Jonathan Gilbert, NCCAOM
Speaker, Practitioner, Volunteer, Advocate
Compiled from Elly's
Group Meeting Notes and Emails
Table of Contents:
Mr. Gilbert came to our support group's
attention in late 2003. Since, he has been a recommended practitioner regular guest. He
is a positive, constant presence in our community speaking, treating
patients, writing articles and informing the press of the seriousness
of CFS and FM. Gilbert advocated for CFS patients on CFIDS Lobby Days 2005. He helps
those with severe chronic illness in a general practice. He was a volunteer at our 2005 kNOw MORE CFS Education and Empowerment
Seminar, co-hosted with The CFIDS Association of America.
For
those with CFS, ME, or FM (Chronic
Fatigue Syndrome, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, or
Fibromyalgia), Jonathan Gilbert developed a specific one year program of support and
treatment by three professionals: he, the herbalist, Janine Blackman,
MD/PhD, an integrative medicine doctor of family practice, and an integrative counselor Anita
Bains, APRN, BC. These three have significant
experience helping people pinned in chronic illness patterns back to a sense
of well being. Gilbert's 12 year apprenticeship in a rare and effective
form of herbal medicine for chronic disease makes him specially qualified to prescribe
custom chinese herbal formulas for the long term ill. To bring a team together in one place for the most coordinated benefit for patients, he founded The Gilbert Clinic
which opened in Spring 2006 in N. Bethesda, MD. The clinic team
also works with people with other conditions: Lyme Disease, MCS,
Crohn's, IBS, interstitial cystitis, infertility, thyroid problems,
post-partum depression, and more. Jonathan
Gilbert's success in using presciption, custom herbs for CFS and
Fibromyalgia was published by The Gilbert Clinic in late 2007. The case
series article is called, " Effectiveness of Chinese Herbal Treatment for Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (PDF)," of which the Abstract is also available.
Jonathan Gilbert has been an exam writer for the certification body for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, NCCAOM, nccaom.org. Links for Gilbert and his articles, speaking engagements, biography, and more can be found below and at the Yahoo Group GilbertClinicNews. On this site, Gilbert can also be found on our Practitioners List: Herbalist/Acupuncturist, DC Programs for CFS.FM, National Clinics; on our Speakers-Prior page; and in various newsletters.
Contact information:
Jonathan Gilbert
Oak Lane Practice, Oak Lane Herbs, and The Gilbert Clinic (TGC)
Once Central Plaza; 11300 Rockville Pike, Suite 1205; North Bethesda, MD 20852
(301) 230-2530
(866) 546-0777
http://www.TheGilbertClinic.com
info@TheGilbertClinic.com
For DC area presentations offered by Jonathan Gilbert -- see the "When Pushing Stops Working" schedule.
Excerpts of Articles by Jonathan Gilbert, NCCAOM (PDF Version of Excerpts)
Here are titles, link to the back issues they appear in, and excerpts for pieces Jonathan Gilbert has written for FM
Partnership's FM Frontiers and The CFIDS Association of America's The CFIDS Chronicle. Please consider acquiring the articles in entirety as there is much that is not included here.
Breaking the Paradigm
Resolving the Causes Of Fibromyalgia, Not Just
Managing The Symptoms
FM
Frontiers: 2005, Vol 13, No 3
"I
have a personal reason for wanting to work with patients with
fibromyalgia (FM). I used to suffer from it. As a result, I not only
understand what my patients are actually going through. I'm highly
motivated to help them get better.
My chosen
field of work is Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It was through
this medium that I was healed of my FM in 1990. In this brief article,
I wish to explain holistic medicine from a TCM perspective and show how
immensely suited it is to the FM state. In my view, it can provide an
answer both in tis medications and in its overall approach to the
diseases. I understand the gravity of this claim, and I can point to a
record of 10 years of successful clinical experience as its proof."
...
"Because FM involves a state of exhaustion, the
last thing the the body requires is more demands upon it or further stimulation. The body
needs a metaphorical 'space' in which to heal. Physical stresses from
internal physiological imbalances have to be removed, and the 'playing
field' leveled once more. ... This approach has the ability to
provide long-term results."
...
"From a TCM perspective, FM is similar to many
emerging maladies that have no single pathological cause because they
are the result of numerous different stressors that have led to a
reaction in the human body. FM has many different presentations or
combinations of symptoms as there are causes. ... To effectively
heal the patient we have to take the laboratory out of the FM treatment
and reintroduce the human being into the process."
FM:
Arresting The Cause, Eliminating The Symptoms (Part II)
FM
Frontiers: 2005 Vol 13 No 4:
"In our experience, the only way a patient with FM can be
effectively treated is to work concurrently with modalities that
address the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of the patient. ...
We firmly believe that the patient must also be a member of the
clinical team ... ... the patient should be aware of the
treatment process being undertaken and positively contribute to it.
This sounds like a common sense approach, but it is actually rarely
practiced by clinicians and patients. ..."
"... Humans are much more than physical bodies, and
understanding the broader influences on health and well-being are
crucial to creating health (creating a balance between mind-body-spirit
and environment) in the FM patient. There is growing evidence that
mental states affect physical health by inhibiting the immune system
and.... Multiple studies have shown that beliefs have the
power to
heal or destroy. This natural healing system is an untapped reservoir
for creating well-being."
"First Stage - Eliminate Toxicity: ... It is
because the patient is battling different forms of dysfunction
simultaneously that the initial phase... is designed to restore
functioning and to regulate different systems of the body at the same time .... This is essential so as not to merely manage...but to re-create health."
"Second Stage - Rejuvenation: This is the stage
which we work directly on the patient's recovery from the primary
symptoms of pain and fatigue associated with the syndrome. It is a
period of nourishment and rejuvenation of the nervous system...."
"Third Stage - Towards Total Health: ...There is a
return to normal functioning.... However, at this point it is still
relatively easy for a recurrence of ill health to occur, especially if
the patient has been in an FM state for an extended period of time. The
body can still retain a 'memory' of dysfunction and revisit that place
unless there is reinforcement, both physically and emotionally, of the
success that has been achieved. ..."
"At the end of the program the patient returns to
his/her health care providers.... It is worth noting that some of the
specialists required by the patient may no longer be required as there
has been a recovery of the malady. The goal is healing and health, and
so by definition, the result is actually the absence of treatment once
health has been found again."
Perspective
on Integrative Treatment. Includes Q&A interview with 3 patients.
The CFIDS Chronicle: Spring 2006
"Up to the present time, both conventional and
alternative medical systems have offered little to the CFS patient
other than management of symptoms, one by one, without any real sign of
long-term alleviation of the condition. Our practice differs by
addressing the overall body-mind relationship and integrating Chinese,
naturopathic, psychotherapeutic and allopathic practices. Why? Because
its the only clinical approach we are aware of that looks at CFS, not
in terms of management, but only in terms of restoring health."
[In the First, most demanding stage of the three stage program]
"...we attempt to regulate the body's various
systems ... we initiate a detoxification of unwanted substances
that have accumulated and a restoration of normal absorption and
excretion. This doesn't involve the use of cathartic substances common
in alternative health care. Rather it depends on practices that
regulate or stabilize the body processes in the patient, ultimately
allowing the body to resume these functions.
At an emotional level, we work to cleanse acquired
habits that may have gotten in the way of healing. We also work to
create the emotional context for making the necessary changes to accept
and find health.
"It's also at this [first] stage our physician will
reassess previously prescribed medications with a view to eradicating
and 'bad fits' that were given of a symptom by symptom basis and that
may be inappropriate in the long-term ."
......
Elly Brosius' Notes from CFS/FM Lectures by Jonathan Gilbert, NCCAOM to
The NoVA CFS/FM Support Group
March 2004 at INOVA Fairfax Hospital
June 2006 at Mason Governmental Center
November 2007 on MD/VA speaking tour of greater DC area
Introduction
I usually ask Jonathan Gilbert to
tell us about his background since there are so many unusual things in
it and some are hard for me to pronounce. I could write it up on cards
and try to do a formal introduction, but it is so much better directly
from him since he peppers it with stories of his world training and
experience. He is a Diplomate in Chinese Herbology and in Acupuncture,
certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and
Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). He is
on the board for that body now and writes many of the questions on the
examinations given to prospective practitioners. He trained for 12
years in chronic illness as the apprentice of
Dr. Phouc Huynh in the study of Jinkui Yaolue Theory and Practice. Dr.
Phouc Huynh is a recognized expert in Traditional Chinese Medicine with
over 40 years of client and teaching experience. The typical training
in the US for other NCCAOM certified herbalists on that system is only 2
days, even though 60% of the herbal formulas prescribed come from it!
He's been a Senior Consultant, University of Maryland Integrative
Medicine and in private practice since 1995.
Jonathan received his Hospital Residency Certificate from the Traditional Medical Institute, Saigon, Vietnam,
with rotations in internal medicine, neurology, and gynecology in 1995.
He saw 16,000 patients in his residency. He said one of the most
important things about a physician is how much experience they have.
16,000 cases in residency alone is quite a bit of experience!
From 1995- 1996, he attended the Traditional Medical Institute in
Saigon, Vietnam and was invited to extend his work with Dr. Le Hon,
Chief of Staff for a six-month period. During his time on-staff,
worked under the guidance of some of the foremost practitioners
of health care in Vietnam.
He is a 1995 Graduate of the London Academy of Oriental Medicine,
Diplomate Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture. He says he rarely
practices acupuncture anymore, preferring to focus on herbalism, but
that he still teaches acupuncture.He has a diploma in Shiatsu Massage
and has studied movement and the martial arts. He is a practitioner
of Shintaido/Kitaiso, studying for 11 years at the
Shintaido/Kitaiso School of Movement from 1982 to 1993 and was granted
permission to teach from the Head Instructor Ken Waight in 1988. He
also studied the Ba Gua system of movement and the Qi Gong. In 1988, he
was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in the Royal Air Force, Navigation
Branch. He was the youngest commissioned officer! Jonathan Gilbert also
spent time as a Buddhist monk, living in monestaries.
While we do not address him as
Dr. in the USA, his training does
afford him that title in other countries. In England, his consults and
herbal prescriptions were covered under the national insurance, as were
things like massage if prescribed! In America, it is much
more difficult to get the patients what they need to heal.
In addition to working with FM, he also treats
Lyme Disease, Crohn's and colitis, IBS/IBD, interstitial cystitis (IC), diabetes and other chronic illness.
I've been to other doctors of
chinese medicine. Usually they who didn't speak any or much English. It
is really nice to listen to someone with such expert training in an
eastern system of medicine and chronic illness talk about CFS and FM in
English. That's not to say there still isn't a little bit of a
US/British language barrier... (wink). On to the lecture....
Being Very Tired
Mr. Gilbert begins describing
what is good about current western medicine and how it developed. Many
of the advances and advantages of it come from 2 things, both meant as
acute care: treating war injuries and infections.
Procedures for putting people back together after accidents comes from
where we have lots of injuries and accidents and need for acute
emergency surgeries, war. Even plastic surgery has its roots in
helping soldiers. Anti-biotics and vaccines were developed to handle
another serious acute problem, infections. Most of western care is for
things that need immediate attention. Even our test procedures are
looking at just an instant of time, yet health care changes for weeks
and years are sometimes based on that instant.
Chinese
medicine incorporates the concept of time and what can happen to a
person over time if large or many small things happen to a person do
not get resolved. Looking at the whole of a patient's life, including
the factors of time, situations, relationships, and overall stress load
is important. Noticing what happened to a person not just at "the
trauma" or "the infection" that triggered CFS/FM, but over the years
before that is important. Being able to shift a person back toward a
more healthful state after a long time of imbalance is a key strength
of herbal medicine in the hands of a skilled practitioners.
Jonathan told us the
closest thing in Traditional Chinese Medicine to CFS/FMS/ME might sort
of be a chronic immune neurological disease or another thing
called hollow spine, where you lose your ability to stand up. He said
the translation is difficult because the systems of medicine are so
different. “FM is
not a disease.” In chinese medicine can be summed
up as Being Very Tired, which he wrote on the board with those
capital letters. It isn't regular tired. It is exhaustion of the
adrenals and the "knock on" (British) effects are many. Not many things
are understood about the effects of this severe level of exhaustion.
Many
organs will be affected by sub par performance of the adrenals. The
brain experiences problems as its neurotransmitters (GABA, serotonin,
...) get out of balance. The pancreas experiences problems. Sleep
becomes disturbed. Muscles get sore. On and on. Patients
can't recover by themselves in this state, except after possibly15
years of real rest at a quiet oasis. Being Very Tired is serious
illness, but the good news is also that is it is not a disease and
people can move toward health again with enough of the proper care.
Chinese Herbal protocols can nourish and rebuild
the adrenals in a few months to a couple of years, depending on the
person. The goal of herbs is to reestablish
self-regulation of all the organs and systems.
Why we get FM/CFS/ME intrigues
him. He asks everyone "what is stress?" and tells us he loves to talk
about stress and can do so until we all get bored. No one got bored,
but instead, the very tired and hurting stayed late to hear more. One
has to be really stressed, not single or even multiple event
stressed like promotions, relationship break ups, and deaths, but the
little ones that work on us every day, day after day, adding up over
time. These multiple little stresses that never get released, the
'little tigers' wear you
out or set you up, then a big event knocks you down. FM/CFS/ME is thus
a PROTECTION REACTION, a survival mechanism to say your body has had
enough and it doesn’t want to die. “The mind is killing the
body,” so the FM state is the body's defense mechanism. The
irritable bowel, the insomnia, the fatigue, the muscle pain are a
moderated exhaustion state. If you were allowed to progress to full
exhaustion, well, that would be death, and your body is stopping you
before that can happen and forcing you to be less active in the ways it
can.
Then
Jonathan talked about some things in modern life might not be allowing
us to return to a restful state. First up was preconscious advertising.
In the 90s, marketers realized consumers were getting savvy enough to
be less likely to fall for an ad that said “eat this obviously
bad for you food because it is good for you.” They began
writing ads to target the deep part of our brain that reacts before we
think, the amygdala - inside the hippocampus. The new ads make us feel
one of three things whether we realize it later or not - fear, joy, or
sex. They want to make us afraid, happy, and or aroused. Happy if we
buy their product, sexy if we use their product, afraid without this
product our kids won’t love us, etc. Every ad demands a response,
a use of energy, and creates a stress whether you act on it or not.
Advertisements are in our lives more and more: TV, sides of
buses, radio, newspapers, glossy magazines, etc. In NYC, a study showed
people are exposed to 80,000 ads a day - the majority of which are
targeting the preconscious brain. Migraines can originate there. No
wonder.
Another modern stress is
a lack of community - no town square to walk to and hear the
day’s news, no sense of knowing and caring about all who live
around you. Especially city dwellers, who may be surrounded by people,
feel a lack of community. The media has had a hand in establishing a
sense that we all can and want to be independent. In times past, over
the last 1500 years in many cultures, the community centered around a
gathering place such as a pub or market square. Now we have mega malls
in which, even if you recognized a long lost friend, there is nowhere
quiet to sit and talk. Humans have voices boxes and language, and
talking releases stress. Families are very spread apart. The internet
connects people, but no one has to be responsible to each other there.
The average marriage in NYC now lasts 36 months - enough time to get
married, move, get a promotion, have a baby and divorce. Loneliness in
this new culture is epidemic and another stress. Old life had stress,
yes, but the stresses were often predictable. Activities, such kneading and baking bread or plowing
were repetitive and allowed for contemplation and release. Modern life
is full of major surprises of our own and we can hear about everyone
else's as well through the media and telephone.
There was a short
discussion on food. Chinese medicine can be called an extension of
food. Using food for health. And foods can be used therapeutically as
in the herbal formulas. There is one basic adrenal formula. But
first, folks with FM/CFS have to clear up other things first, such as
yeast over growth or other digestive issues. If he gives the adrenal
formula and yeast is present, the yeast will grow even more - not good.
The herbs for healing the digestive system/addressing the yeast
problems are ground and mixed with warm water. Fairly easy to prepare
and get down, 30-90 minutes after eating. The adrenal formula is
something you have to boil and prepare every 3 days and it smells and
tastes very strong. They are taken 30-90 minutes before food. The act
of preparing the herbs by boiling offers a great opportunity to
contemplate the changes you are wanting to bring about and letting go
of old stuff.
His wide FMS/CFS experience
shows that the herbs are gently rebuilding your body and when ready,
all systems will do a reboot and you will “pop”. One day
you’ll just be well. Until then, you’ll notice probably
nothing and get bored calling him saying nothing is happening, while he
answers, “Just keep going.” One local patient did
experience that. At 4 months or so, she popped and ran 3 miles
with no consequences. [I've since met her. She's real! -Elly] Wow.
If
you cannot physically handle or do the boiling herbs, there is a powder
form available. It can take twice as long to pop to wellness using the
powder form for the adrenal nourishment. [In 2007, the boiling
form, the "fresh" dried herbs, are no longer as easily available and
powders are more often used.]
Question and Answer Session
Q: What about people’s sensitivities to herbs or other things?
A: We are sensitive and reactive to things because the digestive system
slows down -it stops absorbing nutrients and it stops excreting
waste products leading to toxicity. Chemical and other sensitivities
are not allergy - it is the body not being able to self-regulate.
He’s only rarely seen reactions to the herbs. Sometimes people
throw them up, but they get used to them. People sometimes don't like
to feel what they feel like when regulated in a new way, but that is
different than a "reaction" to the herbs.
Q: Do your patients have to go off medicines to do the herbs?
A: Difficult subject. He will work with you and your doctors. It
depends on what you are on and what for. He has other
professionals he works with that who understand his approach.
Q: What are your fees?
A: In Chinese medicine, the tradition was you only pay the physician if
you stay well and stop paying when ill. There was incentive to get you
better. That doesn’t work in America. The fees and available
options change periodically, so it is best to call the clinic (301)
230-2530. While herbs and herbal consultations are not
usually
covered by any insurance, acupuncture often is. And, the IRS and Flex
Spending Plans, allow
tax deductions for office visit fees and the custom prescription herbs.
Q: Does it matter how long one has been sick?
A: No. Even if your whole life, he believes he can help. He’ll never give up, if the patient doesn’t.
Even if one is one of the 5-10% non-responders, he’ll keep
thinking , trying. He did caution about one thing that does temper his
patients attainable success - if they have taken thyroid medication.
That seems to lead to some thyroid tissue dying, so when it is time to
restart all the glands, there is a lack. However, what remains will
still work better. He might not get you all the way back, but pretty
far back to good health.
He mentioned he would love to comeback and talk to us anytime. He loves the inquisitiveness and open mindedness of
our group. He also has a special spot in his practice and in his heart
for people with CFS and FM because he has ME/CFS/FM at one time. He had
6 straight months
in bed after he came out of the Royal Air
Force. A chinese herbalist brought him back to life, put him back together. That’s when
he took up the study of Oriental Medicine, seeking a way to help the
rest of us.
These lectures were two of my favorite meeting of
all CFS meetings and I've attended about 150! I enjoy the speaker's fresh and aggressive yet respectful, very
confident yet humble, intensely serious yet full of heart style. He has
such compassion for those with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Myalgic
Encephalomyelitis, and Fibromyalgia. He
calls us his heroes. After
my years of western medical and scientific study leaving something to
be desired, and my spiritual work leading me to blend both western and
eastern philosophies, it came as no surprise that life brought a
good Chinese medicine speaker/practitioner with a blended approach to
the group right when I had the courage to try herbs and the courage to
believe healing was really possible... even for me.
Other CFS practitioners
(allopathic and alternative) have helped a smattering of patients back
to work and even back to health here and there or they just notice that some patients get better, but nobody I’ve
heard of does it as
consistently Gilbert
does. [In 2007, a case series paper was published.]
Usually doctors subgroup down to a group of three
or one that they have helped and can understand why. And that is enough
to make those docs better than most. Gilbert says
he’s helping many. And he says he is not using theories, but
slight adaptations of 2000 year old Chinese herbal formulas. Chinese
medicine, with its harmonization techiques, is well suited for moving
people toward
functioning well again. [ For an overview of Chinese medicine, herbs,
harmonization, see the 30 minute LucasFilm documentary, Medicine in the Middle Kingdom which has been shown on The History Channel.]
September 2005 at Mason Governmental Center
Adapted from an 8 page Brosius Meeting Summary
What a great Ending!
Just like many of his patients tend to feel best at the end of
treatment, the best part of our meeting with medical professional
Jonathan Gilbert came in the last five minutes. The concluding remarks
came at 4:30 PM when Jonathan got into a soft spoken flow about CFS and
FM being a condition of people who have played the game of life too
well, of people with strong wills who do what are told and more, who
pushed through and kept going. Because they were good at it, it felt
like success. But an underlying reason for pushing so hard is because
somewhere along the line, someone tells us we are not good enough. If
you hear that often enough it becomes easier to believe. He told us the
Chinese have a saying, if you tell a lie 1000 times, it becomes the
truth. All too often, from family, from media, from ourselves we hear
the message we are not good enough. Not believing in yourself drains
your energy. The real truth and healing comes from rediscovering that
you are good enough, you are okay, right now, that you are worth
health.
You are good enough ... and .... you are worth health.
Because he once suffered from it, he kept a close eye on how to help people with CFS/FM in mind the whole time he was training. This
really honed his ability to work with us. He is very understanding when
you are having a bad cognitive day. I had to tell him to be quiet one
day last year so I could write a check correctly and he understood. He
said something nice then he shut up and waited patiently. It was a good
moment.
Jonathan can come off strong and bold and even a little defensive, but
he's pushing a breakthrough message: health is possible and you are
worth health and capable of achieving it with a little help. Our role
as patients is difficult, but his role is as well. He is standing up to
the establishment to speak about his beliefs and experiences and offer
something not found anywhere else. He also has to continually set the
tone for success in the clinical setting to keep everyone focused on
change toward health. He finds working with CFS and FM patients so
satisfying because many of his patients improve so much and because he
was once one of us.
His new practice is called The Gilbert Clinic and its target is
"resolving the causes of the symptoms" of FM and CFS. It is not a
management or symptom by symptom treatment center. It is not a place to
make yourself more comfortable in the short run. His articles
(see above) are about how you can't treat one symptom or another or one
at a time to get someone well, you have to treat the whole of a
person's life. His premise is that CFS/FMS is a state of being, not a
disease. That seems like bad news, but there is no blame, no judgment.
Its really the good news because from that point of view, something can
be done to relieve suffering and return a body and mind and life to
health.
The Approach is to...
...stop exercise while healing, reduce irritants/stresses, improve
digestion, nourish the body and mind, restore internal communication, get talking again, stretch the mind, restore balance, add
energy, restart body stretching and exercise, and reintroduce a
confident self back into the world. Some things need to be done in a
certain order and other things simultaneously.
Jonathan reiterated for us that one of the first things he does is take
people off exercise. You are in
exhaustion and first your systems must be nourished and restored to
proper regulation by various custom herbal formulas. Your digestion is
improved first with other imbalances are detected by pulse diagnosis
and then corrected. Only after this phase can the herbs for energy
later be added and physical exercise begun. He told us that now, one of
his former CFS patients is in better shape than he is; she runs 9 miles
a week and has been doing so over a year.
This stop exercise command was hard for me (Elly) because I had
worked hard for so long to do the little amount I could do as
consistently as I could. But I figured it was still a little amount,
not ultimately all that effective. He said if I did it his way, there
would be real exercise again. I am not there yet... but have had some
solid hints of that.
Stimulants must be reduced and if possible removed from the diet and
treatments. Examples that came up from Jonathan and audience members
are some glandulars, vitamin C at certain doses in certain people,
minerals bound to aspartates and citrates (CitraCal for calcium was one
example), bee venom, stress, and the notion of pushing, pushing,
pushing.
The herbs are added at the beginning as they both heal and nourish. The
most consistent and amazing news I hear is how people's constipation
and other bowel problems have improved or resolved even after 20 years
or a life time of problems. No more constipation? That's a big deal!
The body can then let go of what it is done with and process anew. A
priority in Jonathan's work is to get the gut functioning better as
soon as possible because everything follows from that.
The western medical assessment is done and problems addressed.
Medications are adjusted if needed. Diet is adjusted to
remove stress on the body. It is recommended, as is fairly typical in
the CFS world, that patients reduce or stop taking in wheat products,
dairy, sugar, caffeine, and soy, and eat the best quality foods they
can. Investigation into a return to some traditional foods for one's
heritage is encouraged. Often, we think foods are not bothering us, but
the body really has too little energy to signal us there is a problem
anymore. Perhaps it figures we don't listen to its screams anyway, so
it has given up. When the herbs empower the digestive tract, it may
start talking to you again, loudly and painfully, and keeping a food
diary may help you sort out your reactions.
(A few member experiences of some symptoms associated with foods:
wheat - deep fatigue, itchy skin, gut trouble, weakness
dairy - increased FM pain, worse circulation, bowel pain/cramps, sinus trouble
soy - nausea, reduced sexual functioning, bowel trouble, thyroid problems
caffeine - waking up at night and other sleep problems, increase heart symptoms, anxiety
sugar - fatigue, roller coaster emotions
oats - sleepiness)
Emotional support, challenges to your thinking, and turning your self
talk positive are another large part of the approach. I used the
phrase, "the herbs change the emotional dynamics within a person" which
Jonathan later confirmed to the group. I shared what I've observed
since he didn't elaborate too much further. Everyone's experience is so
different so he prefers to not suggest what you could experience. I
experience and see in others that even if you think you've talked about
and dealt with everything you could on your own or in therapy, the
herbs have a way of loosening up some stuck stuff you couldn't get to
before. All of what you did before will help you in this next part, but
it is so important to have someone to talk to available as the herbs
are ingested. Someone who is looking at the bigger picture and has
non-traditional techniques than what's usually available from most
counselors is best. Anita Bains serves that role in the new clinic. I
saw pastoral counselor Sam Makoul. God,
my stuff had so much to do with spirituality! Stuff you don't realize
is stuck in you, will have the chance to start moving again in the
form of thoughts, emotions, and physical symptoms and it is
critical to have some one to talk with in new and unusual ways.
After the body, mind, and emotions become balanced and consistent, it
is time to add energy in. If it is added too early before you've done
the other work, one can really feel the imbalances strongly and it is
just not a good thing, so, no, you can't start with the energy. You
have to do a lot of the healing work with fewer of your stimulants and
supports, while cutting out your stress, and without as much energy as
you would like. It takes commitment to the program and to arranging
your life to provide the most optimal conditions you can. You may have
to let go of things that no longer serve you. This is not a passive
program. You do not just take herbs and wait for them to work. You
participate in new ways, some of which end up being quite fun. And
then, of course, the feeling better is fun, too.
One of the advantages of working with both Janine Blackman and Jonathan
Gilbert together is they are both excellent at picking up missed
conditions in people and addressing them, she from western medicine's
view and he from eastern. In our population, he said there are so many
cases of gynecological hormone imbalances, menopause problems,
and type II diabetes not being caught and treated. His CFS/FM
patients truly benefit from his broad interest in chronic neurological
problems and feminine medicine. Dr. Blackman has found genetic
disorders not being addressed. Because they can work as a team and will
communicate, you get more coordinated help.
Cost
When treatment works, it feels like it is the best money and time you ever spent and that
it was a bargain. When it doesn't, there is still value in the lessons learned and expereriences. Perspective is everything!
Mind-body CFS/FM healing is inspiring and a little bit
contagious. Perhaps, the first step to improving is being a witness to
it happening to someone else. See new possibilities. So whether
you have the means to do be a patient of Jonathan Gilbert, you can join Elly's Gratitude Group,
a group that meets most often by national teleconference with only your long distances chargesas the cost. Its already helping
people make some amazing breakthroughs regardless of whether they are
interested in herbs. It particularly focuses on witnessing good things in
our lives and how that accelerates healing.
Q&A
I was surprised in this free form Q&A format that we didn't
hear, How do herbs make a difference; why are they prescribed in
formulas?, What is a chinese medical exam?; What are
pulses?; What does the tongue tell us about health?
and Elly, knowing what you know now, would you do it if you had to pay more to finish? (Yes!) Instead, here are the
questions asked:
Q: Will Dr. Blackman serve as primary care at the Clinic? Will she do disability paperwork?
JG: No.... One needs their own primary care doctor, they need to have
been accurately diagnosed elsewhere in order to enter the intense
one-year protocol. In order to help with disability, more expense would
be involved for the patient. We want our time focused on resolving symptoms. A tremendous
amount of time is needed for the kind of work we do to be successful.
Elly adds: That while it will be more expensive and more
appointments to continue to visit another doctor for disability, in
some ways, it has been very helpful for me in the healing process to
keep my "disability doctors" away from my "healing practitioners."
Disability forms and exams often make one feel judged and focus on the
things one can't do which can interrupt the healing process. So for me,
keeping them separate helps.
Q: What herb can you tell me right now to help my sleep?
JG: We cannot address one symptom but need to look at the whole of
person's life and entire presentation to decide how to help next. There
are so many ways for sleep to be affected this question cannot be
addressed generally.
Elly added: Everyone gets especially desperate when sleep
deprived. I often hear, "if only I could sleep, I could deal with the
rest." Here's a little of my story I didn't get to share at the
meeting: The one symptom I had that made me consider suicide 14 years
ago was sleep deprivation and how zombie-like made me feel. It was my
own symptom, not something drug induced because this was before any
diagnosis or treatment. Then in 1992, I read something in a CFS book
about calcium and magnesium supplements which I later refined with the
help of my nutritionist, that
allowed me to manage my sleep for 11 years. It wasn't refreshing or
restorative sleep, but I was unconscious for much of the night and I
was grateful! Then I met Gilbert and my sleep problems came back after
11 years of successful management. No matter what supplements I used to
try to mask the problem, I wasn't sleeping. At first, I was frustrated
and upset and I let him know about it. He ever so gently supported me
through that time. He gave me time to become curious and interested in
not masking it anymore but welcoming it as a clue. He didn't take my
frustration with the herbs and harsh words for him personally.
Fortunately, the herbs made me strong enough to get through this phase.
I started to awaken to what my insomnia was trying to tell me about. I had some "aha" moments and started journaling about them in the night.
Now, with no supplements and no drugs (and thus no
expense for them), my sleep is pretty good. I had to go through a
period of sleeplessness that was important to my healing. Since lack of
trust and faith that everything was going to be okay while asleep were
issues for me, it isn't really surprising my quality of rest was
affected to the point of my body becoming so exhausted it shut down.
Waiting for the other shoe to drop, not trusting life is going to
protect you, wondering if you can meet your life's obligations.... are
some reasons why a conscious and subconscious mind might not let you
sleep well or at all. I'm sure there are thousands of reasons, but for
me, exploring the physical reasons with the sleep studies, the drugs,
and brain chemistry explanations have not been as effective as this
other approach made possible with the herbs.
Q: What is green tea used for?
JG: Headaches / migraines, but blended with other herbs to optimize it.
Good herbalists rarely give single herbs. Combinations work better for
most things.
Q: How do you feel about Ayurvedic medicine (native to India)?
JG: Its brilliant! It has even greater depth than my own
medicine. Find a really good practitioner who has been doing it a
really long time.
Elly on the Serious Commitment Needed
If you are in the mindset of wanting to just manage your worst symptom
so you can do things as usual, this approach is probably not for you at
this moment. The old philosophy "just make it go away" doesn't get the
job done. Prescription herbs, customized and balanced to you as an
individual based on history and the special pulse and tongue exams,...
they do not work like vitamins, minerals, or synthetic drugs,
pharmaceuticals. This is something different. Re-regulation of the body
systems in the proper order in order to get your inner physical and
emotional stuff moving again is the approach. It requires active
participation, keeping appointments and doing the work on self in
between appointments. It is an immersing experience and if you approach
it as such, you are likely to benefit much. Ask yourself if you can
make a serious and open minded commitment for all of your life to be in healing
for as long as it takes even with some flare ups? At least this
trip to the land of very little sleep, the herbs made me feel better
during the insomnia. CFSupport's e-mail records show which months
I sent out lots of posts to the group (the hyper symptoms) in the wee
hours (insomnia). Other times I journaled or read little bits of
healing material. As long as I did not stay mad or resent the symptoms
for too long, I made progress.
When trying to decide if this kind of healing approach is right for you, here are some
questions you can ask yourself. Be honest in your responses: Will I
spend the time, give up other things on my to do list? Will I change
how I think, make the changes recommended? Will I make sure I have
rides to my appointments if I can't drive? Is this the right time of
year to start for me or the right year or do I know I need surgery or
dental work. Will I have the courage to so no to some family events?
Will I use distractions when things get tough or re-commit and dig
deeper?
Ask "Have I yet stuck to anything for the duration - a doctor, a
treatment, a new habit?" I had to cancel some things including trips so
as to focus on this process of healing. No one can predict what it will
be like for you. Some have really smooth sailing, some have a roller
coaster, some both, and some in between. Do you know what your limits
are? Would any expense upset you? Are your holding this medicine to a
higher standard because there is no or little insurance?
If you have trouble starting new things and trouble sticking with
things... this may not be for you. If you experience worsening, will
you get on the phone and ask for adjustments? If yes, how? Will you be
patiently assertive, patiently aggressive, impatient and angry,
...? Will you examine your own behavior as clues about what needs
to be healed? Will you follow the advice as best you can? Patience with
yourself and the clinic team and patience with the process is going to
help. The keys are patience and persistence and a willingness to learn
from everything that happens.
When I had a problem getting herbs or phone calls returned, I kept my
eyes on the prize and trusted my deep intuition that this was right for
me, even when it was hard or frustrating. I'd never heard of anything
like Gilbert's success before and Toni knew one of his patients who is
completely better and working full time now. Maybe one shouldn't
have to put up with logistical problems, but they are everywhere and
there can be great meaning in them... perhaps a little karma being
balanced... perhaps a clue as to what issue is being brought to the
forefront that needs healing. When I started looking at issues that
way, I made faster progress. Now I can eat foods I had to give up. I no
longer take 60+ low does non-stimulating support vitamins and minerals
pills a day, I no longer take any prescription medications (I was on 5
or 6 when I started with Gilbert). The only thing I take now is over
the counter allergy medication and the custom prescription herbs as
needed. Some say the herbs taste is bothersome, but I like most of them
and take them plain.
Now that I've been around this for a few years, it is even more
impressive to me and I am seeing people recovering before my
eyes. I have never seen anything as amazing as this and I am
feeling it progress within me. I'm impressed these practitioners are in
it for the long haul and dedicated to especially the problems of the
chronically ill and especially CFS and FM. Most doctors are refusing
CFS/FM patients or limiting the number they take. The Gilbert Clinic is
a special story for our community whether or not you chose to or can
afford to go there.
Most in our support group are complicated cases. I have been sick more than 19 years since mono
triggered my CFS, have at least 3 other chronic conditions that predate CFS.
I developed many dysregulations including some stubborn hormonal
ones. This is going to take me a several years, but I have
evidence it
is working unlike anything else has, and I have a new faith that it
will continue and help for all of my conditions. Others have
noticed improvements already and
are continuing at the best pace for them. Fortunately, Gilbert is
excellent with balancing gynecological hormones and easing menopause as
well. I'm around age 40! Working with Gilbert and Makoul is the best
money
I've spent and the best and most fundamental healing I've experienced.
The changes have been dramatic for me and if nothing else changes from
here on out, I'd be satisfied, call it very successful and can say I am
glad for doing it. But I'm not stopping, there is more for me to do.
Things to keep in mind.
You
have to hang in there when it going well and when there are
problems an your end or theirs. Keep your appointments as best you
can... even if it means showing up on a really sick day. Too often we
stay home when we are at our worst and then we wonder why practitioners
don't understand how bad it is. Make an extra effort to
report problems, give constructive feedback. Let them know two weeks in
advance for when you need refills. Progress is likely to be up and
down, some old
symptoms / ideas can be provoked / revealed. My view of why this
happens is so
I could deal with their associations and so Jonathan could see them and
if necessary, adjust the herbs. There is something about Jonathan's
manner and herbal approach that is able to move the energy that has
been stuck for a long time... a good thing. I did not want to carry
that old stuff around anymore; it was heavy. The finding a place
to talk, be witnessed (counseling, the support groups) part
to accompany the herbs is extremely important. It was all a little
unpleasant at first ––like clearing the cobwebs out of some
musty space, but its nice to have my energy flowing more freely now,
not
bumping into so many internal obstacles. I embrace "I am worth
total health" and now it is embracing me back.
Everyone has different things blocking their energy from flowing,
probably in all three realms: severe physical stuff, some old stuck
thoughts that no longer serve, and/or some soul issues. Having the
body-mind-spirit communicating again and working together to achieve
wellness... its an almost indescribably good experience.
It is important to stick with any approach long enough. For people with
CFS and FM, the average time people need herbs is about a year. It is
important to commit to as much of the
the other parts of your life to be healing as are suggested as you can.
It is important to takes the
herbs as close to as directed as you can or notice how and why you are
not and talk about it.
It may take using some of the sleepless nights to journal, to ask self
some tough questions to do inner work, emotional and/or
spiritual, to get the most benefit from the herbs breaking up
stagnating energy. I thought I had done enough of that work. I had a
surprise coming, the herbs magically opened new doors frustrating me at
first, worth it in the middle to end.
Often, real and serious physical symptoms are clues we can use for healing. I sometimes suggest people get Louise Hay's book Heal your Body for a little help in deciphering symptoms as clues.
Even when a person does all they can, they can't always get to the
healing they want to experience when they want it. Sometimes, not
everything happens we expect; it just doesn't. Adding a spiritual spin,
if it isn't the time to experience a breakthrough, it won't happen no
matter how hard you work, no matter what treatment you try. HOWEVER, you always have the opportunity to
learn great things about yourself and be closer to ready when the next
opportunity comes along.
I have talked to two patients of Gilbert's who are symptom free and
full of energy, and a third and fourth who are tremendously
better. If it is
painful to hear how
others are doing better, that's understandable. "Why it isn't
me feeling better?" is a really loaded question. What helped me coped
with that over the years is remembering it is not a competition. How
sick one of us compared to another is not a competition, nor is who can
do this activity or that, nor is how improved we get. If you have a lot
of pain around that, explore it. That I could be happy for
someone
else getting better was a big turning point for me. That I could even
believe anyone could get better from this was another turning point. If
everyone but me gets better, the world will be full of more people who
can come give me a hand. : )
Several years ago I started telling myself I was okay, I am worth
health. I had to fake it at first because I didn't believe it. It feels
ridiculous when you are lying there so not okay. Over time, with
practice I could believe it more and more until I knew I was so worth
it. We all are. I am beginning to feel health in all areas of my
life. We can each only start from today. We build on a foundation
that we all can do something to move toward health everyday. If we can
stop saying negative things to and about ourselves and our situations
and start believing good things about ourselves, change happens. Other
people might insult you and put you down, but you don't have to do it.
Start saying the real truth, that we are good enough, that we are worth
health and say it often enough to break the hold the false truth
has on us. Lets say it to each other. We may have to say it more than
1000 times, but what a great way to spend our time. That is why I
appreciate and love the new gratitude group for those with CFS/MF
- to address this component of health that the physical body can then
follow. Energy follows thought and the body follows energy. Even if
your body doesn't change noticeably in response for months to years,
having a better attitude makes life easier. On world gratitude day,
September 21, 2006, Elly's Gratitude Group meet for the first time in
the conference room of The Gilbert Clinic! Directions page.
Web Links for Jonathan Gilbert, NCCAOM, herbalist.
Articles about Gilbert, mentioning The Gilbert Clinic:
By Jonathan Gilbert, NCCAOM
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