Doctors with knowledge of traditional and alternative treatments

[crohner000]

I'm wondering if anyone has any advice for finding a doctor, or someone, to help me manage my condition who is knowledgeable and open-minded to traditional AND alternative treatment approaches. I like my GI, but he only comes from a strictly traditional medical perspective, so unless something is backed up strongly with published studies, he doesn't find it useful. I'm not sure if the best option for me is to find a different GI who is more open minded, or maybe to change my general physician to one who is more naturopathic?

For context, I have failed many medications (Remicade, Humira, Entyvio, and currently on Stelara with some success but not complete remission), and my GI is now of the position that the next step for me is surgery if we don't like the Stelara results. I actually think my quality of life is pretty good, I feel better than I have in many years and so I am not willing to consider surgery right now. I attribute some of this to the Stelara, but also to lots of other changes I have made after seeing various alternative health providers. I have tried Nutrition Response Testing, Ayurveda, and cannabis products mostly, but am also open to Acupuncture, or pretty much anything else that could help. I think it is the combination of all of these things that have got me to the good place I'm in right now, but I know things could still get better as I do still have some symptoms.

Managing appointments and treatment plans and suggestions from all of these sources is just A LOT for me to handle myself, and I'm wondering if anyone knows of any type of doctor that would help me manage all of that together, not just alternative OR traditional.

 

[Jennifer]

May I ask what your current symptoms are and what your last test results showed (how managed is the disease)? My current GI would be what you're looking for but I'm on the central coast in California so that might not be possible for you. However I will say that my bowel resection put me in remission back in 1999. Diet and medications could not control the inflammation and it was just out of hand so I had 8 inches removed. I've been on maintenance medication ever since. Sometimes surgery can't be avoided and is the only option but will always be a last resort however you do not want to wait until you have to have emergency surgery.

 

[crohner000]

Thanks for the reply. I guess I'm more interested in what type of doctor I should be looking for or how folks find these types of people. I am located in Michigan so California would not be ideal!

As far as symptoms, I'm mostly just going to the bathroom more often than I should be. It's only loose some of the time, but I also still have mucus and blood occasionally. I avoid a lot of foods. I'm not sure what test results you're looking for, my iron is chronically low and I have to get iron infusions semi-regularly because I don't absorb it well and can't tolerate oral supplements. My WBC count was low my last blood test so we lowered my dose of Imuran. My last colonoscopy was 2 years ago when I was much sicker than I am now, so I am betting/hoping it is quite different at the moment. I will probably have another this summer or fall and will be eager to see what's changed. The last one showed mild inflammation in the ascending colon, moderate in the transverse, moderate in the descending, severe in the sigmoid, and severe in the rectum. It is the rectum bit that makes me feel a resection would probably not be the move for me, and I really don't want to have the whole thing removed. I do understand that sometimes it gets to that point where it's a last resort, but right now I feel better than I have in the last probably 4 years so I don't want to remove the colon just because it's not "good enough"

 

[TraceyA]

A friend of mine had Crohns back in the 1990s. She was extremely sick from the diarrhea and had to stop work and study. She went to a Chinese Herbalist and took herbs for 2-3 years and followed a careful, vegetarian and fish diet. She has now been in remission for over 20 years. The new gastroenterologist doesn't believe she had Crohn's Disease.

So - look for an old Chinese Herbalist. The old ones have lots of experience.

 

[CatLover63]

A friend of mine had Crohns back in the 1990s. She was extremely sick from the diarrhea and had to stop work and study. She went to a Chinese Herbalist and took herbs for 2-3 years and followed a careful, vegetarian and fish diet. She has now been in remission for over 20 years. The new gastroenterologist doesn't believe she had Crohn's Disease.

So - look for an old Chinese Herbalist. The old ones have lots of experience.

Hello, I'm new on this site. I agree that most people want to avoid surgery unless absolutely necessary. In my case, I had no idea I had a fistula and would probably have lived with it for years. I had no clue what it was. It's not like a bump on the head or a twisted ankle. Avoiding red meat which is hard to digest makes perfect sense. In the UK, Chinese herbalists are frowned upon by GPs as a non regulated industry. Personally, I would only use products that have passed safety standards. Possibly acupuncture and massage for a stiff back.