Why We Can Cure Problems That Conventional Medicine Can't

by Frank Shallenberger, MD, HMD, ABAAM

One of the question that I hear a lot is, "How is it that your therapies fixed my problem when nobody else could?"  It's a logical and important question.  Here's the answer.

Everybody knows what it's like to see a doctor who uses allopathic medicine.  That's because allopathic medicine is the system of medicine that has been exclusively used in the United States for the last one hundred years.  It is the only system taught in medical schools and used in hospitals.  And it is the only system that the American Medical Association, most insurance companies, and Medicare recognize.  The reason that doctors like me can get resolution to problems that allopathic medicine fails at is because we don't use the allopathic approach.

When people ask me what kind of system of medicine I practice, I tell them I practice orthomolecular medicine.  Now if you're like most people, you probably have no idea of what that means.  But it is really very simple.  "Ortho" comes from the Greek word that means "to correct". "Molecular" refers to molecules.  I stand on very high ground by practicing orthomolecular medicine, because the concept was developed by Linus Pauling, MD.  Everyone has heard of Linus Pauling.  Dr. Pauling was a two time Nobel prize winning physician, and is considered one of the greatest scientific minds of the twentieth century.

The term orthomolecular medicine was coined in 1968 by Dr. Pauling. He defined orthomolecular medicine as "the preservation of good health and the treatment of disease by varying the concentrations in the human body of substances that are normally present in the body and are required for health."  Drugs are not "substances that are normally present in the body", and so they are not used in the orthomolecular system.

I received my medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and then had  post doctoral training at The Mount Zion Hospital and Medical Center in San Francisco.  But even though both of these institutions only teach the allopathic medical system, I don't use it.   I decided long ago that  the orthomolecular system made much more sense to me. So before you see me, I want you to understand that the orthomolecular approach I use is fundamentally different from the allopathic approach you are used to.  The things that an orthomolecular doctor does often look like what an allopathic doctor does - there is an examination, tests are ordered, and treatments are prescribed.  But that's where the similarities end.  Here are the key differences between these two systems of medical treatment.

Treatment

The allopathic system treats with drugs.  The drugs are by definition not natural to the human body.  In fact, most people don't realize it, but in order for a pharmaceutical company to obtain a patent on a drug, they actually have to prove that it is not natural to the human body.  These drugs are not prescribed to cure or prevent disease.  They are prescribed for one thing only, to alleviate symptoms.  And they usually do that very well.  The drugs that an allopathic doctor uses cannot treat the cause(s) of the disease or condition being treated, only the symptoms. That's why a doctor who exclusively uses the allopathic system will tell you that it is not possible for him to prevent or cure a disease.

Orthomolecular medicine is different.

Orthomolecular doctors do not use drugs.  They use substances that are naturally found in the human body such as foods, herbs, vitamins, etc., and lifestyle guidelines such as how you eat, sleep, and exercise.  Next, and this is even more important to understand, orthomolecular treatments are not prescribed simply to alleviate symptoms.  Instead they focus on removing the cause(s) of the disease or condition that is causing the symptoms.  An orthomolecular doctor will tell you that it is very possible to both prevent and cure disease, because he is treating on a causal level.

Not Quick - Not Simple

The allopathic system is quick, simple, and easy.  This is because symptom treatment can be handled in a cook book fashion.  Everybody receives the same treatment regardless of what is causing the symptom.  You have a headache - here's a pain drug.  You have an infection - here's an antibiotic.  You have high blood pressure - here's a drug that lowers your pressure.

Orthomolecular medicine is not quick, simple, or easy.

Investigating causes and finding the right treatment can take weeks to months instead of mere minutes.  That's because the imbalances in the body that are causing the symptoms are often completely different in each individual patient, even though the symptoms themselves can be the same.

Safer

The primary driving force that moved me toward orthomolecular medicine was safety.  The treatments used are natural and inherently safe. Nobody gets hurt - ever.   Furthermore, once the condition has been cured, the treatment can be stopped.  This is not true about  allopathic medicine.

According to the United States Office of General Accounting, over 125,000 people are killed every year from drugs that are properly prescribed by allopathic doctors.  This is because drugs are inherently dangerous. They often produce side effects, many of which then need to be treated with yet one more drug.  These days it is common to see a patient receiving allopathic medicine who is on more than five different drugs.  Additionally, since the drugs are used only to alleviate symptoms instead of removing the conditions causing the symptoms, they can never be stopped.

But drugs are not always bad, and the truth is that sometimes they are needed.  I am trained both in allopathic and in orthomolecular medicine. So sometimes I will prescribe a medication to help with the symptoms while I am using the orthomolecular system to create a cure.

How it Works

Would you like to buy a car that fixed itself?  The tires would never wear out.  Spark plugs would be continuously renewed.  If someone crashed into it, the car would automatically repair the dent.  And as soon as the engine started getting out of tune, it would immediately tune itself so that decades later it would still be running perfectly well.    Here's an absolutely amazing fact.  God designed our bodies to be just like that - to heal themselves.  And in general, that's exactly what they do hundreds of times a day.  You receive an injury - your body fixes it.  You get a cold or a flu - your immune system cures it.  You're exposed to a toxin - your liver eliminates it.  The only time you really need to see a doctor is when it doesn't do what it is supposed to do.  There are two reasons why this might happen.

One is that you are not giving the body enough of all the things it needs to heal itself.  This would include anything from sleep to vitamins to hormones to exercise.  Two is that you are exposing your body to some toxin that is blocking it's healing ability.  This would include anything from smoking to infections to allergens to chemicals to drugs - even the drugs that doctors prescribe.

In the orthomolecular system, the doctor's job is not to diagnose your condition and put you on the latest miracle protocol.  The doctor's job is twofold: 1. Find out what things your particular body needs that it isn't getting, and make sure that it gets them, and 2.  Find out what factors are blocking the healing process in your particular case, and get rid of them. The first process is called rejuvenation, and the second is detoxification. So the doctor doesn't actually do the healing - your body does.

The Challenges

There are three really big challenges that both doctor and patient face in doing this.  One is obvious - no two human beings are the same. Thus, even though he can determine a lot about each person from history, physical examination, and testing, in many cases there is a fair amount of trial and error before the "code is cracked".

Second, although the body can heal itself of almost anything, it usually doesn't do this very quickly.  This is especially true for long term conditions.  The longer that a condition or disease has been present, the longer it is going to take for a cure.  In our modern day instant gratification mentality, the process can require considerable patience.

Third, most people have been programmed to think that medicine is by it's very nature like the allopathic system - a cook book affair.  They often consult with a orthomolecular doctor thinking that they are going to simply get a diagnosis and a pill - something quick and easy.  When they are told that they need to exercise, change the way they eat, get more sleep, receive detoxification procedures like colonics and chelation therapy, and take a handful of vitamins, hormones, and herbs, they may feel surprised and intimidated.

Dealing with these challenges is what orthomolecular doctors have been trained to do.  I have been practicing medicine for over thirty-five years.  I know that the orthomolecular approach takes some getting used to, and I also know how to guide, encourage, motivate, and help you to do whatever you need to do in order to get well again.

Prevention

The one thing in medicine that has always upset me the most is seeing people who are sick from diseases that could have been prevented.  No one has to have a stroke, get a heart attack, have diabetes, get Alzheimer's, be diagnosed with cancer, or get arthritis.  The medical literature is irrefutable on this subject - just as Dr. Pauling said some fifty years ago, all these diseases and many others are preventable.  By far and away, the best way to treat a disease is not to get it.

Doctors who practice orthomolecular medicine have a vision for the future of medicine.  That vision was stated by one of the other great geniuses of the twentieth century, a man by the name of Thomas Edison.  Mr. Edison saw the future, and he said, "The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease."  And for those who want it, that future is here right now.  I long for the day when I go to the office, and everyone I see is healthy, and is only there to learn how to stay that way.

But prevention is a hard thing to sell.

When people are sick and miserable they have a very high level of motivation to make whatever changes are necessary to feel better.  But, when you already feel great, the motivation is not nearly so intense.  That's one of the reasons why I focus so much on preventive testing.  From Bio-Energy Testing (www.bioenergytesting.com) to panels that assess toxicity, and hormone, vitamin, mineral, and circulatory status, there are many ways to tell whether or not a person is on the road toward a disease long before they actually get it.

Getting a less-than-perfect test report often provides the motivation to make the changes needed in order to feel and function well all your days.  This is certainly my goal.  For a definitive and fully referenced treatise on this subject, I ask you to read my latest book, Bursting With Energy.  You can get this book at any book store or at www.amazon.com. It will help you to understand in detail just how your body heals itself, and what you can do to help it.

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