Why I Don't Completely Trust Conventional Doctors Anymore.

Maybe you shouldn't, either.

I don't have a crazy traumatic story about how Western medicine failed me, but I do have a story of how Western medicine failed me.

It all began almost seven years ago when I got my appendix removed.

About a month after my surgery, I was cleared to start working out again, but I could tell something was wrong on my first day back at the gym.

I started getting these excruciating bloating episodes and was not going to the bathroom like normal. I would drink water and only eat vegetables or something that I thought was mild, and these episodes would still occur.

After a few weeks, I decided to go back to my surgeon and tell him about these symptoms that worried me and impacted my quality of life.

He did a quick physical exam and said I was good and that all of this would go away with time.

I was twenty-one. I didn't know better. I didn't think I could ask him to look further into it because the symptoms were pretty severe — I trusted him to know more than I did and point me in the right direction.

Fast forward a few months, and the symptoms subsided but didn't completely disappear. I was still bloated, but it was less painful.

I became used to feeling like this. How sad is that?

I overhauled my diet in hopes of finally getting rid of whatever I had, but all I did was help my symptoms a little bit. At this point, I didn't know where to go for help, so I stayed this way.

It wasn't until a few months ago, six years later, that I started having different but severe symptoms again.

I couldn't sleep, I couldn't focus for long periods, I felt exhausted, even on the days I did manage to get a decent amount of sleep. I was starting to go crazy because I thought my body was out of control, and nothing I did helped.

This is where Western medicine failed me — I went to my primary doctor, who did multiple runs of bloodwork and told me everything was 'fine.'

I also went to a gastroenterologist, and he only found that I was lactose-intolerant after doing an endoscopy, a colonoscopy, an ultrasound, and even more blood work.

These exams also took weeks because the American Healthcare system makes you jump through hoops to complete a basic exam.

My frustration grew to an all-time high, but I didn't give up.

I realized that no matter how good their intentions may be, these doctors did not have the tools to figure out what was wrong with me.

Fortunately, my counselor has been working with a holistic doctor for years and gave me her information.

I decided to try it because, at this point, something was better than staying the way I was.

Four months ago, I went to see this doctor, and one of the first things I was amazed about was how detailed she wanted me to be about my symptoms.

I filled out a two-page questionnaire asking me about everything I had been feeling and to describe it in as much detail as possible — something neither of the other two doctors had done.

She also did a comprehensive physical exam and kept asking questions about my lifestyle — past and present.

Almost like magic, she told me my main issue was a bacteria imbalance in my small intestine.

I thought to myself finally! Someone with some answer as to what's causing all this madness.

The best part, in my opinion, is that she's never prescribed me or recommended I get prescribed any drug — all my progress has been accomplished with changes to my diet and the use of whole food supplements.

Spoiler — Yes, she was able to help me, and we've been able to get rid of 90% of my symptoms. I feel like myself again.

Unfortunately, neither one of the doctors I saw asked one question about my diet or lifestyle.

My holistic doctor wanted every detail because she knew that a lot of what could be affecting me could be either lifestyle or environmental.

This is when I realized that Western medicine would never be able to help me — doctors trained in Western medicine don't have the kind of training and expertise my holistic doctor has.

She has a plethora of knowledge about vitamins, minerals, herbs, and natural supplements that can help with all the ailments I've been dealing with and more.

She even cured my lactose intolerance! I can eat dairy products without any nasty side effects.

I do have to add that I understand there are circumstances where Western medicine is the solution — even my holistic doctor agrees with this.

I mentioned one already — my appendix being removed.

However, there's this problem I see that Western medicine and the patients of it are dealing with.

Doctors educated this way do not have extensive knowledge of how natural supplements, vitamins, minerals, etc., can help with a myriad of problems.

They have only been taught to prescribe a drug — which you can't stop taking. Otherwise, the symptoms come back.

This is the number one problem — Western medicine does not address the root of the issue; it only masks the symptoms.

I refused to be prescribed any drug because they all come with some sort of side effect that may be even worse than the original symptoms.

I genuinely feel bad for these doctors because they have not been given a well-rounded, complete, holistic education to help patients naturally treat milder symptoms.

Here's the other side of this coin — we want immediate results and solutions. Not everything is the doctor's fault.

I see day in and day out how people refuse to take care of themselves and wonder why they feel like crap. The doctor tells them precisely what they need to hear, but it goes in one ear and out the other, and all they want is a prescription to not deal with the symptoms and keep living their sick lifestyle.

It may seem harsh to say I don't trust doctors, but having a certain level of skepticism is good.

If I didn't, I'd still be wondering what was wrong with me — going to a holistic doctor and taking a different approach was the best thing I did.

We should be doing this for everything in our lives.

Asking questions, wondering if there are other solutions to the same problem. Otherwise, are we really thinking for ourselves or just giving that freedom away?