Suppress Symptoms or Listen to them?

It is easy to think of symptoms as the enemy, but they are important. They are how our body tells us that something is out of balance. For example, back pain may be a clue that we have been taught to sit incorrectly. (View these two videos.

Too often, we turn immediately to medicines to make symptoms go away without even asking what the message is. The idea of suppressing symptoms with drugs is made easier because there is a medication for virtually any complaint. Also, writing a prescription is way faster than investigating causes and helping patients change habits. There is nothing wrong with reducing the suffering caused by symptoms if (1) an effort is made to understand and fix the origin of the problem, (2) the symptom isn’t part of the healing process as may be the case with a fever and (3) the side effects of the medication don’t make the underlying problem worse. Using herbal remedies for symptoms may be less toxic than the corresponding pharmaceutical, but that is still no substitute for restoring balance.

We don’t always know whether our out of balance problem is that we are missing something that we need or if we are getting too much of something we can’t handle (or both). So, it pays to aim to cover all the fundamental bases. A good place to start is to read the Basics of Health page. As you can see from the main drop down menu, some complaints have their own page. This page is to provide some quick takes and resources on issues for which I am not ready to create a whole page.

Some of the items below, like fibromyalgia, I would consider diseases but, often doctors do not take them seriously so you may be on your own to sort them out.

RESOURCES:

MERCK MANUAL
SEARCHABLE CONDITIONS DATABASE

REFERENCE:
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF NATURAL MEDICINE

ALLERGY
Food Sensitivity, see our page on that.
Interview with Doris Rapp, MD
Pollen Forecasts (From 5 AM to 10 AM counts may be highest)
Home remedies. For typical seasonal allergies to airborne pollen (the kind that cause red eyes and runny nose) I’ve often had success with this trick: Buy LOCAL bee pollen as loose granules (health food store or farmer’s market). It is crucial to begin with one single granule to make sure you aren’t super sensitive to pollen. The 2nd day, eat 2 granules. Double the amount each day until you are taking a teaspoonful. Besides imitating the gradual buildup of tolerance that we gain from allergy shots, pollen is quite nutritious. The herb stinging nettles and the nutrient quercetin also help.

FATIGUE
Adrenal Fatigue for Dummies, Richard Snyder, DO

FIBROMYALGIA
In a small study, patients deficient in CoQ10 saw significant improvement with supplementation.
Avazzia micro-current pain devices.
Jacob Teitlebaum, MD is a respected expert in fibromyalgia.

HOME REMEDIES
Burns—keep Lily of the Desert Aloe Gelly handy (or the juice). In a pinch, cold baking flour and soy sauce are reported to help for some reason.
Cramps—magnesium to the rescue
People’s Pharmacy is a good source of home remedies for all kinds of problems

TEETH
Classic radio show on dental issues. Interview with Dr. Philip Kozlow September 20, 2014
See the Dentists page.
Listener feedback on toothache: “Twice now I have woken up with a nasty toothache – a month apart. Didn’t have time for this. I took 6 Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics morning, noon and pm for two days. Within 2 hours the pain was much better, 24 hours all gone. I have done this twice now. Saved me a big dental bill and time off work I didn’t have. I am maintaining with 3 upon arising and 3 at bedtime. Great Stuff!!!!!!!!!! Elizabeth Jones Harrison, CCN

According to Dr. Kate Rheaume-Bleue, author of Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox, teeth can repair themselves with adequate vitamin K2 and vitamin D. Vitamin K2 also cuts down on dental plaque.