve had constant headaches for a long period of time, I like to know that you’ve had an MRI or CT scan to rule out a brain tumor. With more serious problems ruled out, then a natural medicine approach is totally appropriate.
- Difficulty Breathing — Breathing difficulty can be life-threatening, as in the case of extreme asthma attacks. Though natural approaches may be useful in dealing with the underlying causes, medical treatment is certainly appropriate to immediately relieve a potentially life-threatening situation.
In this type of situation conventional medicine rescues you from the emergency. You may need conventional medicine not only for an emergency rescue, but also to control symptoms while you work on the underlying cause with natural medicine approaches, such as we do at Pacific Health Center.
- Extremely High Fever — While the correct view of fever is to see it as part of the healing process, extreme fever can affect permanent brain or other damage. Again, it is important to deal with the cause, but a fever should be kept within safe limits. Fevers of 104 degrees and above should be controlled so as to not go any higher. That might require bathing in cool water, application of ice, or use of anti-pyretic drugs. If the fever is still remaining too high, immediate medical attention should be sought.
Keep in mind that with the fever the body is burning up toxins. Therefore, the natural medicine approach would be to help the body do what it’s trying to do. Lots of distilled water, juice fasting (fresh squeezed grapefruit juice is particularly recommended), garlic retention enemas for a natural antibiotic effect, and other means may eliminate the problem such that conventional medical care will not be needed.
- Cancer Danger Signals — A number of possible symptoms may indicate malignancy. Thus, a medical doctor should be consulted. The American Medical Association Encyclopedia of Medicine lists the following cancer danger signals:
Rapid weight loss without apparent cause
A scab, sore, or ulcer that fails to heal within 3 weeks
A blemish or mole that enlarges, bleeds, or itches
Severe recurrent headaches
Difficulty swallowing
Persistent hoarseness
Coughing up bloody sputum
Persistent abdominal pain
Change in shape or size of testes
Blood in urine, with no pain on urination
Change in bowel habits
Lump or change in breast shape
Bleeding or discharge from nipple
Vaginal bleeding or spotting between periods or after menopause
These signs don’t necessarily mean that you have cancer, but they do mean that you could have cancer. Therefore, again the function of your medical doctor is to rule out the more serious problem. By the same token this doesn’t exclude the need for a natural medicine approach in addition to, or in some cases, instead of, the conventional medicine approach to malignancy.
- Doubtful Symptoms — I think our motto should be, “When in doubt, check it out.” If you have a symptom that concerns you for which the cause is not obvious, by all means check it out with a medical doctor. Your M.D. may or may not have an explanation, but in either event you will have done what you can to discover the problem.
PROPERLY USING YOUR M.D.
Just because you seek medical attention for a health problem does not mean that you blindly accept the diagnosis or proposed treatment. You are still in charge, and your medical doctor is merely a paid consultant working for you. That may mean that you elect to get another medical opinion. That may mean that you choose not to accept the doctor’s counsel. Ultimately, you alone are responsible for making the appropriate health decisions based upon your own knowledge and convictions, as well as those of medical doctors or other health professionals.
SELECTING AND TRAINING YOUR M.D.
I know this sounds funny, but it’s absolutely true. If you can’t get your M.D. trained properly, he or she will not be of much help. Understand that you have a lot going against you when you meet with your medical doctor. M.D.’s are trained in a generally false philosophy in medical school that they have built their whole approach on. They are trained in a humanistic philosophy that looks at your body as an evolutionary accident rather than the unique, perfect (though fallen) creation of God. Therefore, they usually do not respect the natural healing process God has built into the body. They view themselves as the mighty interventionists that must save you by drugging your symptoms. They have been trained in heroic medicine.
What I’m saying is that the typical M.D. can’t see the forest for the trees. For example, say you have a sinus infection. That’s a simple one to your medical doctor—just give you a prescription for antibiotics. It would never even cross their mind that sugar intake, food sensitivities, systemic candidiasis, lack of rest, previous medical treatment with antibiotics, or other root causes may be the real issue that needs addressing.
Therefore, you have to know better. You have to know that you don’t need an antibiotic for every infection that comes along — unless you constantly want to have candidiasis and more infections! I think there are three basic strategies you can use:
Strategy #1 — Find a natural medicine-oriented M.D. — This is easier said than done. Number one, there aren’t that many. Number two, a high percentage of such M.D.’s are very New Age oriented and thus produce appropriate discomfort in Christian patients. Therefore, most people are going to have a “regular” M.D., and need to use Strategy #2 or #3.
Strategy #2 — Full Disclosure — You can tell your M.D. from the beginning that you primarily deal with your health problems with natural medicine practitioners and approaches, but you want to use him or her for appropriate medical examinations, tests, treatment of injuries, and the rare situations where conventional treatment is the only way. Now, if the doctor is amenable to this, you’ve probably got a pretty good doctor. But if he gets arrogant with you at this point and starts lecturing you about how natural medicine is a bunch of quackery or whatever, it’s time to leave, and let him mess up someone else’s health.
Strategy #3 — Play Dumb — With this strategy you don’t tell your M.D. about all the natural medicine approaches you use or practitioners you see. You just go in and get whatever examination or conventional medical service you want. You may let them write out prescriptions that you never have filled. They may suggest a medical test that you choose not to have done.
To do this, you have to know what you want. That means you have to educate yourself on your health in general and any specific problems in particular. Remember you live in your body 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You know more about your own body than any doctor ever will, particularly if you get well informed.
REGULAR MEDICAL SERVICES
What regular services should you have from your medical doctor? This depends on your health. If you have any specific, significant diseases you will need appropriate monitoring by your M.D. But if you don’t have any particular disease conditions, I would suggest having a physical examination annually. This should include basic blood tests, for which you should always get a copy. Men over 40 should have both a digital exam and P.S.A. blood test for prostate problems.
Due to inaccuracies and possible cancer risk, I do not recommend mammograms merely for screening women over 40. If you have specific symptoms or risk, they may be appropriate, but not for all women. One test all women over 40 should have is a DEXA bone density scan—it’s safe and accurate for measuring osteoporosis before it’s too late.
Balancing your usage of conventional and natural medicine is key to achieving optimal health.
Better Health Update is published by Pacific Health Center, PO Box 1066, Sisters, Oregon 97759, Phone (800) 255–4246 with branch clinics in Boise, Idaho, Post Falls, Idaho and Portland, Oregon. E-Mail: drkline@pacifichealthcenter.com. Monte Kline, Clinical Nutritionist, Author. Reproduction Prohibited.
DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this publication is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose illness nor prescribe treatment. Rather, this material is designed to be used in cooperation with your nutritionally-oriented health professional to deal with your personal health problems. Should you use this information on your own, you are prescribing for yourself, which is your constitutional right, but neither the author nor publisher assume responsibility.