Not a doctor

I’ve had someone ask me about my opinions on the non-medical aspects of treating disorders such as my sons.

Would I consider alternative therapies? Sure, I would consider them, but I would also ask my medical professional their opinions about such therapies, I would do a lot of reading and research on these therapies, and I would also talk to the person that would be administering said therapies before I made a final judgment call.

Would I recommend therapies 1. 2. and 3. as an alternative for someone else’s child? Nope.
I am not a doctor, do not claim to have any education within the medical field, nor an expert on anything that is medically related. Quite simply, I am a parent that has learned over the years to cope with the disorders that affect my sons.

Now, when I learned about S’s Asperger’s, I will admit that I talked about it with my chiropractor. I talked about it with him more because he is a friend than anything else, but I also wanted his opinion on the left brain/right brain theories I had read about.
He suggested that weekly treatments may help determine a pattern of behaviour, but also indicated that he would have to provide treatment for quite a while to really start to formulate and track a pattern based on the manipulations required and the behavioural aspects. The adjustments would focus strictly on the 1st and 2nd sections of the spine – no other manipulations would be done.

Prior to starting this treatment, I did send an email to S’s doctor asking if he thought this type of treatment would be detrimental in any way. The doctor surprised me when he replied saying that there having been some studies on the manipulation of certain segments of the spine, but he didn’t know that this treatment would actually be of a benefit to S. After some careful consideration, Hubby and I thought we would go ahead with the treatments. If the chiro was able to determine something within the time frame we had established, great. If not, that was fine too.

Over the time that S was going to see the chiro on a weekly basis, we did notice that the base of the skull did tend to pull to the right more than normal, but there was never a set pattern established. We didn’t continue with the treatments over the summer simply because of the geographical constraints. Nothing has been discussed for this school year, and to be honest, I am not sure that it was a necessary expense.

Sometimes I feel that alternative therapies also have to be worth the cost. Most medical plans don’t cover the cost of alternative therapies; which can get very costly over the long run. Another consideration – why do you want to look at alternative therapies? Is it because you don’t trust conventional Western medicine, or is it because you don’t want to give your child drugs? These are all very personal choices; ones that only you can make.

My only advice – let the buyer beware. There are no magical remedies out there that will be able to ‘cure’ these disorders. There are no cures – if there were, we would already know about them. Many companies that sell natural remedies make claims, but there is no quantifiable proof that they really do work in the way advertised.

If you are considering herbal supplements, or special diet, make sure you are well informed, and very comfortable with the person that will be assisting. Check out their background, and their education. If you are unsure, don’t start your child on anything until you ARE sure.

LEV, thanks for reading my blog and asking me my opinion. I really do understand how difficult and upseting it is during the time of looking for what may be going on with your child. I’m sorry if I haven’t been able to answer your questions more clearly; if you would like, you can email me directly at lupusawareness(at)hotmail(dot)com and we can get in to more specifics.