According to my MD....

sgordon · 11-13-2007, 03:00 PM

So I just got back from the doctor's office, in tears, but what else is new. I thought all the alternative remedy cysters might like to hear what my ignorant MD says about natural remedies:

- Nothing that you get from a natural health store works. What you experience is merely a placebo effect.

- The strength of progesterone cream they are allowed to sell over the counter is not enough to have any effect on the body. In order for progesterone to have any effect on the body whatsoever, it must be a medication prescribed by a doctor.

(and here's my favourite)

- Drinking green tea is as bad as drinking coffee.

Has anybody else had to listen to this verbal diarrea coming from their MD?

mommy1 · 11-13-2007, 03:17 PM

LOL Sounds like my dr! There are too many cysters who have had success with alternative remedies to disregard it in my opinion. Unfortunately Western Drs think inside the box. It's my understanding that some of our prescription meds are actually derived from some herbs etc. Kinda makes you shake your head sometimes eh?! The only thing about green tea that is like coffe is that it has caffeine in it.

BeckyS727 · 11-13-2007, 03:44 PM

HA!!!!! OK, sorry for laughing, but I have to laugh. If herbs are just placebos then I would much rather take a placebo than line the pockets of the pharmaceutical companies. I am currently 23 weeks pregnant after 5 failed rounds of Clomid and 4 months of Met by itself only to have Vitex + Met work for me after 2 months. Yeah, like I believe I took a placebo.

As for the green tea, um, why is it as bad as coffee?? The caffeine?? Because every source I've found said that green tea has about 1/3 - 1/4 the amount of caffeine as coffee. Oh, and then there are all the anti-oxidants that significantly reduce the risk of cancer.

Not sure how putting chemicals in your body is better than putting plants in your body. Does he tell you to eat lots of over-processed foods, too?? Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those all-natural people who doesn't believe in taking Tylenol for a head ache, anti-bitoics for an infection or immunizations (there's nothing wrong with people who are like that, I'm just not one of them), but I think that there's a point where you need to look at facts of people around you and acknowledge the idea that ya know what, they might be onto something.

I'm sorry that your dr. is being such a poop about natural remedies. I think that dr.'s fall into a comfort zone and go with what they know. They're taught how to practice medicine, not herbal remedies. My OB is somewhat skeptical that I'm not going to have an epidural when I have our baby, but I think it's because he probably delivers 100 or more babies a year and I wouldn't be surprised if 95% or more of those women have a c-section or an epidural (or some other kind of medication). He is familiar with PCOS and probably sees 95% or more of his PCOS patients get pg with the help of a fertility drug, not with the help of Vitex, soy or cinnamin. When I told him that I took Vitex when we got pg instead of Clomid and an IUI, he just nodded his head and moved onto the next question.

I would say forget what your dr. says about natural remedies and do the research yourself (either here or elsewhere). There are tons of proven natural remedies that you will find a ton of information about.

poetry_princess1983 · 11-13-2007, 04:09 PM

<----Your doc

I beg to differ on SO many levels!!

I have been taking herbs for months now and I am finally seeing results, if it was a placebo effect wouldn't it have happened sooner? Wouldn't the vitex I took for 3 months have mad a diff? And what would he make of my temps? Are those all in my head too??

Also, I just took progesterone (progon-b) to end my last cycle and it worked like a dream...a little too well actually.

Your doc is ignorant, ignore him

Don't let him upset you

Can you tell I don't like docs

nasheajones · 11-13-2007, 04:59 PM

Well we should not really be surprised that Doctors do not want us healing ourselves! They depend on the fact that we need a prescription

I have had AWESOME results taking evening primrose oil, flax seed oil, and a multivitamin

I can not tell you how many times different Doctors have dismissed me when I told them I was having success with herbal supplements...you would think if they really cared they would be marking it down so they could keep track of what is working for thier patients. DUH!!! I really hope you do not let this get you down, or doubt yourself if you feel something is working for you keep at it! We do not need a Doctor to tell us that we feel better.

Lane · 11-15-2007, 04:35 PM

He almost sounds like the Endo I go to who happens to be highly respected in the medical field and quite popular in the Nashville area. She actually once told me that there is absolutely NO medication out there that can cause weight gain in people....

hippster · 11-17-2007, 03:24 PM

Lol. Drs don't know what they are talking about, they get there information from the pharmaceutical industry.

Herbs and nutrition are a bazillion times more potent and valueable for your health than any chemical they can synthisize in a lab.

goinabove24 · 11-17-2007, 05:01 PM

My dad is a physician and I will tell you firsthand- that he is thrilled that I am taking these herbs. IF there isn't money involved in it for them- they probably don't care. I am dropping weight without even trying, I've gotten my periods under control, and my sugar-craves have disappeared. Dr's aren't trained for herbal remedies. Find a different doctor. One that cares to help you for you, not his paycheck. My dad would tell you the exact same thing.

goinabove24 · 11-17-2007, 05:05 PM

Geez, sorry guys. After I read what I wrote.. it came off really b****y. Dr's like that just make me so mad. :-( Truth is, there are many many doctors out there for the right reasons, and there are some that are not. I guess what you doctor said hit a nerve with me. haha, sorry!!!

Ajani · 11-19-2007, 10:18 AM

My old RE also told me that not only are natural remedies useless, but dangerous. Why? Not because he had proof, but because he didn't understand them, therefore they couldn't possibly be good for people.

He couldn't explain why my hormone levels were improving on Met alone, but wouldn't acknowledge that the herbs could be helping.

If you want to talk alternative remedies, don't do it with your doctor. Find a naturopath to help you. But let your doctor know that you will continue to take the remedies that you are taking, and don't let him bully or belittle you into stopping.

sgordon · 11-19-2007, 10:46 AM

My doctor also said using natural progesterone was dangerous. Ironically, he said this right after he told me that the stuff they sell over the counter in health food stores isn't potent enough to have any effect. So which one is it exactly?

Has anyone here every read Kevin Trudeau's book "Natural Cures THEY Don't Want You To Know About"? It reads kind of like an infomercial, so that part is stupid...but it's interesting how he discusses the fact that doctors go to med school to learn what medication to prescribe for what symptoms, not to learn how to cure people. He also talks about the certain benefits doctors receive for prescribing certain medications. I'm willing to bet birth control is on that list! My doctor basically told me that unless I went on the pill, there was nothing he could do for me.