Functional medicine doctors

Hooliebell · Post by **Hooliebell** » Fri Mar 28, 2014 9:24 am

Like to hear what all of you think about functional medicine doctors. I have a friend who has celiac disease and absolutely loves her functional medicine doctor. Thinking about it too. Insurance doesn't cover it and I don't want to spend lots of money on weird medicines, herbs, vitamins etc.

Post by **tex** » Fri Mar 28, 2014 10:25 am

My personal opinion is that they have some good ideas, but they tend to go overboard on too many things. For most of us who have MC, the more supplements we take, the less likely we are to be able to achieve remission, because we will almost surely react adversely to some of the supplements, and if we do, that will absolutely prevent us from benefiting from the others. The "miracle" treatments that we read about, simply don't work. As Polly would say, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. IOW, all it takes is one rotten apple in the barrel to spoil our recovery, and recovery is hard enough when we do everything right — we simply can't afford to take questionable supplements, or "off-the-wall" treatments, if we expect to recover in a timely manner.

But of course, that's just my strictly unprofessional opinion, and YMMV.

Tex

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Fri Mar 28, 2014 5:06 pm

I was using wholistic practitioners long before my MC Dx and after.

some key learnings;
- treatment protocols and supplement/liquid herb protocols for Cealiac, IBD's, Crohns dont work the same for MC.
(sorry, I cant give you a scientific reason for this)

- have reasonable expectations of the practitioner and the treatments, No one will be able to 'cure MC' they can help reduce inflammation, provide treatments to help heal the gut, help the liver (leaky gut puts big stress on the liver) and assist to improve the digestion process via treatments for all the digestive organs.
Any Treatment/Supplement protocol will take time, it can take 3 - 12 months (and sometimes longer for some) for the gut to fully heal. You can not fast track this .

- because MC'ers (especially in the inflammed stages) can not handle too many ingredients, and intense treatments (like strong liquid herbs) it is best to take it slow, try one supplement in small doses and work up to full dose, it can take 6-12 weeks of full dose supplements to see benefit. (Dont expect instant fix.)

- what works for one person may not work for another, I have been part of this group for over 4 years. medications, supplements, treatments, etc, we are ALL different. (that is the sucky frustrating part of MC!! )

-value for money. Some functional medicine doctors are very good, and charge accordingly. Depending on the fee cost, compare that cost to other possible treatments / high quality supplements that may help you. Have discernment and invest money wisely.

My acupuncturist costs me about $45 per appointment (1 hour) for the benefits i would get from the treatment this was a very viable investment.
others in the group have used acupuncture for treatments, to reduce inflammation, to help resolve nausea, some acupuncturists can do muscle testing and help figure out ingredients and supplements that will help you.

Private sessions with a Yoga teacher or a Pilates teacher may give you good stretching/relaxation guidance to help the body heal, and make sure your digestion is getting help where needed.

Value for your dollar, i always highly recommend a good quality Vit D3 at a good dosage. Good levels of Vit D3 in your body will help so many aspects of your health. If you are really inflamed, spend the extra and get Sub Lingual Vit D3, once the gut has healed you can revert back to tablets or liquid.

Hope this helps, feel free to ask more questions

DebE13 · Post by **DebE13** » Sat Mar 29, 2014 7:39 am

whole-heartedly with Tex.

I love my chiropractor who practices functional medicine. I haven't seen him in about four years. He was the first doctor who agreed with me that food was my issue. Sadly, he had no practical experience with MC. Soy remained in my diet along with a supplement regimen that could choke a horse, including a big gritty glass of fiber. The visits and supplements were not covered under my already expensive health insurance so it became a real financial burden. Had I felt a tinge of better health while on them, it would have been worth the money. My health continued to decline.

IMO, I would focus on the info here and manage your diet on your own. If you have the money, get the enterolab tests. For me, it revealed soy, eggs, and dairy were also a problem. That knocked my socks off but was a helpful confirmation of why I wasn't feeling remotely better. It was hard pill to swallow too since I was struggling with just eliminating gluten from my diet. It seemed like a death sentence. It takes lots of time but so worth the effort. I still have WD as the norm so I'm still working on figuring it out but have made big strides in my day to day life.

It's humorous now because if celiac was the only thing we had to deal with, it'd be a piece of cake! (Or maybe a Lara bar)

ldubois7 · Post by **ldubois7** » Sat Mar 29, 2014 8:46 am

I agree with Tex. I do believe fully in functional doctors and chiropractic, but with our disease, less is better as far as supplements! I found that out the hard way! :)

humbird753 · Post by **humbird753** » Sat Mar 29, 2014 9:14 am

I fortunately was able to get a diagnosis from Mayo Health System, but they never suggested removing gluten and possibly more from my diet. I searched for a ND and although she "seemed" to understand it, she recommended a lot of supplements (took at least 30 a day). Between our conference calls and the supplements, I was spending $500 every 5 weeks. When I found this forum, I soon realized less was best. I discontinued taking all the supplements she recommended. And, since I was not willing to follow her protocol, our conferences ended as well. Good luck to you in whatever decision you make.

Paula