So you’ve done your due diligence and are ready to become a No-Grain convert. Or perhaps you have already made the conversion but you want to let your doctor know. Great! ”Where do I start?”, you ask.
First off, there are a few important reasons why you should tell your doctor about going No-Grain, or if you’re taking any “alternative” treatment for that matter:
- some natural therapies can interact with conventional therapies (example: St John’s wort should usually not be taken with antidepressant medications)
- you can help teach your doctor about other ways of finding health
- it’s a nice feeling to have your doctor on-board and supporting you
How will your doctor react? It depends. I have seen 4 common reactions to news of alternative therapies:
- your doctor will tell you that you are gullible and wasting your money and his time
- your doctor will give you a polite “that’s fine” and pretend like you never told him
- your doctor will be intrigued and ask to learn more
- your doctor will surprise you and actually know what you’re talking about and offer help
How do you approach your doctor?
- what your current state of health
- what kind of alternative therapy you want to try
Are you familiar with the saying “it is easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to get permission”? Sometimes that’s how it has to be with your doctor when it comes to trying something they have not had experience with (which is most alternative therapies including going No-Grain). If you are in good health then this approach might work for you. Proceed with caution with that natural supplement or conversion to No-Grain. Then tell your doctor: “I have been doing/taking __________, do you have any problems with this?”
If you are not so bold, or you have health problems, then you need to use a different strategy. For sake of simplicity, lets assume you are seeing your doctor for Rheumatoid Arthritis and you want to go No-Grain to improve your health and try to cut back some of your medications. Modify the steps in my Weight Loss page to plan your course. On your next doctor visit, tell him/her something along these lines:
Doctor, I have heard from many people that cutting out gluten and other grains from my diet can really help with my Rheumatoid Arthritis. Is it OK with you if I give it a try and see for myself. If it works out, I am hoping we can cut back some of my medications.
A mistake many patients make is asking their doctor “what is your opinion about _________ ?” They are asking their doctor for an opinion in a matter they probably know little about. Its like asking a dentist about foot fungus! Of course the doctor is probably not going to give you permission this way and his opinion is going to be neutral at best.
I found that most doctors respond favorably to these approaches. Let us know how it works out for you or what you have tried and how that turned out. Feel free to leave comments.
Good luck!
Also please don’t walk into the doctor’s office and say “I stopped all my medicines and am going to treat myself with diet only” We must tread softly here as this is one of few areas where the physician and patient are on the learning curve together! This is neither the material nor the way they were taught in medical soon. We all make mistakes. We that are intolerant in what we put IN our mouths, some docs in what comes OUT of theirs. In some cases we the patient become the “instructor” which I’m sure makes some doctors very uncomfortable. Might get more to listen with gentle correction vs lashing out. Most importantly we must not stay quiet!
You are absolutely correct. Changing your diet may help with many conditions but there is no guarantees. Also, it is important to make your doctor feel involved in your care. By rejecting the medications he recommended, you are rejecting his care. That is why you need to phrase your approach in such a way that it acknowledges your doctor’s importance in your care and form a partnership.