Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Integrative Medicine?

zenjess1980

By zenjess1980
in Doctors

Recommended Posts

zenjess1980 Contributor
zenjess1980
Posted

Has anyone had good success with seeing an integrative medicine doctor? I have an appointment today at 2:30, and hoping to get some answers or at least a starting point. 

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


manasota Explorer
manasota
Posted

I have been to one.  I think the success is totally dependent on the "quality" of the doctor (just like anything else, there are "good ones" and "bad ones").  Also, I think it depends on how many alternative therapies you have already tried.  They might suggest acupuncture, rolfing, NAET, yoga, meditation, diet changes, exercises, etc.  Basically, they combine all Eastern and Western options.  Usually, they are pretty much open to anything that will work for you.  

If you want to read more about it, check out Andrew Weil.  His website offers lots of free tips.  He is big on anti-inflammatory foods.

Good luck!

ironictruth Proficient
ironictruth
Posted

Let me know how this goes. I am seeing one next month too. 

icelandgirl Proficient
icelandgirl
Posted

I have not, but have considered it.  I'm really interested in hearing how this goes for you.  Good luck!:):)

zenjess1980 Contributor
zenjess1980
Posted
  • Author

Hello everybody. So my appointment went well. He spent the first hour going over the paperwork i filled out, my medical history, and current concerns. He asked me what my top concerns that i wanted to focus on today and i said my allergies, GI issues, and fibromyalgia (next we're working on weaning me off some meds or at least lower doses and supplementing). He also examined me (vitals, listening to my breathing, etc. Then he did acupuncture (which I've had before) and love it. Next he put metallic pin size beads taped to various places in my ears to help with my GI and fibro. He also believes based on my medical history and symptoms I do have either celiac or gluten sensitivity. So starting tomorrow I'll be going gluten free (which I've also done once before after a positive celiac panel, but went back to eating gluten when my biopsy was inconclusive/negative)

He's going out of town for the remainder of April, and I'm going on a cruise the 1st week in May, so I'll see him next the 2nd week in May. Overall a good experience and I'm feeling hopeful :) 

zenjess1980 Contributor
zenjess1980
Posted
  • Author
9 hours ago, manasota said:

I have been to one.  I think the success is totally dependent on the "quality" of the doctor (just like anything else, there are "good ones" and "bad ones").  Also, I think it depends on how many alternative therapies you have already tried.  They might suggest acupuncture, rolfing, NAET, yoga, meditation, diet changes, exercises, etc.  Basically, they combine all Eastern and Western options.  Usually, they are pretty much open to anything that will work for you.  

If you want to read more about it, check out Andrew Weil.  His website offers lots of free tips.  He is big on anti-inflammatory foods.

Good luck!

Thanks! I'll check him out. 

BDD Apprentice
BDD
Posted

I am glad your first appointment went well. Is this the same thing as functional medicine?

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


zenjess1980 Contributor
zenjess1980
Posted
  • Author
10 hours ago, BDD said:

I am glad your first appointment went well. Is this the same thing as functional medicine?

I'm actually not sure if integrative medicine and functional medicine are the same. 

Gemini Experienced
Gemini
Posted
On 4/6/2016 at 9:52 PM, zenjess1980 said:

Hello everybody. So my appointment went well. He spent the first hour going over the paperwork i filled out, my medical history, and current concerns. He asked me what my top concerns that i wanted to focus on today and i said my allergies, GI issues, and fibromyalgia (next we're working on weaning me off some meds or at least lower doses and supplementing). He also examined me (vitals, listening to my breathing, etc. Then he did acupuncture (which I've had before) and love it. Next he put metallic pin size beads taped to various places in my ears to help with my GI and fibro. He also believes based on my medical history and symptoms I do have either celiac or gluten sensitivity. So starting tomorrow I'll be going gluten free (which I've also done once before after a positive celiac panel, but went back to eating gluten when my biopsy was inconclusive/negative)

He's going out of town for the remainder of April, and I'm going on a cruise the 1st week in May, so I'll see him next the 2nd week in May. Overall a good experience and I'm feeling hopeful :) 

I hope you have a marvelous time on your cruise!  It will be a very good thing to do this.  Good for stress levels and a change of scenery is always good for the soul.  I have also heard that cruises do a good job with the gluten free meals so make sure you contact them about that!  :)

zenjess1980 Contributor
zenjess1980
Posted
  • Author
On Thursday, April 07, 2016 at 10:42 AM, Gemini said:

I hope you have a marvelous time on your cruise!  It will be a very good thing to do this.  Good for stress levels and a change of scenery is always good for the soul.  I have also heard that cruises do a good job with the gluten free meals so make sure you contact them about that!  :)

Thank you :)

  • 1 year later...
plumbago Experienced
plumbago
Posted
On 4/5/2016 at 9:52 PM, zenjess1980 said:

He also believes based on my medical history and symptoms I do have either celiac or gluten sensitivity. So starting tomorrow I'll be going gluten free

This is generally not the way to go to confirm a diagnosis of celiac disease. Generally the patient should have blood tests while on a gluten-containing diet. That is the first step. If enough parts of the tests come back positive, a biopsy is then done via endoscopy of the small intestine. This is considered the gold standard, still. A biopsy should be done while the patient is still eating gluten.

I am a big fan of the idea of integrative medicine. The reason I am is that the providers spend more time with the patient. Ideally, they also spend more time thinking about the patient. I believe the idea is to have fewer patients. There are, believe it or not, pros and cons associated with that. The con may be that seeing fewer patients, the provider sees fewer things and is therefore less exposed to different conditions but also different reactions to the same condition. Oh well. Can't have everything! I would like to hear more about your experience with him/her now that it's been one year. But I was a little bit concerned that, pre-testing, your provider was asking you to go gluten-free.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      130,723
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Nessa6
    Newest Member
    Nessa6
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.3k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      gluten-free stool softener needed for after surgery

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      In general with pharmaceutical products cross-contamination is a much lower risk.
    • Scott Adams
      New to gluten-free

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Here is more info about how to do a gluten challenge for a celiac disease blood panel, or for an endoscopy: and this recent study recommends 4-6 slices of wheat bread per day:    
    • trents
      New to gluten-free

      By trents · Posted

      Just so you'll know, once you have been gluten-free for any length of time, it will invalidate testing for celiac disease.
    • QueenBorg
      New to gluten-free

      By QueenBorg · Posted

      Yes. I have not been tested for celiac. It took forever to get diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. lol. I have an appointment with my regular GP later this month and will convey my findings on improved symptoms and see what his thoughts are. Thank you. 
    • knitty kitty
      Refractory celiac disease

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @Grahamsnaturalworld, It's never too late.   Have you been checked for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth?  SIBO can cause ongoing symptoms.  Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) and Histamine Intolerance (HIT) can also be the cause of ongoing symptoms.  The AIP diet can help with these by starving out SIBO bacteria and calming the immune system. Do you include dairy in your diet?  Casein in dairy can cause an autoimmune response the same as to gluten.  Have you been checked for lactose intolerance?  Some people lose the ability to produce the enzyme, lactase, needed to digest lactose, the sugar in dairy because the villi where the lactase enzyme is made are damaged.  AIP diet excludes dairy. Do you include grains in your diet?  Gluten free alternative grains and ancient grains can be inflammatory and cause symptoms.  Some people with Celiac react to corn and oats.  The AIP diet excludes all grains.  Lectins in grains can be inflammatory and cause symptoms. Do you eat nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplant).  This family of plants produce glycoalkaloids, chemicals that promote Leaky Gut Syndrome.  The AIP diet excludes nightshades.   Are you on any medications?  Some medications can cause gastrointestinal symptoms.  Do you take any supplements?  Some herbal teas and supplements can cause digestive symptoms.  Medications for diabetes, antidepressants, and other pharmaceuticals can cause digestive symptoms as side effects. Have you been checked for nutritional deficiencies?  Malabsorption of essential nutrients can occur with continued symptoms.  Deficiencies in Niacin, Thiamine, and other B vitamins can cause digestive symptoms.  Gastrointestinal Beriberi and Pellagra are often overlooked by doctors because they are not familiar with nutritional deficiency disease symptoms.  Nutritional deficiencies can worsen over time as stores inside the body are depleted.   Have your doctors checked for all these?   I had a horrible time getting my symptoms under control.  I had to answer all these questions myself.  Yes, it's frustrating and exasperating because doctors don't have to live with these symptoms everyday. Interesting reading: AGA Clinical Practice Update on Management of Refractory Celiac Disease: Expert Review https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36137844/
×
×
  • Create New...