Grasshopper Goes Alternative

I’ve always wanted to try alternative healing and finally had a reason do to so. It all started last month when I caught a cold with a slight cough on the 4th of July. It seemed like an ordinary cold that was running its course nicely by the end of the next week, but then worsened into chest congestion and a stuffy nose that wouldn’t go away. Week three of my misery, I finally went to the doctor, who diagnosed a sinus infection and gave me the standard antibiotics and decongestants to take for it. I took the antibiotics, my nose seemed to be less congested, and all was going well until I broke out in big, red, itchy spots about a week into the antibiotic treatment. Total misery! The doctor’s remedy was, you guessed it, yet another drug prescription to offset the effects of the first one.

This, I decided was the perfect opportunity to try a different approach, one focused more on the whole person, rather than treatment of symptoms. I asked around and got a glowing recommendation for a local lady who is an acupuncturist/natural healer. I arrived at my appointment quite excited to start on this new venture.

Unlike the usual 10-minutes with a conventional doctor, my first treatment session lasted well over an hour and consisted of much in-depth personal discussion about my health history. I told her about my apparent low immunity to colds this last year, my allergies, my normal diet. She then performed acupuncture, which truly did not hurt at all, massaged by head and sinuses, and did a relaxation exercise. Her diagnosis: I needed to rid my body of toxins and let go of obsessive over-thinking as well. I went home with a bag full of supplements and instructions to stop using antihistamines for allergy, to avoid sugar, white bread, and white rice and to eat lots of greens.

I willingly followed the program for nearly a week. Then, a very slight, barely noticeable skin rash that started shortly after beginning my supplement program began to spread and started to really itch. It was obvious to me that I was having an allergic reaction to one of the supplements, perhaps because my system was still hyper-sensitive after reacting to the antibiotics.

I emailed my practitioner with my concerns and asked if I might need to drop one of the supplements. Instead, however, I was told to take mega doses of Vitamin C and to be sure I wasn’t inadvertently eating any sugar. You see, in this particular world view, there is no such thing as an allergy. My body was simply ridding itself of “toxins.” After a day or so of obsessive over-thinking, I made the decision to drop two supplements out of my regimen and see if the rash improves. I suspect it will.

So does this end my experiment with alternative medicine? Perhaps not. I haven’t yet decided whether to return for a follow-up session, but am leaning toward the negative. On the other hand, I plan to continue on a couple of the supplements she recommended, as well as the diet. I’m also pursuing some herbal alternatives to antihistamines for my allergies, which show some promise, as well as some herbs to improve immunity. We’ll see if I get fewer colds next year!