Trying a nutritionist and chiropractic neurologist

[DSM3KIDZ]

I am sick of being sick (and so is my family) so I'm giving one LAST effort to alternative med. I am so broke from trying to find the magic cure so this is my last effort. I cross my fingers and toes that this will make my body stronger and possibly heal. Or it could just be another wasted effort. I can't get to the point of acceptance but I'm going to have to learn to cope better if this doesn't help. I know it's no miracle so chances are I'll be dissappointed but I have to at least try.

There is a member on this board who's mom is a nutritionist specializing in POTS. Well I met with both of them a few months ago and just decided to meet with her mom last week. She uses vitamins and supplements to heal the body from the inside out. She focuses on the mitricondial cells. Her daughter had real bad symptoms after broncitis and now she is 98% normal.

I know her chances of healing are probally better because she was post-viral and I'm unsure of my cause (viral/or stress) all I know is it came on as quick as I can snap my fingers that's why I holding on to the hope of healing. Maybe something just got wacked out in my system and in time it will correct itself. I know, it sounds like wishful thinking. Now don't laugh at me if in 3 yrs I'm still posting and sick.

Anyways she also recommended a chiropractic neurologist. I see a chiro now but he's not a neurologist. She said he really helped in the healing process for Kristen. He's located in Hartland, Wi. If anyone's interested.

Well enough blabbing. I'll received my vitamins on Mon (16 -that's alot) and I'll keep you posted on my progress -or lack there of. I know stay positive. I'm trying but it's hard.

I hope everyone is recovered from there holiday weekend---I'm not.

Dayna

[cnm1]

Dayna

I know how you feel - I have tried a number of "alternative" methods for my daughter - none helped. The supplements might be worth a try but I admit I think chiropractors should stay with skeletal-muscle stuff. I looked up chiropractic neurologist - it is a chiropractor with an additional 300 hours training - not much ( (7 weeks!) and certainly not a neurologist. I think it is hard because traditional frequently doesn't have much to offer ( and they can be SO arrogant)BUT I also don't think that means that "alternative" will be much better ( though they tend to be nicer). If is cheap enough and can't hurt - give it a try. If anyone promises the world (traditional or alternative) - run in the opposite direction.

Louise

[yogini]

Good luck with the nutritionist and keep us posted. After a year and a half of POTS, I am pretty sure that there is no "magic cure." But you can get better - it will happen slowly over time. A few people on this site have done it through nutrition, so it's worth a try. I haven't tried any alternative methods, but I have been taking better vitamins recently and do feel like I have fewer symptoms and more energy. Hope it helps!

-Rita

[Sunfish]

Dayna -

good luck with your new avenues of exploration. personally i've only seen nutritionists in the hospital & one time in which i was not impressed (she was telling me to stop meds & giving me medical info which i knew was false, not to mention not her place to be giving). now that my stomach/GI tract is a bit more back to normal i'm definitely considering thinking more about my nutritional intake; i'm pretty balanced but am enjoying the freedom from Boosts & Ensures a bit too much perhaps these days! when i have been on various vitamins though from docs they've wrecked havoc on my GI tract...i'll be curious to see if you do okay with them? also...do you start them all at once? i'm just wondering b/c am curious as to how one would know what part of the combo is or isn't doing any good. i know that often it's the "mix" that does it - i have some meds like that - but 16 just seems like a lot to keep track of. i'm also intrigued by the chiropractic neuro...is he actually an MD doc? i tend to have a lot of respect for professions who are trying to meld the more traditional & alternative worlds. definitely let us know how things go....

good luck!

:-)melissa

[DSM3KIDZ]

Sunfish- no the chiropractor is not an MD , I guess he just has extra training in neurology. I'm still debating on him because I don't want him to screw anything up. I am nervous for the vitamins because I do have slowed gastric emptying (gastroparesis) and my stomach is already nauseated alot. I guess I'm just going to give it a try. Some of the vitamins are liquid so it will be easy to digest them (calcium, magnesium and potassium.) But yeah, I guess I start them all at once. Some of them I only take for 60 or 90 days then we try getting off them one at a time and I get re-evaluated every 3 months to see my progress.

How did you help you stomach problems? I desperately want to be able to digest better so I can eat more protiens and veges and salads so I can be healthier.

Thanks for your response.

Dayna

[icthus]

Dear Dayna,

This is my first ever reply on a forum, and I'm not sure if it's going to work or look right. But it is not my first time with alternative medicine.

Having had POTS since '91 but not diagnosed until '05, I tried numerous alternative protocols including chelation, pH balance, medically supervised aggressive detox, IV hydrogen peroxide, mega vitamin therapy, and more - all because the doctors said I was OK but my family knew differently, so...

I am very interested in your direction because I have decided to return to alternative. It's a big step, and since my husband died (drowning accident while rescuing our puppy on a frozen pond) I lost all desire to fight for my health. That was 3+ years ago. And I have deteriorated significantly. Coincidence? Stress from being a widow with two home school teenagers? Who knows. I just didn't want to do alternative stuff. It is so much work and time.

But, for what it's worth, I got the classic POTS symptoms in '91. By '95 I was rather shut down, and with no allopathic (M.D.) support, I turned to alternative - the Gerson protocol of organic carrot juices, vegetarian organic diet, B12 shots, bowel cleansing, etc. I got so much better that I could walk 4 miles and do school. Since some bothersome cardiac symptoms continued, I went to Mayo in '98. The physician labeled me (to all the other physicians) as having somatoform - so the entire effort was wasted even though I failed the neuro exam. That's another string (right word?). He also scoffed at the alternative protocol. That was enough for us. We came home and went with the SAD diet. By '01 I was a mess again. OK, so the regression caused by "life" or the absence of nutritional support?

Like you, I'm hoping the latter. I restarted the juicing and a more careful diet with digestive enzymes - which help a lot. I restarted B12 shots in June - which has improved the energy level. I'm not doing vitamins only because the concentrated "food" is more than my body can handle. I go into reactions.

As an aside, the diagnosing physician, an electrophysiologist, told me in April that there isn't much out there to help POTS patients, especially me since I can't do the standard meds. He then told me to try any alternative protocol I thought was reasonable because he felt it made no sense to do nothing. Maybe his words might be of comfort to you. They have spurred me on to reconsider the alternative stuff.

If only, now, I can persevere and do it on my own. Tough.

I will be praying for you - that these nutrients will support your body and bring restoration at the cellular level. Life is so hard. Keep us posted. And I like what you said - stay positive. Easier said than done, but this forum is one great means to help us readjust and stay positive when symptoms are overwhelming. Thanks for being here you guys. You're all great!

[Sunfish]

icthus -

you're doing just fine with the forum...no one would ever know that you're new to

posting!

dayna -

i will say i'm a bit more weary about the chiropractic neurologist hearing he's not an MD...i don't discount the fact that some have had success with chiros but the name just seems a bit deceptive to me as a "neurologist" by definition is an MD. none the less, i see no harm in seeing what he'd have to say...short of your time & energy & money, which are no little things. perhaps you could keep it in your back pocket & see how the nutritionist stuff goes? again it might be confusing to be trying lots of new things at once in terms of figuring out what is or isn't actually helping....

in terms of the vitamins, i hope they go well but do be careful since you have issues with GP...that in and of itself could actually affect absorption as well. you're right that liquids will be much better in terms of motility but they can still be rough on the gut - especially potassium, so just be aware of that.

in terms of how my GI issues are now on the up & up, it's a combination of meds and perhaps a bit of luck. but they're definitely better as i've been able to gain 20 pounds since the middle of may. i had lost 35 but don't need the other 15 back so am hoping my body evens out where it is now. although if it were a choice between eating & the extra weight i'd take the extra weight any day. i feel SO much better eating real food again. so...for my GI meds i'm on protonix & zelnorm, as well as reglan on occassion; i can't tolerate it on a regular basis but it's a good boost for me to have available. i'm also on mestinon, which was a surprising yet wonderful addition to my GI problem-solving. one of the most common side effects of mestinon is actually stomach cramps due to increased contractions that can occur as a result of increased neurotransmitter activity. i have had none of the bad cramping but from the day i started it (without actually knowing what it was as it was part of the med trials i was in at vanderbilt) my fullness & nausea was better. this isn't why i was put on it but several docs have concurred that it makes sense & i'm pleased as punch. so...the mestinon & zelnorm have, in combination, been my biggest boost in terms of GI motility issues. i'm still not 100% but there's not much i can't eat in small amounts & i actually get hungry again after having NO appetite for months. i was throwing up at least every other day for months & now it's been only twice in the past month. i realize that it could change at any time but i'll take it while i can! in terms of nutrition while i was doing so poorly, i had to be religious about getting in nutritional drinks or i would have ended up in much worse shape than i was. this way i was at least able to keep my nutrient intake up as much as possible since my food intake was so sparse.

hope things go well for you with the vitamins & do keep us posted!

i'm off to try to sleep again....

:-)melissa

[DSM3KIDZ]

icthus- thanks for your reply, you did a good job. also thanks for your support, I am hoping for improvement. Every little bit helps.

I'm sorry to hear about your husband and commend you on raising to teenagers as a widoe. I have 3 small kids (6,3 &1) and I can't just sit back and be sick all the time. I have to fight for my health and if traditional methods don't work than I'll have to a least try the alternative. If the end if I'm still where I at (not a happy me) than at least I can say I tried. I've also tried chiropractic which helped some, hydroclonic therapy which helped me feel better but it was just to invasive for me to continue and stopped helping. I also juice which give me my energy.

So good luck to you, I'll keep you updated because my nutritionist lives in IL. I think that's near you if I remember correctly.

Dayna

[DawnA]

Dayna, I hope the vitamins supplements are helpful for you. I know they really helped Kristin. Alternative treatments also have made a significant difference in my health. The supplemant that has helped me the most is CO Q 10. It has even helped my gastroparesis.

I truly beleive that Kristins Mom has the right approach concentrating on the mitochondria. I feel many of us have problems with our metabolism. If your body is able to metabolize to make more energy...this helps teh whole body. For instance increased motility. I am having a hard time getting out what I want to say. Anyway I hope this encourages you.

Dawn A