Patient Stories
It starts with stories. If you or a loved one has been positively affected by integrative therapies, connect with us. Share your story by video or written testimonial.
“When it comes to health, everyone has a story. Here is how CAM got my health back on track and why CAM may be the key to meeting healthcare needs coming out of COVID-19.
I have a new Super Power. The ability to comprehend and navigate my own health has transformed. Over the past 12 months my fantastic family doctor, specialists, and most of all, my integrated medical doctor, gave me freedom and power. I was experiencing burnout (or so I thought). Since I was 14, my thyroid had slightly alerting levels, but never far enough to warrant further investigation... or so I thought. "Your TSH is elevated, but your T4 is okay... lets wait and see". Now, 29, on a whim and a recommendation by a friend, I explored an alternative approach.
Prior to my initial visit, I had frequent visits to my family doctor, numerous blood tests, raised concerns with digestion, energy and mental clarity. My desire to feel at my best had me opt-in for an out-of-pocket private medical clinic in Toronto - a clinic established on a wide and deep diagnosis. At that clinic, every conventional medicine interaction found the flags but not the reason why my TSH levels were elevated.
What I eventually learned was that my levels were due to an auto-immune disease slowly creeping up shown by the presence of antibodies attacking my thyroid due to food sensitivities my whole life - ultimately tearing me apart over time (digestive, energy, body weight) - accelerated during COVID-19 lockdown. I was feeding myself to death with practically every item being allergenic or elevated sensitivity. The conventional clinic recommended foods due to a low iron result - all of which turned out to be an allergen proven by my integrative physicians' analysis.
The results across the wide tests collected after my initial visit with an integrative physician blew me away. Answers were right there. I was finally able to navigate the pattern I was constantly repeating to friends, family and medical doctors. Success came from the knowledge of knowing how I 'used' to feel - and how want to feel. It had gotten so bad that I knew something was wrong. I had a very specific goal in mind which helped my integrative physician guide me, inform me and coach me. Can you imagine how empowered that felt? For the first time, I took control of my well-being. By the way, this did not replace my family doctors (who are amazing). The combination of all of my doctors working together was the true breakthrough that followed.
When it comes to health, restricting the professional physicians who truly care about patient outcomes puzzles me. My experiences resulted in my wellbeing dramatically improving. I hope others find this path when they are ready. It takes intention and mindfulness. A rare trait we often lose in our busy lives.
Let me tell you something - when any of us or our families get sick - we end up with doctors who provide this level of care in partnership with your family doctor. These doctors are a best kept secret between every CEO and entrepreneur I have met. It feels like 80% of the dinner table conversations in my network are around healthcare. Humans are more passionate than ever to find a way to feel at our best.
The question I have for whoever is approving this shift in limitations through the CAM Policy is: how is evidence against CAM being represented as justification for this direction? Perhaps there is merit to reset on how CAM may play a role in partnership with conventional medicine, versus a dismissed follower to public care options.
Consider this a helpful question because coming out of COVID-19, Ontario will need every able bodied health professional ready to provide their expertise and attention. Every doctor has a role to play for the upcoming wave of mental health and overall well-being needs. I would definitely NOT want to be associated with limiting healthcare options available or add more layers of complexity for patients to jump through via required conventional/pharmaceutical-focused medicine ‘evidence’ methods.
Healthcare has the greatest capacity for innovation in our future”.
— Jesse A, Toronto, ON
“For years I struggled with a major issue that was “treated” by my family doctor and 2 different specialists without success. A close friend suggested that I see an Integrative Physician – something I was not familiar with. My care began with a comprehensive evaluation of my mental and physical well-being; the integrative physician also ordered a DNA test, blood work and an MRI. I learned that I had a germ in my body causing serious inflammation in certain internal organs that had never before been brought to my attention. I had no idea how truly dangerous this inflammation was, or about the causes of inflammation in my body such as stress, food and toxins. The doctor used innovative therapies including ozone, chelation, and hormonal support to eliminate the germ and address my inflammation. This experience helped shift my perspective from focusing on symptoms to understanding the root cause of illness. I was impressed how well these complementary therapies got straight to the root of my problems - having the option to explore alternatives to conventional medical care makes me feel like I am an active participant in my health and healing. Thanks to this experience, I not only feel healthy once again, but empowered.”
— Cyrus S, Toronto, ON
“My husband found a specialist physician in integrative medicine who helped various new tools (off-medical drugs) and vitamins to combat two chronic illness conditions that have no clear underlying cause or solution. One of the drugs - off-medically - has been a game-changer for my life! I was so depressed, in so much pain, I cannot IMAGINE living without this treatment should it come to an end. The CPSO must become far more pro-active and resilient to complex illness conditions that GP's and regular health systems CANNOT treat. WE need help! We are silent suffers. I/and millions other suffer from silent illnesses that are ignored by the broader health systems (because they are complex) but are real conditions that hurt many people - not including the patients but the families with stress, financial demands and emotional trauma! Please re-consider policies that consider the help these innovative and leader doctors take. Thank you. Integrative medicine is methodical, individual, and supports the needs of the specific person suffering silently but with the support of their loved ones. Please please please re-consider”
— Jacqueline O, Toronto, ON
“I can now resume a normal life. This has been such a blessing to me. I cannot even imagine that there’s a possibility that these treatments may be taken away from me.”
- Heather, Toronto, ON
“Our Health our Way
As citizens of this country, we all have the right to chose the treatments we should be receiving. A body such as the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario does not have the right to dictate what we can and cannot do with our bodies. They are there to protect us and to ensure we have the freedoms to choose the types of treatments that will be beneficial to us and our families. When limiting our physicians from providing these treatments due to lack of evidence, you are taking away our freedom to choose.
Unfortunately the only evidence based treatments are the ones done by pharmaceutical companies as they have the financial backing. Unfortunately the same cannot be said about alternative medical treatments. The only evidence we have are the results we see from our loved ones.
We recently discovered that my 26 year old daughter suffers from anxiety and depression . She has a hard time functioning day to day. When taken to the family physician even before she listened to what we were trying to achieve with her care, even before she offered any options, she pulled her prescription pad out and started to write a script for anti-depressants.
These are the physicians that need to be stopped! These are the physicians that need to be controlled. This is where we need changes to our system.
Physicians who's first action is to prescribe, opioids, antidepressants, and other drugs that simply mask the issues patients are having need to be stopped.
We did a great deal of investigation and found an alternative medicine physician. We went in for a very thorough consultation / history appointment where blood work was done and the doctor actually took the time to find out about other symptoms, other issues that to us might have been normal. He asked us hundreds of questions about the symptoms my daughter was having. A second consultation was scheduled after the results of the blood work came back and a treatment was discussed with options and alternatives.
After my daughter started the treatment the results were amazing. She became a different person, happy, her own self, smiling, actually wanting to live. The change from these treatments was life altering.
It is not only my daughter. Other people we spoke to at the clinic had similar stories to tell, similar life changing experiences. You see our evidence is in our loved ones, and the changes we see in them due to these alternative treatments we are receiving.”
— Theodora, S., Toronto, ON
“As an individual with severe, documented and sometimes life threatening, allergies to many drugs, I am often only able to be treated by alternative or complimentary medicine. I have appreciated the knowledge of the CAM doctors I have been fortunate enough to access and have been grateful for their medical knowledge coupled with their additional knowledge and training in complimentary and/or alternative medicine. To someone with chronic health problems and/or severe allergies to drugs, these methods offer the opportunity for someone to take an active role in their health care under the supervision of a medical doctor, with additional training, when no other medical help may be available. Without the assistance of CAM doctors, many of us would not have been able to function as well as we are. The language used in this CPSO proposal is derogatory and biased and shows a lack of knowledge of the needs of many suffering patients, who may not have the resources or energy to fight for their rights. I truly wonder what the real motives are of this proposal. It certainly cannot be to protect, we the patients, as CPSO has not made any effort to reach out to we, the patients, and consult with us. Many of the highly effective treatments that I have used, without side effects, for years, have been blocked entry into Canada, supposedly for my own good. I strongly suspect it is the result of a strong pharmaceutical lobby. There should be a place for both CAM as well as regular pharmaceutical oriented medicine. There needs to be choice for those of us no longer able, or unwilling to take pharmaceuticals. If you stop our access to these highly trained CAM doctors and prevent them from offering alternatives, many of us silent sufferers will no longer be able to operate as functional individuals and will further burden the system. In a country such as Canada, where diversity is so highly prized, there should be diversity in our choices of medical treatment. Some of us have no alternative but to use alternatives. I find this proposal so negatively biased and incredibly insulting toward the many CAM doctors who work so hard to assist their many, often, chronically ill patients. The CPSO needs to slow this process down and make a concerted effort to reach out to the actual users of CAM and listen to the patients. This seems very rushed and I have to ask why?”
— Anonymous Patient Advocate
“Ten years ago I suffered from a severe condition that has been rapidly worsening and would have eventually led to my permanent disability. A specialist doctor at an Ontario hospital offered an immune system suppressant drug and a "pain maintenance" medication. Today, 10 years later, in the context of the current corona virus pandemic I feel blessed, that, at that time, I refused to start taking immune-suppressant drugs that were the only option offered by conventional medicine. Also at that difficult time 10 years ago, I refused to become another victim of opioid crisis in Ontario and I refused to default to painkillers offered by a conventional medicine specialist.
Instead, I turned to a complementary integrative medicine doctor for help. It turned out to be a very successful relationship. It took almost 5 years to completely eliminate the root cause of my chronic illness and become symptom free. My health almost 100% returned back to the pre-crisis condition. I was literally given my life back by a doctor of Complementary and Alternative medicine (CAM). It seemed like a miracle but it wasn't. It was the deep experience and knowledge of my CAM doctor.”
- Gabe, B., Woodbridge, ON
Testimonials were all provided directly by advocates and explicit consent for use was obtained.
