The title of my article will immediately divide most readers into two camps: half will have their finger above the “love” button and the other half will have their finger above the “angry” button. This is a reflection of today’s society: some seem to believe that alternative medicines are absurd, nothing more than a costly placebo effect. Others believe that Western medicine is just a farce that promotes disease for profit. Few people seem to consider them as I do: complementary to each other. As a figure competitor (although on an extended sabbatical for health reasons), I love natural medicine. Over the years, I have benefited immeasurably from the vast options available to me through naturopathy. However, as much as I enjoy kombucha and acupuncture, I enjoy life more. And I can only achieve this with the use of conventional medicine.
I suffer from a complex, life-threatening genetic disorder that requires more than kale and happy thoughts to treat. My illness is written in my DNA. If you could cure it, you’d be in Sweden accepting a Nobel Prize for medicine, not touting an herbal blend to “eliminate toxins” to make my failing digestive tract function easier.
My number one pet peeve is when someone offers a holistic “cure” for my illness. This has happened to me for years, but since the rest of my colon is scheduled to be removed and a permanent ileostomy placed next month, people have come out of the woodwork to suggest alternative methods to cure my evils.
At the hospital about a month ago, I struck up a conversation with a woman waiting next to me in the emergency room. When I finally told her about my upcoming surgery, she said, “Wait, did you try diatomaceous earth first?” This will cleanse the toxins from your gut.
At a fitness competition, a woman at a booth enthusiastically promised me that her MLM product would cure my “tummy problems.”
A nursing assistant recently asked me if I had used this special brand of yogurt that helps with bowel movements.
Someone recently suggested on Facebook that gastroparesis could be cured with a positive attitude.
Last weekend, after inquiring about my surgery, a woman asked me if she could refer me to her naturopath.
I never really know how to react in these situations. I seethe so deeply with despondent frustration that I can usually only spit out something along the lines of “Yeah…thanks.” Or offer a half-hearted attempt to explain my underlying physiology that makes such methods ineffective.
I know their intentions are altruistic, which is why I refrain from responding in anger. I really appreciate the suggestions themselves: it’s the subsequent fervent insistence that their idea will restore me to good health – usually with the help of pseudo-scientific claims – that infuriates me. By suggesting that their special mushroom blend or three-week water fast will make me healthy again, these individuals are entirely denigrating the struggle that partly shaped the person I am today. What people like me need is awareness: many chronic illnesses are currently misunderstood and poorly treated, leaving those who suffer from them feeling isolated and also misunderstood. Reducing their illness to a mere nuisance helps perpetuate the global apathy that afflicts them.
I find it insulting when someone suggests that I am undergoing this major life-changing surgery before I have first exhausted all available remedies. I did everything except form a drum circle and an ileostomy avoidance session. Do you think I would commit to throwing my trash into a bag stuck to my side for the rest of my life if this stupid poop yogurt could help me?! If that is the case, then you are insinuating that I, and others who rely on Western medicine, are ignorant – choosing to stay sick when your product could easily get us back on our feet. Or, perhaps unknowingly, you are suggesting that we exaggerate our illnesses by proposing a simple method to relieve them. I still fervently believe that alternative and holistic medicine is an important facet of global health and I urge others to pursue this path in conjunction with their already established treatment methods. But certainly not with the ideology that it is her, and not Western medicine, only path to health.
Try to understand that countless people like me need the incredible advances of Western medicine to live and thrive. We need you to understand us, not belittle us and the courage with which we fought our battles. If you are a naturopath of any kind, I thank you for your ardent commitment to the health of others. However, I also urge you to understand that your field has its limitations and you must recognize them. You have a well-deserved place in medicine, but you need to understand when that’s not the case.
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Thinkstock photo via Gam1983.
