The most annoying thing my first neurologist ever said to me was “there is no clinical evidence that proves what you’re doing works.”
I had been diagnosed just two months earlier and living in a pit of depression. My fiancé at the time, Vincent, (now husband – what a trooper) spent his days trying to cope with my new diagnosis and researching ways he could cure me.
I asked my neurologist if taking specific vitamins and eating healthy organic food would make a difference to my new “normal” life with MS. Vincent had found a TED talk by Dr. Terry Wahls, who had overcome secondary progressive MS through a major diet and lifestyle change.
You would think that this finding was something spectacular and my neurologist would jump at the chance to get me hooked on this healthy lifestyle.
Instead, she said, “There is no clinical evidence that proves what you’re doing works.”
WHAT?!
How unfair. How unjust. How…ANNOYING. If it works for one person, wouldn’t it work for another? Especially in the case of eating vegetables and fruits to soothe the brain? Dr. Terry Wahl’s is a doctor, after all. It’s SCIENCE. I guess not – at least not in the world of clinical science, sickness, and trials.
But I see now that when it comes to matters of the brain, chronic illness, science, and sickness, clinical studies are the holy grail. And without them, we, the patients, are left in the dust waiting and feeling annoyed.
I eventually embarked on a different path and found a new neurologist, one who grudgingly respects my cleaner living. I also began taking Tecfidera.
My healthier lifestyle is not as extreme as how Dr. Terry Wahls approached her MS, but hey, it’s not like there are any clinical trials that prove it works anyway. Right?
Have you experienced a similar situation with your neurologist when discussing complimentary treatments that have not been clinically studied? If so, please use the form below to share your experience. Together, we CAN make a difference.
