Having witnessed half a miracle, I really wanted the other half, for both John and Mary. Although I can read books and adjust their diets accordingly, I cannot look at their blood and determine which vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids are missing. Appropriate supplements, and in some cases prescription medications, are often necessary for a complete remission. I needed professional help. Yet all the "experts" I had talked to thus far were utterly useless, and some openly ridiculed my approach. When I told John's pediatrician of the gains we had made through diet therapy, she was skeptical. "John is simply doing better because he is out of school. When September rolls around you'll be right back where you started. I suggest you schedule an appointment with us for mid September, so we can get him back on ritalin without delay." This seemed overly pessimistic to me.
I am reminded of Aristotle, who tried to convince his fellow countrymen that the world is round. "Just watch the ships as they sail away." he directed. "See how the bottom disappears over the horizon while the sails and mast remain visible? Finally, all that is left is the crow's nest and flag. And it happens no matter what direction the ship sails. Don't you see? The Earth has to be a big ball." But they didn't see, because they didn't want to. And they wouldn't see for another 1,500 years. The medical community, as a whole, is just as conservative. "These alternative modalities are speculative and unproven." proclaims the entrenched medical establishment. "They are not in the best interest of the patient." It's hard to see how a healthier diet that avoids 20th century additives can be so dangerous, especially when compared to the side effects of the drugs they promote. During a follow-up visit I told John's pediatrician that diet therapy would never be proven, because rigorous longitudinal studies are expensive, and nobody is going to fund them unless there is a big payoff at the end, such as a new drug to sell. Apparently doctors don't understand how money shapes their world, or even their opinions. They believe they are objective practitioners, unaffected by the glossy brochures and free samples they receive from drug companies on a regular basis. Nobody pays for advertisements, unless they work!
On another occasion a child psychiatrist (yes, he has a medical degree) told me that "foods cannot affect brain chemistry - only drugs." This despite PKU babies, Lorenzo's oil, the ketogenic diet, and even coffee and tea. I told him he was trying to paint a gray area black and white, since more than half of our drugs are derived from plant products, many of these used and abused by the indigenous cultures, but he was undaunted. Finally I asked our venerable expert if strawberries might cause hives in some patients, and he consented. In fact, foods might cause or aggravate rashes, asthma, allergies, cardiac irregularities, heartburn, digestive disorders, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, kidney stones, osteoporosis, or almost any visible symptom in almost any organ, except the hallowed brain. When a bias is this irrational it must be self-serving. Obviously his profession is superior to all others, even other medical specialties. Only his magic pills can help, and by inference, only he knows the answers.
In any case, I needed to locate a pediatrician who knew the world was round. I contacted the International Health Foundation [901-660-7090], which refers desperate patients to enlightened physicians. This non-profit organization maintains a list of some 800 doctors, which sounds like a lot until you divide it by 50. That leaves an average of 16 doctors per state. In our case, most were on the other side of the state, and others did not treat children. Unless we wanted to accrue frequent flyer miles, there were only two doctors to choose from. Take a wild guess - do you think they are part of my HMO?
We took John to one doctor and Mary to the other, and in both cases I was less than impressed. Then again, my expectations were probably unrealistic. My subconscious mind anticipated a set of definitive answers after a one hour visit: hidden food allergies unveiled, additives to avoid, and supplements to administer. Both doctors gave me an assortment of the latter, but they probably give the same pills to all their patients, generic vitamin/mineral supplements available at any healthfood store. Unfortunately John reacts to the substrate of almost every tablet or capsule. So we really didn't get much out of these visits. You might, if you're just getting started, but we had already demonstrated the food sensitivities that the doctor inferred from history and symptomology, and we had already read the books he recommended. "You're doing all the right things," he assured us, "just keep going." Apparently we had to keep chugging along, as we have done for the past year. Nobody is going to step in and provide a quick fix.