Adventures in Naturopathy :
A Vancouver doctor looks at what alternative practitioners are doing
By Susan Biali
Part one of a four-part series where Dr. Susan Biali tries different alternative therapies.
My first experience with naturopathy was when I was 18, years before I became a doctor. Working at my summer job, I listened wide-eyed as the receptionist described the wonders of having learned of her food allergies from her naturopath. "I've got so much more energy and I sleep better—and it hasn't even been a week," she beamed, crunching on almonds, rice cakes and carrots. I now find it funny my teenage self actually thought I lacked energy. Still, I wanted to see what this medical magician could reveal.
I made an appointment, begging my mother to lend me the $100 for my evaluation. I sat in a small, dim room where the doctor took an extremely brief history. He then asked me to abduct my arms to shoulder level and alternately pushed on my hands while holding vials of food in front of my thymus. He was brisk and not particularly friendly. After half an hour, my arms felt like lead, and I doubt the results were very useful, even if the underlying principle was valid. He handed me a list of offending foods and another of supplements, without explanation, and ushered me to a glass cabinet showcasing these remedies. The prices made my minimum-wage eyes blink in distress. I didn't buy any, went home and studied the list. Apparently, all I could eat was rice, corn and vegetables. I tried for a day, then gave up. My mother, bless her soul, never asked me for the money. It took me 10 years to see a naturopath again. I'm glad I did.
The term naturopathy, coined in 1892 by a group of New York practitioners, blends the words "nature cure" and "homeopathy." Benedict Lust, a German-born American, is considered the father of naturopathy in the U.S. Suffering from tuberculosis, he was sent back to his homeland to die. There, he met a man named Sebastian Kneipp, who cured him in eight months, primarily through hydrotherapy. Impressed, Lust took Kneipp's methods back to the U.S., where he set up a clinic and school. His reception was not too different from that of some alternative practitioners today—according to my reference, he was repeatedly taken to court, hounded by the New York County Medical Association, and arrested 18 times.
Naturopathy practitioners call upon a combination of treatment modalities, including nutrition, herbal medicines, homeopathy and chiropractic.
In July 2000, I was just out of residency and really did know the meaning of tired. A nursing colleague told me of a naturopath who had improved her allergies and overall health. I went to see Vancouver's Dr. Dorothy Fairley.
I recently went back to Dr. Fairley's Kitsilano office, and asked if I could have a look at my chart. I couldn't believe it. The record from my first visit included a four-page questionnaire, several pages of handwritten notes, followed by a summary of my personal life and medical issues and a detailed treatment plan. And I thought I took a good history!
Her primary diagnosis was intestinal candidiasis, a common naturopathic diagnosis. I still haven't seen much research supporting this, but it seemed possible, as I took antibiotics for acne for years as a teenager. She prescribed an herb, Pau D'Arco; I looked up it up, pleased to learn it had been used for centuries against a variety of ills, including cancer. She also recommended vitamins, and introduced me to probiotics, which I have since written the praises of several times over.
This time I had a "vega test," in which an electrode was placed on a pressure point of my finger, with a container of food placed within the circuit that is created. The strength or weakness of the response is indicated by a variety of high-pitched squeals. This time, I was interested to see the foods that came up were often ones I had avoided since childhood, as they had always made me feel ill. My yeast levels were through the roof. Fiona, the vega technician, wasn't surprised: "I knew it already, because of the way you smell. I've developed a nose for it." I was a little offended, yet know as well any experienced health practitioner about the odours of life and illness.
I must say I wasn't the greatest patient. I took the herbs for a while, and still take the probiotics. My yeast levels on subsequent tests went down, and I did feel much better.
"I never dreamed I would be doing this, but when a naturopath cured a condition that had been mystifying my doctors for a decade, it got my attention," says Dr. Fairley. She found reference books and tried remedies on friends—the results were so impressive she took the training. It's not an easy vocation, particularly when patients used to "free" health care have to pay out of pocket.
Digestive problems make up 50% of her cases, an area she says naturopathy is particularly well suited to treating. It also addresses chronic illnesses modern medicine struggles with; treatments aim to build the body back up, slowly and specifically tailored to the individual. Her knowledge of nutrition is downright intimidating—and I have a degree in it!
I have decided to give naturo-pathy another try, particularly homeopathy. As she said to a grumbling patient as I was leaving the office: "It's incredible people will spend more money on their cars than on their health." Amen.
—Susan Biali is a family physician in Vancouver and has a degree in dietetics.