For this series on What a Naturopath Does, I am working with K6 Wellness in Dallas. My son is being treated free of cost so that you can see how a naturopath works and know what to expect when visiting a naturopath. I am learning a ton and hope you do too!

On our first visit to Sharon Krahn at K6 Wellness, I was not sure what to expect! We went into her office, which looked like an office of anyone in corporate America – a desk, two chairs, a computer. No exam table. No crazy voodoo. No vials of strange things or burning incense, if that is what you were expecting (I wasn’t).

I published a short Vine video of what the exam looked like. Basically, my son sat in a chair holding a metal tube that gave information to Sharon’s computer. I will do a more detailed post about the galvanic skin testing and electrodermal screening later.

The information that we got from an hour of the testing was kind of overwhelming at first.

Here is the list of things that he reacted the most negatively to:

cheddar cheese
soy milk
tea
cows milk
almond milk
strawberries
bananas
apples
pineapples
grapes
citrus
quinoa
oats
white rice
gluten
whole wheat
cashews
sunflower seeds
carrots
black beans
string beans
pinto beans
soy beans
salicylic acid
caffeine
red, yellow or blue dye
apple cider vinegar
chocolate
rice vinegar
MSG

Primarily, Sharon was looking for food sensitivities, since the issues he is having are poop related and digestion related. It’s important to remember that a food sensitivity is not the same as an allergy, but they both can tell us that something is wrong.

This article from the Mayo Clinic on food intolerance vs. food allergy is helpful. As the article mentions, there are several possible reasons that someone might develop a food intolerance. In my son’s case, right now he apparently needs additional enzymes and more easily absorbed vitamins because his body isn’t currently processing all the nutrients from his food. The foods on the list are particularly difficult for his body. Some of the symptoms of food sensitivity (listed here on the Australian Food Authority web site) include wheezing and upper respiratory yuckiness. My son has had that for MONTHS!

The treatment right now:

We are going to try to avoid all the things on the list above, as much as possible, until our next appointment at K6 Wellness in 30 days. I had a day or two of panic, which you may have witnessed if you follow this blog on Facebook or Twitter. You can help me by Pinning recipes to the What Little Sir Can Eat Pinterest board created by my friend Millie. If your child has food sensitivities, you might want to follow the board for your own meal planning!

He is taking enzymes at each meal. These will help him digest his food.

He is taking a cellular recharge supplement. It is a homeopathic remedy that improves the body’s ability to hydrate and thus be nourished at a cellular level.

My takeaway

The information received from a naturopath can be overwhelming. We are accustomed to doctors who see us for 15 minutes, write a prescription, perhaps without even discussing the diagnosis, and leave. All the information you get from a naturopath visit can be way more than you anticipated! One of the first things Sharon told me is that I would be overwhelmed when I left, and that was absolutely true. She told me that when I was overwhelmed, I should email her and I did. She was able to really help me put things in perspective and remember why we are making this effort to get my son’s body back to optimal performance.

In my opinion, when you are selecting a naturopath, you should look for someone who is willing to sympathize, hold your hand, and be patient. Not someone who makes you feel guilty for not doing better. I spoke with one of my friends who got a similarly long list from her daughter’s visit to a naturopath. When she questioned the list, the practitioner made my friend feel stupid and guilty. This is NOT what you want! I didn’t feel that way at all at K6 Wellness.

Seek out support for the changes you’re going to make. I am super thankful for all of you, my readers and Twitter followers! Each of you weighed in with sympathy, recipes, and ideas. I hope that you continue to help me on this journey, and please send any questions you might have or suggestions to me any time.

Have you ever had a positive or negative experience at a naturopath that you would like to share? What other questions would you like me to answer in this series?