THE MYTH OF EXCELLENCE

Malena is a 31 year old woman of Cambodian descent who was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis seven years ago. Most of her joints continued to ache despite taking prednisone for inflammation and methotrexate to suppress her immune system. Her primary care physician originally told her the cause of her disease was unknown. As an autoimmune disease, he explained, her immune system was attacking her own body’s tissues.

Six months before Malena came to see me, her medical doctor had told her that her disease was progressing and he needed to take more aggressive measures. She was scared because the prednisone was already weakening her bones and making her skin thinner, whereas the methotrexate made her more susceptible to infections buy viagra online. She fell sick with a debilitating cold every other month, leaving her incapable of going to work. Her colleagues no longer relied on her for important projects with strict deadlines. She had lost hope and was filled with fear.

I told her, “The body has an amazing ability to heal. Your immune system is part of who you are, and we need it to be strong enough to prevent you from becoming sick and missing work.” Besides desiring a successful career, she also wanted to contribute to society by volunteering at local charities and donating blood.

Malena and I worked together for two months to upgrade her diet, strengthen her immune system and decrease her antibodies. Once we saw that the autoimmune component was resolved, she visited her medical doctor who guided her off the methotrexate. Within another eight months, Malena no longer suffered from joint pain and lives completely medication free. She now leads a team of six coworkers, donates blood regularly and travels once a year to Cambodia to volunteer for an organization that sponsors orphans for formal education.

Allopathic medical doctors have few tools to restore optimal wellness, health and vitality. Unfortunately, they also confuse patients by diagnosing them with ‘incurable,’ ‘progressing’ or ‘idiopathic’ (no known cause) diseases. Telling Malena that her disease was ‘idiopathic’ implied that he did not know how to help her heal. By ‘incurable’, he meant that he could not help, and he might make her situation worse. That her disease was ‘progressing’ meant he had made it worse or neglected to improve her health.

As a child watching the film The Wizard of Oz, I believed the Wizard had the power to help Dorothy return home to Kansas. However, once we go behind the curtains and discover what is underneath the white coat, it is evident that the Wizard and Malena’s doctor are merely ordinary people, just like you and me. As a child, I loved to watch the greatest magic shows of all. Today, many people pay for these performances with their medical co-pays.