Are you, and your doctors, being true to your body? Throughout my career, I have witnessed countless patients walk into my clinic complaining of persistent health issues, from severe migraines to common allergies, often conditions that have plagued them throughout the years with no sign of lasting improvement. After a little investigation, it is not uncommon for me to discover the patient has sought consultation on countless occasions and been consistently prescribed pharmaceutical medicines to treat their symptoms and ease discomfort. I can often tell straight away when the root cause of a condition has not been treated and symptoms have merely been masked.
“Quick fix” Symptom-based Treatments
When symptoms persist, it tells us there is a deeper issue at play. If we continue only to treat the spluttering and sneezing, we will never resolve the food allergy possibly triggering it. If we continue only to prescribe painkillers for chronic neck pain, we will never resolve the psychological issues possibly linked to the inflammation.
The practice of addressing persistent health issues with “quick fix”, symptom-based treatments leaves patients all over the world feeling helpless and frustrated and points to a much more serious global crisis concerning our healthcare industry. Dubai Health Authority reported in 2015, ‘upto $40 billion of Arab world’s spending on healthcare is wasted’, the overprescribing of drugs and medical tests are the undoubtedly the main culprits.
Manage the Symptoms
The risk of diabetes (a common cardiovascular condition) can increase dramatically in the Middle East’s scorching sun as symptoms rapidly worsen. Dehydration, for example, can lead to rising blood sugar levels, causing hypoglycemia; fatigue, blurred vision, confusion, nausea, sweating, dizziness, hunger and a higher heart rate than normal. It is particularly important for sufferers to be created a personalized diet plan that helps to manage the symptoms – good nutrition can ultimately cure illness, whilst bad nutrition can create the problems.
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Sustainable Treatment Options is Not an Answer
Another of the most prevalent and debilitating psychiatric disorders affecting five percent of the UAE’s male and female population is depression, a condition leaving sufferers feeling plagued by a sense of sadness, hopelessness, and loneliness. Whilst anti-depressants are widely prescribed the world over, chronic use has significant side effects and can promote dependency on drugs, rather than empowering people to make positive life changes. Dependency also places a tremendous burden on healthcare systems.
Studies have shown that cognitive therapy is as efficacious as antidepressant medications at treating depression, and it also reduces the risk of relapse even after its discontinuation. Whilst antidepressants can alleviate symptoms such as agitation, anger, and sleeplessness, I believe giving patients a range of sustainable treatment options such as practicing mindfulness, meditation and exercise is key to long-term, truly transformative recovery.
Treating the Symptoms Not the Cause
The inherent issue lies in the fact most doctors educated in western medicine are trained to treat the symptoms, not the cause, whereas the role of doctors specializing in integrated medicine are focused on seeking out the root of health issues, and treating the condition holistically. We sometimes find the roots of illness can be habitual, and that there is often a direct link between emotional and physical well-being. In my role as Director of Health & Wellness for Sustainable City, I educate individuals and health practitioners across the Emirates to recognize the benefits in adopting a holistic approach to healthcare and inspire a movement towards more sustainable living.
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Healing the Body
In founding The Chiron Clinic in 2013, my vision was to bring to the UAE landscape an ethos of focusing on functional, natural and preventative medicines that promote ‘healing’ of the body, mind, and soul. We also offer the latest in preventive genetic testing to determine potential obstacles that can hinder the healing process. These tests can be critical in cases of cognitive delay or developmental diseases, such as Autism in children. Many diseases or illness can have more than one cause, our naturopathic doctors aim to find the various causes, rather than pin the blame to one factor.
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Prevention is Much Achievable
Ultimately, there are illnesses such as cancer that unfortunately have no cure yet, but prevention, however, is much more achievable than finding a cure, saving money, time and emotional stress. There is an obvious danger in simply suppressing the symptoms, and we must always ask ourselves ‘why’ something is happening to us, rather than simply ‘how’ we can instantly feel better.
About the Author
Dr. Lanalle Dunn is the Founder of The Chiron Clinic and Director of Health & Wellness for Sustainable City
