Cayman's Naturopathic Doctor

I have spent days...maybe weeks...thinking about this post and what to write. For quite some time I have been wanting to share our experience we have had with the Naturopathic Doctor we take Cayman to. The homeopathic approach to illness is a less traveled road and many are skeptical of it so I have wanted to choose my words perfectly.

Also, because the FDA does not approve of this approach to health it is bound by law that it cannot be said it diagnose, cures or prevents disease or other medical problems. So the information I share with you is for education purposes only and for sharing our life experience. It is not intended to substitute medical advice or treatment.

I do not profess to be an expert at explaining this very detailed field of alternative medicine but I will do my best to relay the information I have learned.

Some call it Naturopathy, Homeopathic, Holistic, Alternative medicine. It all means using a treatment of disease by the use of natural agents (vitamins, herbs, minerals, supplements, etc).

God made the body to be healthy. He made our bodies with their own ability to heal themselves but at times it just needs help in performing that job. When our immune system is weakened the body has difficulty healing itself and that is when we start to see symptoms, disease, and stress arise.

A specific prescription drug or a homeopathic remedy may be recommended for the same purpose but they get the job done in very different ways.

A drug goes in and does the work for the body. There's drugs for regulating blood pressure, cholesterol, seizures, depression, insulin, etc. A person may need that drug for the rest of their life to keep their condition under control. Generally, pharmaceutical drugs knock down the symptoms, but does not fix the root of the problem.

The focus of a homeopathic remedy is not on suppressing the symptoms, but healing the source of the problem. They "teach" the body what it was originally designed to do, which heals the body, so it's healthier and performing at its top best without the harmful side effects of drugs.

God answers our prayers in many ways. Sometimes He reaches down with His own hand and performs the healing Himself. Other times He calls someone else to be an instrument of healing for Him.

Cayman's Naturopathic Doctor, Greg Saunders, has been an answer to our prayers. I wish every person that is fighting for their health could go to this amazing man. There definitely needs to be more people in this world with his talent and ability. Myself or another member of my family have seen other Naturopathic Doctors in the past but, always in the end, we found ourselves back in Greg's office, simply because he's the best. We see results with him. Greg's knowledge and experience is profound.

I have known Greg for many years. I had not seen him for awhile but desperately found myself back in his office after Cayman's diagnosis when I was 22 weeks pregnant. I gave him the full story. He ran a scan on me and it pretty much confirmed every diagnosis in Cayman's body. It also confirmed I was indeed having a girl! I thought that was kind of cool that it can reveal every detail.

Cayman's condition could not be undone but Greg's goal was to help both Cayman and I have the best health possible. It was comforting to be doing something, anything, to potentially help Cayman.

I find it astounding with all of the anomalies she was born with, her apgar scores were 8/9. The medical team was amazed at how alert and responsive she was.

I think it is all because of Greg's guidance, the answer to our prayers.

Cayman was about a month and half old when we took her to Greg for the first time outside of me. It was very important to us to take her to him shortly after her stem cell infusion at Duke University. We wanted those cells to be able to work and repair to the best of their ability. Our thinking was, get her body working at its top best, and the cells would be most effective. Greg is the one I most trust to make that happen. So just a week after getting back from Duke we took Cayman to Greg. Since then Cayman has been off all prescription drugs, which is another part of her story that her medical providers marvel over.

In July of '08 Cayman had her second appointment with Greg. We were deeply concerned about her shunt. About every month she was in surgery for a shunt revision. Her neurosurgeon said it was the proteins in her body that were plugging the shunt. We took that information to Greg and he gave us a recommendation for a supplement and Cayman has not needed a shunt revision since.

Also, we have spoke with him about our fear of seizures which he could see on Cayman's body scan she was already having minor ones. From the first appointment he recommended certain remedies for preventing them and thus far Cayman has not had any seizures.

Doctors have said, "This baby might not live, she might not see, hear, talk, walk, learn, etc." Greg has always told us with such confidence, "Sure she will."

Cayman receives so much love by the whole staff at Greg's office. We look forward to these appointments that take place about every 3-4 months.

Cayman, very likely, will be compromised in life but I am convinced that if there is something out there that can give her a fighting chance at the best quality of life it is the guidance of Greg Saunders...

the answer to our prayers.

I keep all of Cayman's supplements in this bag. It makes it easy to grab and go if we are going to be gone all day. Most of the homeopathic drops she receives 3 times a day.
The drops have a very strong bitter taste. Many of the drops contain alcohol which help preserve the shelf life of the remedy and opens up the taste buds for better absorption but it burns in the mouth. If you have ever swished with mouth wash that contains alcohol it's that kind of burn. Trying to get a baby to take such nasty tasting stuff can be quite a challenge. So this is how we have overcome that; I dispense the recommended dose of each remedy into a shot glass (yeah, that's the humor of it). It has to be glass or plastic, never metal. Somehow metal disrupts the strength of the remedy. Sometimes I add just a little bit of water to the drops to help dilute the bad flavor. It has to be good water, never water from the tap. Then I set the timer for 15 minutes. In those 15 minutes the alcohol evaporates off, eliminating the burn sensation in the mouth.
I suck up the drops from the shot glass into a syringe. I then squirt them into Cayman's mouth and watch her make her adorable gross-face expressions.