As mentioned before, in my case and I suspect the majority of other AFers, this AF condition has arisen due to more than one issue in our lives. I therefore consulted with not just regular medics but a couple of Alternative Practitioners as well; a Naturopath and a Nutritionist.
Readers here who take a similar broad approach will no doubt be interested in Integrated medicine and this new interview with drannaforbes.com nb the second half is more informative than the first. A talented and inspirational doctor!
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The only word of caution I would add relates to using alternative medication for anticoagulation which has not been subjected to the same trials and tests as orthodox medication such as Warfarin or DOAC’s……
You missed the point - they are not alternative practitioners - These are medical doctors practising Functional or Lifestyle Medicine Doctor is they will know how to work with anticoagulants - eg:- Dr Chaterjee or Dr Rupee.
One advantage of seeing a Functional medicine doctor is that they will take a very detailed family history before you even start.
Only caution I would add is that as yet only a few GP surgeries offer this on NHS - otherwise by the time you’ve done all of the tests the costs mount up for those used to ‘free’ medicine.
I probably have CD but from what I read, Secondtry clearly said “I therefore consulted with not just regular medics but a couple of Alternative Practitioners as well; a Naturopath and a Nutritionist” which seems to differ slightly from what you have just said. The only reason why I replied was because of previous references to natural remedies such as Nattokinase.
I have no knowledge or understanding of the subject but I can understand why it is of interest to some and should obviously be shared.
Thank you for the links Secondtry, a very interesting talk indeed. As you say, she is a very inspiring doctor. I had also forgotten about Qigong, so her mention of the Qigong hospital was a helpful reminder. It was something I practiced for a while a long time ago. Time to get back to it! I’ve also recently come across some very helpful YouTube videos on using the Feldenkrais technique to release muscle tension etc, That is also proving very useful for my perpetually tight neck and shoulders! I can post a link later if anyone is interested.
Yep, I used to this regularly as. Physio. Works a treat. The basic principle is maximum shortening of muscles ie contraction , is automatically followed by maximum lengthening ie relaxation of the muscle fibres .
Great post - thanks for the links. When you have more than one condition to manage its really important to look at the whole, not just the dysfunction - treat the person not just the dysfunction.
Interesting distinction she made between Functional and Integrative - I’m on the fence on that one. The Doctors I worked with decided on the use of the term Lifestyle Medicine, one stayed more on the functional side whilst the other went more toward Integrative. I worked with one on Craniosacral massage, which isn’t a massage, more energy medicine. One of the most powerful shifts I ever encountered!
The important principle which underpins all of this type of approach was outlined in the first sentence of the interview - we work to improve health rather than treat symptoms with drugs.
A naturopathic doctor helped guide me to finding my triggers after ablation was only partially successful. I also, since 2016, started seeing a functional medicine doctor. I pay a lot to see him but he keeps me well as opposed to doctors only treating with surgery. He provides alternative treatments, compounded meds and, when needed refers to specialists. I needed thyroid meds and was unable to tolerate any big pharma brand or even some of the “natural” thyroid meds as they all set off heart trouble, even at super low dosages. He has a special compounded thyroid med created for me that never bothers my heart even at the higher therapeutic levels. Not sure I could manage without him as other doctors would put me on thyroid pills then anti arrhythmia pills and I would be miserable.
Thanks, very interested in integrated medicine. Even within the functional medicine field there is more and more specialisation and it's difficult for doctors to see beyond their narrow area of expertise.
In my journey over the past few years to a diagnosis of a couple of heart conditions never once has any doctor mentioned such fundamentals as exercise or weight management, let alone any psychological aspects. This may partly be because some patients take offence at being advised to lose weight. But generally doctors are very focussed on identifying and assessing symptoms, testing to confirm a diagnosis and then the treatment phase.
I hope the integrated medicine approach may gain traction as it's quite challenging for patients to know how to pull the various strands together themselves.
I believe what you say is very important. If one is able to find these alternative Drs I can only see it as a positive thing. But unfortunately for people like me it's not affordable. Functional Drs are what Drs used to be years ago. Drs used to look for causes and do tests not done by "Drs" nowadays. Most can't do the tests because insurance won't allow it. Frustrating.
I don't think we have Functional or Integrative Doctors here in the UK and I have no idea what they are! We have Naturopaths, Osteopaths, Chiropractors, Homeopaths, and the alternatives like Acupuncture, Reiki etc Could somebody define them for me please?
Yes there are plenty in the UK, the interview was with a n Intagrative doctor in Nottingham. One of our GPs practices Lifestyle Medicine - which is a term more often used in UK rather than Functional Medicine - but you won’t get it on the NHS.
They are medical doctors who work with nutrition, exercise, sleep & stress management and breath work as a foundation, some then diversify. They begin with a 2-3 hour history taking which goes into family history as well as personal experience.
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