Is a diagnosis all you need?#NatMEDWEEK2018

The above quote gives an insight into the next two principles of naturopathic medicine: Treat the Whole Person and Treat the Root Cause.
The same disease can manifest as different symptoms for different patients. If you identify why the patient has a particular disease, that is, why this patient and not another, you may be able to treat them much more effectively. I thought the best way to illustrate these two principles would be through patient stories as case examples.
 
Both patients A & B in the stories below had identical major concerns and official diagnoses at their initial intake visits but since the root cause of the problem and the patients were very unlike each other, so were their treatment plans and corresponding results:
 
MAIN CONCERN: Difficulty losing weight and keeping it off, tried many diets/ programs
MAIN DIAGNOSIS: Obesity
Other official diagnosis common to both cases: Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension, High Cholesterol

Patient A:

• 51 year-old single male weighing 340lbs.
• Lives alone, does not like to get out of the apartment for any reason except for work and to pick up food when not ordering pizza
• Diet: Fast food – delivery and drive-thru places only. Mainly pizzas, burgers, fries. Fruits: maybe an orange occasionally. Vegetables: potatoes. Microwavable TV dinners.
• Lifestyle: sedentary, hates to move as joints hurt, does not have any friends and does not like to interact with people as self-conscious about his overweight appearance
• Medications: many!

 
Root Cause Assessed to be:

• Partially loneliness, zero social interaction compounding the problem of sedentary lifestyle with no desire to move/walk/ exercise.
• Classic “overfed but undernourished”- excessive intake of carbohydrates, dairy and animal fats, trans-fats, additives, flavorings with little nutritional value

 
Initial Recommendations:

• Gradual lifestyle and dietary changes with weekly check-in visits.
  • These  changes included incorporating fresh fruits and vegetables daily
  • Eliminating animal proteins & fats except fish
  • Cooking food at home with recipes provided as a starting kit,
  • Adopting a dog with the 2 fold  intention of providing a companion and encouraging him to get 30 minutes of exercise  by walking the dog twice daily.

 
Result in 6 months:

• Patient A** lost significant amount of weight (almost 80 pounds) and had sustained the weight loss rate at >10lbs per month.
• He was no longer diabetic and did not need his blood pressure medications. Cholesterol was normal!
• He was now a proud dog parent and had made friends and was beginning to consider a relationship.
• His self-esteem had improved dramatically and was considering other forms of exercise
• Decided he would like to be 100% vegan long-term and had no desire or temptation to add animal products back to his diet, even occasionally. YAY! 

 
**He went on to lose over 200lbs by the end of his complete treatment and is now an animal rights activist and marathon runner. Yes, you read that right- not a typo, You can read more about him and his complete weight loss journey in his book named, Walking with Peety.

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Patient B:

• 57 year old female in steady long-term relationship,no children weighing 360lbs
• Proud owner of 2 cats
• Diet: vegan by choice with occasional intake of eggs/fish/ice cream. Craves sweets especially after dinner; sometimes craves dairy
• Both her and her partner cook at home, and try new vegan recipes, eats out occasionally. Does not eat too many processed foods except the vegan ice cream. Skips breakfast, eats healthy lunch & dinner.
• Lifestyle: sedentary now, used to be very active in sports when younger. Stopped playing after knee injury. Likes to meet with friends and travel.
• Medications: None- Does not like to take medications.

 
Root Cause Assessed to be:

• History of “yo-yo” dieting and lack of regular exercise due to knee pain and work hours.
• Tests revealed hormonal imbalance with estrogen dominance, adrenal fatigue, a sub-optimal thyroid function and possible gluten sensitivity

 
Initial Recommendations:
Counseling provided on healthy, balanced vegan diet and frequency of visits set at every 2 weeks.

• Eliminate all gluten containing foods. Ok to eat fish and eggs but no milk products.
• Digestive enzymes and probiotics to optimize nutrient absorption from food and rehabilitate gut from years of gluten exposure
• Must have regular eating patterns especially follow the rule: do not skip breakfast
• Anti-inflammatory supplements to decrease inflammation & pain in knees.
• Thyroid  hormone prescription and appropriate adrenal support
• For Exercise: Swimming 2-3x/week and or stationary bike 2x/week for at least 30 minutes

 
Result in 6 months:

• Patient B lost 15 lbs with average loss of 2.5 - 3 lbs per month
• Her energy was improved and she was wearing clothes 2 sizes down!
• Not diabetic anymore, but still prediabetic.
• Blood pressure was still slightly elevated
• Cholesterol was lower than when she stated but still higher than normal
• Cravings for ice cream & sweets still present but has better awareness of eating patterns.
• Exercise was regular at 2x/week swimming only due to extended work hours
• Wants to continue on current program i.e off gluten, reduced sugar, healthy meals at regular intervals and will work on adding exercise to her routine.

 
Patient B is still an active patient is continuing to lose weight at her steady rate of 3 lbs/month. She has recently been diagnosed with Sleep apnea and upon correcting that she lost > 5lbs in one month and no longer has elevated BP.

As you realized, both patients were very different: male vs. female, single vs. in long term relationship, lonely  vs. socially active and more. Therefore, the investigation was very different for both even with the exact same diagnoses! Both had positive outcomes, though with varying degrees, and were content with their results. That is the power of Naturopathic Medicine!
 
Signing off for today! Day4 #NatMedWeek.
Be sure to call us if you  need help with your weight loss journey