Treating Autoimmune Disease “No Labels, No Guessing, Just Eat Whole Foods”
By Ann Aresco, ND
tive approach between MDs and NDs who can work together to determine the root cause of the disease and then treat the result- ing side effects. This type of MD/ND co-management is ideal for a patient who can benefit from both preventative lifestyle changes and traditional medications as needed. There are many different naturopathic approaches to autoimmune disease that can be effec- tive, including diet, food sensitivity testing and supplements.
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Why I Began To Treat Autoimmune Patients As I studied to become an ND, there was a personal motivation
behind my quest to treat patients with naturopathic methods. I had a passion for learning about autoimmune disease, and my goal was to open a practice someday that would specialize in these areas. Many years later, I did just that. My late sister-in-law suffered from Scleroderma, a connec-
tive tissue disease that involves changes in the skin, blood ves- sels, muscles, and internal organs. The immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy body tissue. She was diagnosed in her early 20’s and MDs predicted that she would probably only live a few years before the disease would lead to her demise. She imme- diately began drug treatment, but reacted negatively to the medica- tions. Most of the drugs’ side effects were worse than the disease symptoms.
She tossed all the pharmaceutical meds in the trash and sought help from a naturopathic physician in California where she lived. The ND began by placing her on a restricted diet, and like most people, I’m sure she thought that she could NEVER stick to the plan. It was an insane diet of no dairy, no wheat, no sugar, and avoidance of all night shade vegetables such as potatoes, peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes. Tomatoes?!?! This Italian born and raised gal was not going to eat tomatoes?! As her skin continued to show signs of the advancing disease, she finally decided to give up all of the foods that her ND had advised. She began to exercise as often as she could and used only the remedies suggested by the ND, unless she absolutely had to go to standard medicine for help. Her friends and family were ter- rified that she was seeking treatment from a naturopathic doctor and wasn’t taking all of the prescribed drugs from her MD. They surely must have thought she was taking a big risk with her disease management.
12 Natural Nutmeg March 2013
utoimmune disease is a diagnosis that, unfortunately, I see in my practice every day as a naturopathic doctor (ND.) The best modality of care for autoimmune patients is a coopera-
Once I enrolled in medical school, my sister-in-law began calling me for advice, then she would check with her own ND and proceed with a plan that she felt comfortable with. She did this because she was the manager of her own health care. She made the final decisions, knowing what was going to work best for her. Taking care of her health was a constant job that she never gave up on, and never stopped learning about. This is also a core value of naturopathic medicine. Her Scleroderma over the next several years went into remis-
sion, or was at the very least, advancing at a much slower pace now. She was able to maintain her health in a way that was very different from the bleak prognosis that she was first given by her doctor. She lived over 20 years beyond the prediction of the MDs. She learned how to handle the ups and downs of the disease, with mostly natural remedies, until she ran into a situation that required standard medical help. She ended up taking the prescribed drug that she had shunned for more than 20 years. After a year on the medication, she passed away. I felt then, as I feel now, that she made the right decision to go
with a natural medicine route. Not that she didn’t need the standard medicine at one time or another, she did. Unfortunately the MDs who cared for her back then were not open to discussing alterna- tive options. I believe that she would still be with us today if her MDs had worked with her ND to determine to her healthcare plan. After all, it was the ND who had preventatively helped to keep her healthy for so many years. Hopefully we’re closer to the day when MDs and NDs can
work together on a cooperative plan for patients that utilizes the best of both approaches. MDs are slowly becoming more aware that naturopathic physicians do practice traditional medicine, but with some philosophies that are different than their own pharma- ceutical-based training. NDs do recognize the need for pharmaceu- ticals, but only as a last resort. We also follow up after a prescrip- tion with the goal of determining when the drugs are no longer needed, instead of continuing them indefinitely. This of course requires the commitment and cooperation of all involved. Patients should manage their own health care, make their
own decisions, and seek treatments that work for them. If they don’t find the answers they are looking for with a practitioner, they should keep looking. To paraphrase an old saying, “No one person, doctrine or religion has the monopoly on knowledge.” Patients with autoimmune conditions should keep this in mind as they begin the search and education for their own wellness.
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