Blog 4: Voodoo
Voodoo is a religion and a verb. It can refer to a religion, or it can be used to describe something dark, mystic, and unknowable (Radford). For me, visiting a natural path was akin to voodoo stereotypes involving chickens, blood sacrifice, and raising zombies. For many years, I was half-dead with the disease; thus I needed to resurrect my body, mind, and spirit. In the spirit of voudon, I sought out a witch doctor named Debra McIntyre who is a practicing natural path for over 25 years.
Unlike traditional Western medicine, naturopathic medicine treats not only the body but the mind and spirit as well. It also seeks to manage the “root cause” of illness versus the symptoms (Kiefer). Traditional naturopathic doctors (ND/NMD) “learn the same basic sciences as conventional medical doctors (MD), but also study nutrition, psychology, herbal medicine, and homeopathy (Kiefer). When I first became ill, Western medicine was the only choice. I had a long-standing relationship with doctors through my job in medical devices sales, and I considered anything outside of conventional medicine to be a fool’s errand.
Deb introduced me to several methods including NAET or Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Technique. NAET is “ a non-invasive, drug-free, natural solution to alleviate allergies” while using a “blend of selective energy balancing, testing and treatment procedures”(ROVI). NAET was discovered by Dr. Devi S. Nambudripad in 1983 and has over 12,000 practitioners worldwide (ROVI). While many practicing NAET and those undergoing treatment believe in its results there are many like Dr. David Stukus, M.D. who speak out against NAET as an unvalidated method without evidence (Broer). I consider this is a very narrow-minded view considering NAET is based on Chinese Medicine principles that have been in practice for thousands of years (Terwee).
NAET is just an example of the many treatment methods that natural paths use to treat their patients. It also includes “herbs, massage, and acupuncture”(Kiefer). The types of treatments are overwhelming and I’m just scratching the surface. I plan on trying them all as I slowly wean off the prednisone and antibiotics. Gone are the years of guzzling pills while destroying my gut and liver. My journey will be slow and riddled with potholes, but it’s my journey.
For years I was slowly poisoning myself on top of the autoimmune diseases, but when I started seeing Deb, it all changed. I went from a listless and lifeless zombie to a semi-functioning human being within 10 months. The cloud of fear surrounding the mystic naturopathy has left me. There is no voodoo here. I am Lazarus returned from the dead. I am alive.
Broer, Lisa. “NAET and Allergies: A Not so Neat Idea .” Medium, 23 Apr. 2018, medium.com/@Weresquirrel/naet-and-allergies-a-not-so-neat-idea-1ae02d8acc50. Accessed 10 Feb. 2019.
Kiefer, David. “Naturopathic Medicine: What It Is, Benefits, Risks.” WebMD, WebMD, www.webmd.com/balance/guide/what-is-naturopathic-medicine#1.
Radford, Benjamin. “Voodoo: Facts About Misunderstood Religion.” LiveScience, Purch, 30 Oct. 2013, www.livescience.com/40803-voodoo-facts.html.
Teitelbaum, Jacob. “NAET: A Breakthrough Treatment for Allergies.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 2009, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/complementary-medicine/200910/naet-breakthrough-treatment-allergies. Accessed 10 Feb. 2019.
Terwee, Caroline B. “Successful Treatment of Food Allergy with Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Techniques (NAET) in a 3-Year Old: A Case Report.” National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 5 Aug. 2008, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/.
“What Is NAET .” NAET, Rovi Corporation, 2018, web.archive.org/web/20180212142141/https://www.naet.com/about/what-is-naet/. Accessed 10 Feb. 2019.
