Falling in Love with Your Disease

By Alex Strande, Ph.D.
Traditional Naturopath

One of the first questions I ask my new patients is, “are you in love with your disease?” A lot of the patients tell me they are put off by this question. When I first started in the health care field I could never have imagined that some people do not want to get well. I now understand it is a problem particularly in people that have chronic illnesses and have had them longer than a few years. Some people need their illnesses for a variety of reasons. It could be they get a lot of attention focused on their illness from their loved ones or family members. It could be there are financial rewards such as disability insurance. It’s hard to go back to work when you are used to being unemployed (and I am not saying everyone on disability is in love with their disease or using the system. Disability insurance is a wonderful tool to help those that truly need it). Sometimes people are addicted to trying many different approaches to healing and it becomes their life. To “let go” of your illness can be a scary thing.

I once had a patient that was in severe pain. The pain was so bad she was forced into action. She could get no relief from allopathic medicine and had used a variety of pain relievers to no avail. She started my protocol and noticed a reduction in her symptoms within one week. She quickly told me not to get rid of her pain entirely, “just enough for the pain to be tolerable.” I did as she asked, but gently pointed out that she could eliminate her pain 100%. She assured me that she did not want to get rid of her pain but wanted to be able to have some quality of life. I have only received one request like this – she actually was very cognizant of the fact she was in love with her disease, but did not want to change her approach. She simply wanted to reduce the pain enough to be able to live. Many of the patients in love with their disease are not aware that they do not want to get well.

This sounds strange to people that are actively trying to eliminate their symptoms or those that have never been chronically sick. Most health care practitioners can identify with this phenomenon. Some patients are shocked at how quickly their symptoms disappear using the therapeutic dosages of liquid herbs that I recommend and quickly decide to quit treatment when they are recovering nicely. This always amazes me, but as a health care practitioner I try to give the patient what they want. One thing I cannot do is help those that are in love with their disease, which is why I always ask the question during the initial consultation. Although I can empathize with the process of falling in love with your illness, I cannot do anything for these patients.

Using therapeutic dosages of liquid herbal extracts and supplements doesn’t “treat” symptoms, it eliminates them. This approach is starting to gain recognition in the United States, but most alternative practitioners in the U.S. have not been trained in this manner. Many of my patients come to me and tell me how they have tried different alternative approaches and spent thousands of dollars and still don’t feel better. Either they read the dosages on a tincture or bottle of herb they have purchased and are taking a few drops of watered tincture or a few pills of powdered herbs three or four times a day or they have gone to a practitioner that may be well meaning, but is not dispensing therapeutic dosages. The quality of herb is important as well as the concentration and type of herb. I use quality herbs that I know are tested throughout the manufacturing process that means you have an active ingredient that is not contaminated. I also use an extract form, which is the strongest way to produce the herb. This means you are getting concentrated dosages of the herb. I use 1:1, which is a very pure form of herbal extract. Dispensing proper dosages is also critical to healing and getting results for the patient.

I tell all new patients regardless of the practitioner, they should be noticing a difference in their symptoms within 5-10 days. If you are not getting results, it is not the right approach. I expect results for my patients. You should not be going to a practitioner week after week and not getting results. I want to eliminate symptoms not treat them. And I can get results for most patients that are compliant unless they are truly in love with their disease. If you are “in love with your disease” I can’t help you. If you are not in love with your disease and ready to eliminate your problem, I can help.

Alex Strande, MS, Ph.D., is a Naturopath and a Microbiologist. His office is in Irvine, California . He can be contacted for questions and appointments at 949-587-1513. Please visit his website at www.simplyhealingclinic.com.