Doctors who take the whole person approach

Charisma

Ive recently come through a bad illness and am surprised at the amount of doctors who arent interested in alternitive and complimentary medecine. I would like to find a GP who would entertain me and advise me on suppliments-treatments that can help that are not just the Pop a pill solution.Things like immune boosting- herbs-reki etc etc work wonders for some conditions. Does anyone know of such doctors. If so can you let me know.

The_Conductor

To be perfectly honest- I'd be very surprised if most GPs didn't include at very least some elements of alternative treatment in their regular prescriptions and suggestions to their patients. My own GP is a big fan of yoga, and has a list of people on her wall including a chiropractor and a sports physician specialising in whirlpool treatments etc (its the guy out at UCD).

I guess a lot of it is demand driven- you'd be shocked at the number of patients who demand their GP prescribe them pills for every minor little ailment- to be honest- I'd guess many GPs have simply given up trying to take different approaches.

If you're not happy- ask your GP- I'd imagine any GP with a modicum of interest in their patients would be only too happy to do a little research on your behalf.

sarahbrennan

I've been wondering about this, I've seen my doctor a few times in recent months regarding conditions that I need help with but aren't exactly life threatening eg. acne, IBS. All I've gotten back is a new prescription each time and no tips on diet, exercise or any other therepys I can try.

I think doctors need to think outside the box a bit and give their patients more advise on living.

LegacyUser

Charisma wrote: »

Ive recently come through a bad illness and am surprised at the amount of doctors who arent interested in alternitive and complimentary medecine. I would like to find a GP who would entertain me and advise me on suppliments-treatments that can help that are not just the Pop a pill solution.Things like immune boosting- herbs-reki etc etc work wonders for some conditions. Does anyone know of such doctors. If so can you let me know.

Im not the slightest bit surprised, speaking from my own personal experience, all of the alternative medicines/treatments i tried over the years (and there were many) for my illness were complete and utter quackery. Desperate means call for desperate measures, your vulnerable when you can't find the answers in conventional medicine so you become the perfect pawn for the alternative crowd. I would advise against it, most alternative medicine/treatments claim cures/relief for everything under the sun and if you just come for one more appointment and another, just one more, the next one will have you sorted etc.......
Im not saying medicine has all the answers to everything because it certainly hasn't but if your going to start doing alternative treatments do your research and make sure you have a fat wallet, if in doubt don't bother.
For immune boosting would you not be better off visiting a Consultant Dietitian/Nutritionist or someone along those lines opposed to some magical elixir prescribed to you from someone that did a weekends course?

The_Conductor

sarahbrennan wrote: »

I've been wondering about this, I've seen my doctor a few times in recent months regarding conditions that I need help with but aren't exactly life threatening eg. acne, IBS. All I've gotten back is a new prescription each time and no tips on diet, exercise or any other therepys I can try.

I think doctors need to think outside the box a bit and give their patients more advise on living.

I don't mean to sound harsh Sarah- but surely if you have IBS- you should be requesting a referral from your GP to a dietician who would be in a position to advise you specifically on your diet and how it might affect you. A GP is a general practitioner- they are great- but they are not specialised in a particular area (unless they've done this themselves). Certainly- GPs do need to think outside of the box- but so too do patients.....

sarahbrennan

Smmcarrick, should my doctor not be the one suggesting a referal ? I've done plenty of research myself but I don't know whats useful and what isn't and I would expect my doctor to have the experience to tell me whats helped other people in the past.

The_Conductor

sarahbrennan wrote: »

Smmcarrick, should my doctor not be the one suggesting a referal ? I've done plenty of research myself but I don't know whats useful and what isn't and I would expect my doctor to have the experience to tell me whats helped other people in the past.

Hi Sarah-

at the end of the day- you are a patient of your GP. You have been diagnosed with X,Y,Z. If you are unsatisfied with the treatment (be it medication or otherwise) that your GP is prescribing to you- it is your perogative to either change GP- or to seek referral to a consultant specialising in that ailment which is causing you trouble.

No GP is a boundless resource of knowledge about every condition- and every possible manner of treating every condition. I have faith in my GP, and know that if she is unhappy with how I am presenting or unsure of a course of action- she will refer me to a consultant (or occasionally A&E, but less said about that the better).

Your illness and the manner in which it presents- is unique to you. Your GP may or may not have had other patients who presented in a similar manner in the past- their experience with those patients, may or may not be pertinent to how they treat you.

If you suffer from a chronic medical condition- it is not unreasonable to suggest that you may very well know more about certain aspects of it, than a GP may know, who has not suffered from it him/herself. I am not suggesting for a moment familiarising yourself with medical texts pertinent to IBS or any other condition- but educating yourself about aspects of your condition and how they affect you- can be both enlightening, and also very helpful.

I am not for a moment suggesting that GPs are not a wonderful and very necessary resource- I am simply saying that if you suffer from a chronic medical condition- you owe it to yourself to have at very least a rudimentary understanding of the condition and how it affects you. Once you have an understanding of it- you will be in a position to seek the medical attention you need- or a referral to a consultant- or a dietician, or a physiotherapist- etc.......

You can't simply abdicate all responsibility for your health and/or care or wellbeing to a GP (or anyone else).

WesternNight

cheesypeas wrote: »

Im not the slightest bit surprised, speaking from my own personal experience, all of the alternative medicines/treatments i tried over the years (and there were many) for my illness were complete and utter quackery. Desperate means call for desperate measures, your vulnerable when you can't find the answers in conventional medicine so you become the perfect pawn for the alternative crowd. I would advise against it, most alternative medicine/treatments claim cures/relief for everything under the sun and if you just come for one more appointment and another, just one more, the next one will have you sorted etc.......
Im not saying medicine has all the answers to everything because it certainly hasn't but if your going to start doing alternative treatments do your research and make sure you have a fat wallet, if in doubt don't bother.
For immune boosting would you not be better off visiting a Consultant Dietitian/Nutritionist or someone along those lines opposed to some magical elixir prescribed to you from someone that did a weekends course?

I think it's unfair to lump all alternative practitioners in together like that. There are always going to be bad ones just as there are bad doctors. Also, just like not every medication suits everyone, not every alternative treatment is guaranteed to work on everyone. It's a case of finding what works for you.

OP, good luck...I hope you find a doctor you're happy with.

GER12

sarahbrennan wrote: »

I've been wondering about this, I've seen my doctor a few times in recent months regarding conditions that I need help with but aren't exactly life threatening eg. acne, IBS. All I've gotten back is a new prescription each time and no tips on diet, exercise or any other therepys I can try.

I think doctors need to think outside the box a bit and give their patients more advise on living.

Was your IBS diagnosed following a colonoscopy - if your GP made the diagnosis without any diagnostic investigations I would definately be getting a referral to a consultant.

sarahbrennan

GER12 wrote: »

Was your IBS diagnosed following a colonoscopy - if your GP made the diagnosis without any diagnostic investigations I would definately be getting a referral to a consultant.

Yes I had a colonoscopy

sarahbrennan

I was simply giving an opinion on some experiences I've had, and I don't like this discussion being about me smccarrick. You've given your opinion on it now thats the end of it.

GER12

GER12 wrote: »

Was your IBS diagnosed following a colonoscopy - if your GP made the diagnosis without any diagnostic investigations I would definately be getting a referral to a consultant.

Is that really necessary? I've seen a few doctors about my IBS and they've all just asked about symptoms and said it's extremely unlikely to be anything else. I've had a few blood tests but no colonoscopy. If I was referred for all my problems I'd never be out of hospital!

Bottle_of_Smoke

Charisma wrote: »

Ive recently come through a bad illness and am surprised at the amount of doctors who arent interested in alternitive and complimentary medecine. I would like to find a GP who would entertain me and advise me on suppliments-treatments that can help that are not just the Pop a pill solution.Things like immune boosting- herbs-reki etc etc work wonders for some conditions. Does anyone know of such doctors. If so can you let me know.

I went to a doctor for acne when i was younger, he referred me to a dermatologist but also gave me a homeopathic prescription.

It didn't do anything (the dermatologist stuff did work) but he was in clontarf, if i can find the name i'll post it up.

I'd recommend against it though. Complimentary medicine to me just seems to be unproven medicine. Just placebos really.

The_Conductor

Bottle_of_Smoke wrote: »

I'd recommend against it though. Complimentary medicine to me just seems to be unproven medicine. Just placebos really.

I disagree. I think alternative/complementary medicine and conventional medicine each have their place in medicinal treatments. The problem is when utmost faith is placed in one manner of treatment- ignoring the potential benefits of the other (see also holistic (as oppossed to wholistic) treatments in this respect). You have to remember that some of our most used medicines are derived from old folk remedies that might once have been laughed think. Think of the tales of placing the sap side of the bark of a sally tree on a burn for relief for instance. We now know that the sap of Salix Alba contains the active ingredient of Aspirin (and indeed before Bayer in Germany managed to synthesise the compound- the sap of the Sally tree was collected in an industrial manner to satisfy the nascent analgesic industry).

Many conventional medicines have overall success rates not intrinsically different from what might be expected from the placebo effect- and indeed many conventional medicines long since removed from the market for their harmful side effects (think Thalidomide for example) are once again being trialled in differing doses for illnesses/conditions other than those for which they gained their notoriety .

Medicine is an evolving science, and as it evolves it encompasses some of the better aspects of treatments that might once have raised numerous eyebrows. Acupuncture and chiropractors are now covered under the NHS in the UK. Ten years ago this would have been laughed at.

The placebo effect is a recognised phenomenon- but its present in conventional medicine just as surely as its present in alternative therapies.