Some natural doctors claim that they like dealing with tough cases. Although I look forward to the challenge when I consult with a “tough case”, I honestly wish that it was easy to restore everyone’s health back to normal. I’m not talking about a quick and miraculous cure, although this would be nice. But it would be wonderful if everyone who followed a natural treatment protocol simply got better by changing their diet and lifestyle, and if there were no setbacks at all.
Unfortunately this isn’t the case, as I’ve learned that no two patients are the same. So for example, if two different people with Graves’ Disease walked into my office with similar symptoms and similar labs, this doesn’t mean that both would follow the same exact protocol. There probably will be some overlap regarding their diet and supplement recommendations, and I will definitely emphasize the importance of stress management and minimizing the reduction of environmental toxins to both people. But there still will be some differences in the natural treatment protocol followed. And the same concept applies to people with hypothyroid conditions.
One person might follow the protocol and get consistently better over a period of months. This is of course the ideal situation, as one wants to see the person’s symptoms improve greatly within one or two months, if not sooner, have their blood and saliva tests normalize, and for them to reach the point where they are in state of “permanent remission”. Of course even when someone restores their health back to normal they will need to maintain their health, but it can be a challenge to get some people to restore their health in the first place.
Giving The Natural Treatment Protocol A Fair Chance Is Important
It can be a difficult situation when I consult with someone who has been dealing with their condition for many years, and that person has been to numerous natural healthcare professionals without much success in restoring their health back to normal. Of course sometimes this is the problem itself, as a person will jump from natural doctor to natural doctor without giving any protocol a fair chance. This is why if someone wants to consult with me who is seeing another holistic doctor, I prefer for them to first finish following the recommended protocol they are currently following. Of course if they are looking for another doctor because they are uncomfortable with the one they’re currently seeing I completely understand, but if they are switching doctors because they had unrealistic expectations then I honestly would prefer not to consult with such a person.
But sometimes people have seen multiple natural healthcare professionals and have given the natural protocol a fair chance. Sometimes I will consult with such a person and immediately realize that the natural doctor they saw missed something. Other times the person was evaluated thoroughly and was put on the proper protocol, but for some reason they didn’t respond. This admittedly can become frustrating for both the doctor and patient. The patient wants to get well for obvious reasons, while I want to get people better so they will 1) be able to live a healthy lifestyle, 2) show their friends and family members that natural treatment methods do work, 3) laugh at their endocrinologist who mocked them when they said natural treatment methods are a waste of their time and money, and 4) refer others with similar conditions.
For Extremely “Tough Cases” Begin With These Three Areas
One of the most challenging situations is when someone walks into my office who is allergic to just about everything. They have many different food allergies, and are also very sensitive to different supplements and herbs. Sometimes a person doesn’t have many sensitivities, but despite seeing one or more natural healthcare professionals they haven’t responded favorably to the recommended natural treatment protocols.
When this is the case, 95% of the time the problem is coming from one of three areas. And sometimes the person has a problem in all three of these areas. These areas of the body are 1) the gut, 2) the liver, and 3) the adrenals. This doesn’t mean that other areas can’t be the main cause, but for most “tough cases”, one of these three areas are frequently the cause of the problem. Quite frankly, it’s very common for those who aren’t “tough cases” to also have problems in these areas which is the main cause behind their condition.
For example, weak adrenals will affect both digestion and the immune system, which can in turn trigger an autoimmune response, thus leading to Graves’ Disease or Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Problems with the gut can also trigger an autoimmune thyroid disorder. This is especially true with a condition such as leaky gut syndrome. And if the liver isn’t functioning properly then this can directly affect the thyroid gland, as well as other systems of the body. Of course most conventional medical tests will come out negative for these “tough cases”, and so most of the time the person’s endocrinologist or general medical practitioner will rule out digestive, liver, or adrenal issues. The person will have to reach the point where they have liver damage or a condition like Addison’s disease before their medical doctor will pay attention to these compromised areas of the body.
But not all natural healthcare professionals will detect problems with these areas of the body, and so they might tell the person to clean up their diet and give certain supplements, which may help a little, but by itself won’t restore the health of these “tough cases”. For example, if the liver isn’t detoxifying properly, then one needs to correct this problem. If the person has a leaky gut or other digestive issues that are affecting the digestion and absorption of the food they eat and any supplements they take, then this obviously needs to be addressed. And if the adrenals are compromised, then this definitely needs to be corrected for the person to have any chance of fully recovering.
In summary, I don’t know of any natural healthcare professional who has a 100% success rate, and when dealing with thyroid and autoimmune thyroid conditions there definitely will be some challenges. For “tough cases”, frequently addressing the gut, liver, and/or adrenals will help greatly in restoring the person’s health back to normal. Of course sometimes this isn’t the case, which can be frustrating to both the patient and the holistic doctor. But addressing one or more of these three areas will usually be of tremendous benefit to the patient.