As you see, Gail asked me to forward this to the list--
Camilla
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Date: Tue, 08 Oct 1996 16:11:45 -0700
From: "Gail B. Post" <[log in to unmask]>
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Camilla,
I have tried to send this message to the listserv since Sunday and it
keeps bouncing back. Please send it for me. Any idea why it won't go?
n Dykstra wrote:
>
> Hi Milo -
> Thank you for your letter supporting alternative medicine. The double
> blind studies that the medical community insists on are nice--and I, too, am
> thankful to have them, but ultimately what is useful for each one of us
> depends not on what happened to the higher percentage in the double blind
> study, but what happens to us individually.
> I know you probably already have, but I have either forgotten or missed
> it--please, share what alternative medicines you have found useful. I take
> grape seed extract, Vitamins C and E, Co-Q and Ginko Biloba as well as
> various others off and on. I haven't noticed an effect, but how do we know
> the effect if it is one of slowing down the progress.
> Anyway, please share what alternative practices you are using.
> Thank you.
> Joan
I had to respond to your message and Milo's because I think it is an
excellent commentary on alternative medicine. I do not have PD, but have
a father
with it and certainly think it is possible I could develop it. However,
I have suffered for years with a variety of symptoms that began after my
son was born 20 years ago and I had what felt like an enlarged thyroid.
I had a scan and normal blood thyroid levels, so the doctors said I was
fine. I had to stop breast feeding for the scan and developed a
post-partum depression then. I am an RN and wanted to trust doctors, but
they kept telling me I had nothing physical wrong. I was convinced that
my thyroid was not normal and so sought out an internist who had done
research and also treated people wanting to lose weight. I diligently
lost weight by eating almost nothing but protein and vegetables and
walking four miles a day. I became emotionally dependent on the dr who
took advantage of that personally. Certainly I began to distrust MDs
intensely. I went back to school to get a Master's degree in psychology,
found a dr willing to prescribe natural progesterone (certainly not
mainstream gyn care then) for my severe PMS. I went on to start a PMS
counseling & education practice first with one of my psych professor's
private group and later with a psychiatrist in another city who was
interested in PMS. As I trained to do this work and researched it, I got
into vitamins, herbs, oil of evening primrose, relaxation techniques,
dietary therapy, etc. Each of these were helpful to some women. Trial
and error was the answer and no MD I knew then was willing to assist
women in this search.
Finally at a PMS Conference I met a wonderful gynecologist who was
willing to treat my myriad of problems and in fact recognized my allergy
problems there. This guy listened and prescribed thyroid med. The
depression subsided, my cycle was finally normal after 10 years, and I
felt much better. I met women who had traveled cross country for help
and I only lived 2 hours away! This doctor continues to treat women's
problems with traditional medications, vitamins, diet, herbal
preparations, allergy testing and injections, etc. He is one of the few
MDs I know who will try whatever he can safely to help women. In fact
while on reserve duty in the Gulf War he learned of DHEA from European
drs and returned and is having results with it too.
I am still dubious of a number of the strange and fad treatments and I
think we have to be careful consumers. This listserv can help us do that
and sort out stuff. I guess I believe in a combination for me - both
traditional and alternative, but each person must do what works for
him/her.
Gail Post
Honolulu, HI
