by Dr. Jamie Doughty, Medical Director

As this wild year comes to a close, I am grateful for my health and well-being. Natural medicine has helped me overcome my hurdles and taught me how to listen to the body; when you trust in this wisdom the answer is clear.

Case Study:
Sandra, a 55 year old woman, presented with weakness and tingling in her legs, weight gain and chronic headaches. She had seen several MDs and a Neurologist who ordered an MRI that revealed “MS like changes” but was offered little treatment. Sandra tried nerve pain medications and many prescription headache treatments without relief.

She enjoyed hiking and biking but had no energy to do these things since menopause hit and hence gained 30 pounds over the past year and a half. Her diet was heavy on refined grains and fat free protein products like yogurt, meats, dairy and cheese in hopes of sparking some weight loss.

Our first effort was an analysis of her thyroid and adrenal gland functions. Her test results revealed hypothyroid and adrenal fatigue which is common with big life changes like menopause.

She started a bio-identical thyroid hormone replacement called Nature-throid and herbal support, Ashwaganda. I encouraged her to implement a Mediterranean type diet, rich with healthy omega fats, whole grains and no refined or processed sugars.

Finally, she is embarking on a series of craniosacral therapy sessions to address her mysterious nerve pain and headaches. I’ll being following up with Sandra in 4 weeks to reassess her progress and continue to search for the underlying cause of her chronic symptoms.