Posted by: June in Toronto ®
01/05/2003, 19:29:05
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I would like to know what "natural medicines" the naturopath is talking about? It might be interesting (and not too expensive) for you to have one appointment and find out what he proposes in the way of the medicine and to try and get references of those he `cured' - although as its over 20 year's ago that might be difficult. I have been to an excellent naturopth that understood blepharospasm but did not help me after a good try - he happens to be an MD and does Chinese medicine as well. I also went to a chiropractor with a back problem and, when he found out I had beb, he suggested he could `cure' me with laser acupuncture. He had, apparently, `cured' others BUT could not remember who they were in order to give them my telephone number for references! I decided against the laser acupuncture:-)You aren't `insulting' us by suggesting alternative medicines - what works for one might not work for others, but its worth a try (we HAVE to keep trying). If you find out what these 3 herbs are, all of us would be interested in knowing. Best wishes and let us know what you decide to do. June in Toronto
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Posted by: Shirley-Arkansas-USA ®
01/05/2003, 19:57:24
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Hi Madeleine,
I would be skeptical, too. And if you aren't "Cured" in 6 months, you can be sure that he will let you know that it is Your fault for not following his protocol exactly or not wanting to "see the future". When someone tells me that they can cure me within a certain time frame I see dollars. I would be less skeptical and more anxious to try something if the person just said that they would try to help and explain the rationale behind the treatment with no promises.On the other hand if money is not an issue and if the methods aren't dangerous or harmful, I see no harm in trying. I do believe that some forms of alternative therapy can be quite helpful and may relieve some symptoms. I would hope that they would also help with the stress factor that does worsen our symptoms. I believe I remember someone saying that alternatives therapies could be a useful adjunctive therapy and I agree with that. Enter into things with an open mind and common sense and realize that Blepharospasm has been around for a long time and that a cure has not been found yet. There are isolated cases of "cures" from a variety of treatments but there has been no consistency in this. Anyone that hasn't read Patient Stories Volume II, can request a copy from the BEBRF. It's free if you get the newsletter and I believe that there is a $5 charge otherwise. That may have changed. It is full of personal stories and things that have helped. Yes, there can be "help" in alternative medicine. Help is the key word. I've spent quite a bit of money on acupuncture and upper cervical therapy. They did no harm but I saw no difference in my symptoms whatsoever. Shirley in Arkansas
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Posted by: Lynn Yarbrough ®
01/05/2003, 20:34:40
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I don't want to rain on your parade, but I am more than skeptical. Consider: there are more quacks in the medical profession than there are BEB patients in any part of the world. My guess is that your friend has no real knowledge of BEB -- after all, the vast majority of G.P.'s have never seen a real case in their entire practice -- so where is his experience base coming from? My guess is that he's creating it as he finds suckers -- er, patients.There is a popular story about the man who wanted to become a dermatologist. His motive? Well, he said, none of such patients ever die. On the other hand, none of them ever get well, either. --- Lynn
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Posted by: June in Toronto ®
01/06/2003, 00:00:08
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That reminds me of a joke my husband, who is an Economist, tells, Lynn.On a plane a passenger had a medical problem and the stewardess noticed a man on the passenger list was a Dr. and asked if he could help. The `Dr.' said he had a Ph.D. but was not a `real Dr.'. "What's the difference he was asked?" "Well, said the economist - a real Dr. buries his mistakes, we publish ours":=) June in Toronto
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Posted by: Delaine Inman ®
01/06/2003, 10:06:52
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I am a certified Holistic Nurse and believe alternative medicine(like the word complementary medicine better) has it's place. I also believe there are good practitioners and bad ones in any type of medicine....some are sincere and some are over zealous for many reasons. A red flag always goes up when anyone says "I can cure the uncureable". I believe our bodies do the healing ang the healer is the facilitator and no one has magical powers. The Creator of the body made the body to heal itself. The body reacts and produces what it needs to do the healing. You cut your self it heals if conditions are right.....if it is a deep wound or a serious bleed you better get to the hospital. If it is a small wound keep it clean and the body will do the healing. I've tried 100's of traditional and complementary things and I do what works which has been some of both. I respond to "I think I have some ideas or things you can do that might help" and I listen. "I can cure BEB......I did a 75% cure 20 years ago." Well my answer to that is,"That don't impress me much," as I walk out the door.
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