In the previous posting, a few general points were made in favor of the inevitable shift from the typical one-way street of communicating from the doctor down to the patient, to a partnership model where doctor and patient deal with one another on equal terms. No doubt, this shift is upon us even though the majority of people are still acting according to the false yet ingrained belief that any doctor’s knowledge will be superior to the patient’s own input when it comes to questions of health. This belief is at least partially misguided, and the following example from Dr. Frank Lipman’s practice at 1111 Wellness Center in New York City, shows why. It also demonstrates, how vital open communication between doctor and patient is for the success of any treatment. It comes down to the simple truth that the doctor needs to understand the patient’s situation in order to help, and the patient needs to describe it truthfully. After performing the relevant tests and hearing the patient out, the doctor can give pertinent advice. Thereafter, it becomes the patient’s responsibility to do and implement the needful for healing to take effect. The doctor needs to take an interest not only in the patient’s clinical data but also in his or her story and views. Later the patient needs to take increasingly more responsibility for his or her own health. The two-step process is one of the operating principles in integrative medicine.
In his book, Total Renewal, one of the leading integrative physicians, Dr. Lipman gives the example of Mary, …”A patient who exemplifies somebody who tried to use the medical system as if it were the good old days – and the system failed her…”
“She was thirty-four single, a fitness instructor, and had been healthy most of her life. But lately her sleep patterns had become irregular and her sex drive was almost nonexistent… Following a series of sleepless nights, she visited her general practitioner whom she liked and trusted. As they discussed her predicament, she asked her doctor, ‘Do you think Prozac would help me?’ She had seen a number of ads for Prozac that seemed to indicate it would alleviate her type of depression. Her doctor thought it was a reasonable idea and wrote a prescription. Mary became wary – she hardly ever took medication, not even aspirin. But her doctor assured her that Prozac was perfectly safe and would only be necessary for a short while. Unfortunately, while the Prozac treated her depression, it seemed to worsen her insomnia and decrease her libido, and she still felt agitated.”
“When Mary reported back to her doctor, he advised her that it could take a few more weeks for the drug to take full effect… In the meantime he prescribed Xanax to help her sleep. After another six weeks, she found she was feeling less depressed but now had started suffering from searing headaches… Instead of considering the headaches a possible side effect of the drugs [the doctor] prescribed a strong codeine-based painkiller, which made her constipated. So she began taking laxatives.”
“Eight months later and Mary still didn’t feel well. In fact she felt worse. This cocktail of antidepressants, sleeping pills, painkillers and laxatives was clearly not the solution she was looking for…”
“Mary’s story is not unusual. She was put on one drug for a problem. Developed side effects from it, and then was put on another drug to counteract the side effects. Now, even though she was not feeling better, she was dependent on several medicines that were causing symptoms she wasn’t willing to accept, especially sexual dysfunction.”
But what is the way out then, if not drugs? In Mary’s case, based on the patient’s own input and her declared intention to stay off prescription drugs, the number and amount taken was reduced. In a first step, painkillers and laxatives were crossed off the list and replaced with acupuncture treatments, which can do the job but without the side effects. However, no patient can come off Prozac and Xanax ‘cold turkey’. These need to be tapered off gradually, a process that one has to handle with care.
Next the possible causes for depression have to be considered and addressed. As a lack in essential fatty acids and other vital nutrients can contribute to depression, nutritional supplementation will work even better than Prozac. Prozac only functions as a ‘selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor’ (commonly referred to as SSRI like Zoloft, Celexa and other drugs in the same category) and thus addresses depression at the symptomatic level; whereas supplementation with specific amino acids addresses one of the actual causes. These amino acids are the chemical precursors to serotonin. From this then follows that they support the body in producing its own serotonin, the way nature designed it. SSRIs are no longer needed as the body itself does the job – and better.
Emotional and lifestyle factors play an equally important role. Depression can more easily overcome in someone who enjoys solid peer relationships, the love of other family members and above all a good marriage or partnership. For Mary such was the case. Likewise, she did not need much counseling on lifestyle. Working as a fitness coach, for her exercise was part of her everyday routine. She also had healthy food habits to begin with. However Dr. Lipman suggested she take up yoga in addition to exercising for releasing muscular tension and calming the mind.
Dr. Lipman closes his report, “After two months, Mary was drug-free. She had no headaches, no constipation. Her libido and overall energy had returned and she no longer felt depressed. She said she felt wonderful, in fact…”