I Am Not Well, My Doctor Says I Am Fine...
"I don’t feel well. I have a list of symptoms that bother me. My doctor says I am fine but I don’t feel fine."
This is one of the most challenging complaints I hear. When I worked in the Harvard Medical Complex I learned about what western medicine does very well and what it ignores. I decided to focus my career on what they did not handle well, using more alternative and complementary medicine practices.
Not feeling well almost always comes from multiple issues that add up to improper nutrition, hormonal and/or digestive dysfunction, lack of exercise and a body overwhelmed by natural and man-made toxins. For this reason I work with special labs that conduct evaluations that the commercial labs do not.
I do not have a “protocol” to diagnose and treat you. I listen to your medical, social, spiritual history, and we discuss the options I see to unravel your unique problem. Come work with me and together we can do our best to resolve your issues.
Testing
In the USA there are a number of excellent “ specialty” labs that do testing on issues standard labs do not address:
- Toxic Element Testing
- Nutri Eval or Spectracell to evaluate nutritional status
- GI Effects
- Adrenal Stress Profile
- Complete Thyroid Analysis
- Genomics
Most importantly, we conduct a thorough interview (“History”) and physical exam. The History and Physical provide the clues that suggest the direction for further investigation and/or treatment. All testing is used in the context of your illness, its unique pattern and how healing (or lack of it) unfolds as we unravel the condition. It is as important to look at, and build on, what works to assist your body in returning to its healthy homeostasis.
Following in a list of tools I can use in the exploration for cause and plan for treatment.
Health Assessment Questionnaire
This divides complaints into physical and mental categories so we can concentrate on the areas that are showing most need.
Identi-stress Questionnaire
Looks at adrenal problems and the likely supplements to correct the imbalance.
Toxic Load Questionnaire
Addresses a list of symptoms evaluated based on frequency and severity. This has shown to correlate to toxic load found through blood and urine testing. This does not tell us what the toxins are nor if they are man made or naturally occurring toxic minerals such as lead and mercury. A urine test is required to evaluate metal toxicity.
I love questionnaires because they are free and because they involve subjective responses. I find this is a good way to let your body’s wisdom speak within and through the objective facts.
Please bring to your appointment all the exams and lab tests you have had concerning your situation.
Take charge of your health with personalized care at Imana Medicine in Santa Fe. Specializing in women's health, we bridge the gap between Western medicine and natural healing. Contact us today to restore balance and thrive!