Q: My 32-year-old granddaughter has autoimmune disease, hypothyroid condition, and alopecia (no hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, etc.). She has also had asthma all her life and has been treated for allergies. Doctors have no more answers. My question: Is there anything in alternative medicine to help, or is there a specialist who could oversee her treatment? She lives in Kansas City, MO, but if there was help somewhere else she could travel. Thank you for the opportunity to communicate! — A.P., Lenexa, KS
Dr. Micozzi: Immune-related disorders can be very complicated and should be addressed on an individual basis. There is no “one-size-fits-all” solution.
My guess is that your granddaughter has probably tried every possible drug treatment over the years—most of which can actually imbalance the immune system. I recommend she consider mind-body therapies. To determine which ones are right for her, she can take the emotional type quiz on my website, www.drmicozzi.com, (simply click on the yellow box at the bottom of the home screen to take the quiz) and then consult the book I wrote with Michael Jawer, Your Emotional Type (also available through my website).
For a full evaluation of other non-drug approaches, she may want to consult the Cleveland Chiropractic College in Kansas City, MO. The health professionals there are experts on non-drug approaches to what they call “visceral conditions.”
She can also find a list of natural medicine physicians in the Kansas City area through the American College for Advancement in Medicine (www.acam.org, 800-532-3688) or the International College of Integrative Medicine (www.icimed.com).