This past Saturday I attended a seminar presented by Dr. David Brownstein, who is a medical doctor who practices holistic medicine. During the lecture he told a story about his father, as he had a diabetic lesion on his foot, and the vascular surgeon recommended for his father to get his foot amputated. The lesion had been there for many months, and during this time Dr. Brownstein advised his father to rub testosterone cream on the lesion. On the same day he was given the recommendation by the surgeon to have his foot amputated, the father admitted that he failed to follow his son’s instructions. So Dr. Brownstein took his dad home and had him apply the testosterone cream, and showed a “before and after” picture of his foot. After six weeks of using the testosterone cream the lesion was almost gone, and his father didn’t have to get his foot amputated. When Dr. Brownstein told the vascular surgeon what he was doing, the surgeon didn’t care to find out how he specifically helped his father, even though this perhaps could save others with a similar problem from having their extremity amputated.
Anyway, one night he was having a conversation with his wife regarding the holistic approach he used to help his dad, and asked her the question I included in the headline: “Why Wasn’t I Taught This Stuff In Medical School?”.
He also told us how when he first began practicing he would tell his patients not to take any vitamins or minerals because it was a waste of money. He also would tell his patients not to see a chiropractor, even though he knew nothing about chiropractic. But after realizing the benefits of chiropractic and holistic treatment methods in general, he changed his practice around and focused on holistic treatment methods, and even refers people to chiropractors when necessary. So if your endocrinologist tells you that “you’re crazy for looking into holistic treatment methods”, keep in mind that this is due to the natural biases which are developed while in medical school. As a result, it’s very rare for a medical doctor like Dr. Brownstein to open their mind and incorporate holistic treatment methods into their practice.
Dr. Brownstein also was telling us about a time when someone was asking him questions regarding his experience in medical school, and when asked what he liked best about medical school, his answer was “nothing”. When asked what he didn’t like about medical school, he said he could have given a long list of answers about what he didn’t like about it, although he said that his number one dislike was the biochemistry, as the biochemistry taught in medical school only pertains to taking drugs to manage the symptoms, and not correcting the cause of the problem.
Medical Doctors Save Many Lives, But…
Without question we’re lucky to have medical doctors, as well as prescription medication for people who really need to take it. The problem is that most medical doctors are close-minded when it comes to natural treatment methods. And while this might not seem like a big deal, what this means is that millions of people with different types of conditions are taking drugs unnecessarily, receiving unnecessary surgeries, etc. In fact, here are some statistics that Dr. Brownstein shared with us during the seminar:
“Chronic disease will cost $47 trillion dollars by 2030”
“Chronic disease is estimated to kill 36 million people per year”
“Heart disease kills 17 million people per year”
So despite all of the drugs people are currently taking these numbers keep on rising. As I have stated in my past articles in posts, some people with thyroid and autoimmune thyroid conditions need to take medication, but it’s just crazy that nothing is being done to address the actual cause of these issues. As a result, while some people with hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis do need to take thyroid hormone on a permanent basis, many can also have their health restored back to normal naturally. And the same concept applies to people with hyperthyroidism and Graves’ Disease, as some might need to take antithyroid drugs on a temporary basis, but thousands of people receive radioactive iodine each year who could have had their thyroid health restored back to normal if they followed a natural treatment protocol first.
It would be great if there were more open-minded medical doctors like Dr. Brownstein, but as he stated, “In medical school there is no mention of health, as medical doctors are only told how to diagnose and treat disease, which we don’t do very well”. Of course Dr. Brownstein isn’t the only medical doctor who opened his mind to natural treatment methods, as other doctors have done so too. On the other hand, I’ve never come across a holistic doctor who got sick of using natural treatment methods and decided to use conventional treatment methods.
There Is A Place For Both Holistic And Conventional Medicine
Once again, I’m not opposed to conventional treatment methods, as there definitely is a time when thyroid hormone, antithyroid medication, as well as other drugs and conventional treatment methods are necessary. But even with all of the new drugs being developed, people are getting sicker and sicker, which usually means they will be told to take even more drugs. The fact is that not only do medical doctors have the “take a drug for every symptom”mentality , but most people do too. Dr. Brownstein gave the story about his father, and I’ll admit that my father has a medical mindset as well. If someone has indigestion and mentions it to him he will recommend an antacid. If he has a cold he will take an antibiotic, even if it’s a mild one. Once again, there is a time and place for medicine, but to treat every symptom with a different drug is just asking for problems, and over the long term taking this approach won’t benefit one’s health. And while my father is could be in a lot worse shape for his age, he probably would be a lot healthier if he ate better, took a few quality supplements (and not the cheapest ones from Wal-Mart), took less medication, etc.
In summary, anyone with a thyroid or autoimmune thyroid disorder should get diagnosed by an endocrinologist in my opinion in order to rule out anything serious (i.e. thyroid cancer). And at times it’s fine for them to be given a prescription to temporarily manage the symptoms. On the other hand, when it comes to finding out the actual cause of the condition, and then trying to correct this underlying cause, in most cases an endocrinologist is the last person you will want to see to receive such treatment. Of course those who are satisfied with lifetime symptom management should go see such a doctor. But my guess is that since you are reading this information you’re interested in a natural approach for your condition. And as I’m sure you know, you won’t receive this approach from most medical doctors you speak with, although Dr. David Brownstein is one of the rare exceptions.
As a side note, I have recommended Dr. David Brownstein’s book “Iodine, Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It” many times in previous articles and posts. But he has some other good books and DVDs that you might want to check out by visiting his website at www.drbrownstein.com [1].