Patient Success Stories

Integrative/holistic medicine has proven to be very effective for many people.  Treatment approaches attempt to get to the root cause of the issue, and are often much less invasive and more cost-effective. 

AHMA compiles Patient  Success Stories from our members and their patients/clients, and highlights them in this section. 


Another Victory Over Chronic Sinus Disease by Barbara F., Austin, TX - Patient of AHMA member Dr. Rob Ivker

Dear Dr. Ivker,

I just took your book, Sinus Survival out to lend to yet another friend who is suffering from chronic sinus disease and all the attending ailments.  Quite a few years ago (maybe ten or so), I called you from a hotel room in Laughlin, Nevada, where I was too sick to return home to Texas.  I had been to yet another doctor in Laughlin and had been given more prescriptions and while waiting for them to be filled, I saw your book and purchased it.  It was a life-changing experience when I called you that day and you actually answered the phone yourself.  I wrote later thanking you for saving my life - and I believe that is exactly what you did.  Since that time, I have had a rich full life and now at the age of 66 am still hale, hearty and enjoying the life you helped me keep.

I have recommended your book to many, many people over the years and introduced a lot of friends to the joys of salt-water nasal flushes.  While waiting to check out at the grocery store the other day, I was thumbing through Woman's World magazine and saw an article that expounded on all the treatments you recommended for sinus infections so long ago  You were a true pioneer and I'm sure the quality of life and perhaps life itself, were the gifts you gave me following the failed, over-medicated approach to treating sinus infections.  I'm happy to see your website, and will keep up with what is going on with you now.  I hope all good things of life have been heaped on you and your loved ones.  Thanks again.

www.sinussurvival.com

---

Great Results With Acupuncture and a Naturopathic Doctor Who Listens by Kathryn P., Bay Village, OH - Patient of AHMA member Dr. Tamara Macdonald

After almost a year or so of being fatigued and having very low energy levels which I thought were due to menopause and aging, I decided to seek medical care.  My regular MD didn't find anything wrong with me other than reminding me that I was overweight.  Based on my blood test results and a high TSH level of over seven, I made my own diagnosis of thyroid issues and decided to seek out the services of an endocrinologist.

I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis in January, 2007.  I was immediately put on synthroid and had unpleasant side effects such as heart palpitations, difficulty breathing and much anxiety.  After almost a year and a half of not being heard by my endocrinologist or my regular MD, I began researching naturopathic doctors. Read more.

www.northcoastnaturalhealth.com

---

A Lady With Abdominal Issues by AHMA Board Member Dr. John Neely

I recently saw a pleasant 70 year old lady who was totally miserable because she had ongoing flatulence and urgency with diarrhea to the point that she could not go out of the house and certainly could not entertain. She also could not eat much of anything because of “instant heartburn”. She had been to see a gastroenterologist who did an endoscopy and colonoscopy and could not find anything wrong. The cost of this treatment was many thousands of dollars.

My functional medicine evaluation revealed that she had had a weight gain after being on prednisone (she felt miserable on it) for asthma-like symptoms 4 years ago. This was about the time her gastrointestinal symptoms started. She dreaded the possibility of ever going on prednisone again and was convinced this was the cause of her GI issues. Her physicians rejected this notion. She was a smart lady.

My interpretation was that she likely had an intestinal imbalance and the steroids were likely the trigger. A comprehensive stool analysis revealed Candida and several potentially pathogenic bacteria. She had virtually no beneficial bacteria.A course of anti-yeast therapy and antibiotics eliminated the culprits and she was replenished with aggressive probiotics and pre-biotics. She has been well since.

johnneelymd@comcast.net

---

Heart Patient Finds Healing - From Patient of AHMA member Dr. Melinda Ring

Being a heart patient having gastritis with constant stomach pains, severe fatigue and an amalgam of other minor problems, I saw Dr. Ring for a multitude of issues. I had tried several regimens such as different medications prescribed by various physicians, diverse diets and exercise plans, changing sleeping patterns, adding OTC energy pills, vitamins etc,.

Dr. Ring spent an hour getting to know me, my lifestyle, and my history. Based on provided information, she ordered relevant blood tests and a sleep study. She educated me on sleep apnea (for which I was later diagnosed). We talked about diet and exercise, and she suggested a more vegan intake. We spoke in detail about the stresses in my life and how it impacted my emotional and eventually my physical well-being. She suggested a number of channels through which to relieve these tensions, such as Reiki, meditation, breath work, journalling and yoga.

Accustomed to being dismissed within 15 minutes or less, I was amazed at the time spent and nature of our conversation. Having had several failing episodes in the past, I implemented this advice vigorously! As I began to assimilate these ideas, I began to notice a significant difference. For the first time, I had increased energy, my stomach pains vanished and I noticed a depth of quality in my sleep. I was able to commit to and keep social engagements (which previously felt more of a hindrance due to fatigue), my reactions to stresses in my life minimized to a manageable level, and, in general, I experienced the essence of life from a very distinct and incredible perspective.

Now pain free with all these changes, my belief in Dr. Ring and her method of practice has increased tremendously, and I am referring everyone I know to the structure of this mode of practice. 

mring@nmh.org