Extreme Naturopathic Beliefs

I was sitting in a meeting at church listening to a speaker whom I will call Ian. He was a founder of a health ministry and was sharing about his personal experience. He had attended a speaking engagement in England and passed out suddenly. The doctors tested him extensively but could not come to any conclusions.

“While I was in the living room I passed out suddenly. My wife went to the kitchen and placed cayenne pepper under my tongue which is what any good medical missionary would do. Now nothing happened so she had to call emergency services.”

I was surprised to hear this influential man praising his wife for making the correct move in placing a spice under his tongue after he passed out.

It’s not the first time I’ve heard this type of talk before. Mom was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in the summer of 2017 after falling from standing height resulting in a humerus fracture. Reluctantly she started on chemotherapy for this – lenalidomide, carfilzomib and dexamethasone. Within several weeks, the bone pain in chest and left heel had all but disappeared.

Feeling better in January 2018, she decided to stop doing chemotherapy and see if more natural mean could handle this. Four months later the bone pain returned as a result of the multiple myeloma. She decided to resume her chemotherapy.

Despite this demonstrated benefit of chemotherapy, my Dad still recommends against the use of these medicines. Oh, and my Dad is a practicing general surgeon for the last 30 years.

Many cherish what I call extreme naturopathic beliefs. This belief states that naturopathic methods are superior to conventional medicine despite evidence pointing to the contrary. Conventional medicine isn’t perfect, but why turn down its clear benefits?

Other examples of extreme naturopathic beliefs include those who believe vaccines cause autism, the belief that high dose vitamin C can treat pneumonia, and those who believe statins are harmful.

As a physician who seeks to treat a person’s physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual condition, I recognize the tools I’ve been given are effective. One of those tools are the natural remedies. A plant-based diet, good exercise, good sleep and remedies can go far in treating much of the illnesses that Americans come down with.

But another incredible tool we have is conventional medicine. The other day I had a patient who suffered from Polio. He was three years old and walking around in his backyard when he collapsed to the ground and had to wear braces. The polio vaccine was released a year later. This disease ravaged many children putting their bodies into rigid cases called iron lungs. Today polio has been wiped off the face of the earth. All because of vaccines.

As a physician that seeks to treat the whole person, the balance seems to be to hold the gift of natural remedies in one hand and the gift of conventional medicine in the other hand. Both are powerful tools in healing and wholeness of the patient.