Well he isnt really a witch doctor, but I dont know what to call him. He's like a cross between a chiropractor, herbalist, and naturopath all rolled up into one. And he's never been to any kind of medical schooling. His talents were learned from his father and his fathers father. He says that God tells him what ailes people. OK, before you all think I'm crazy, let me tell you what he's done. First of all, this Amish man is OLD. He's been helping people ever since he was really young. I heard about him from my grandma who has gone to see him for years. My dad has gone and lots of his friends too. Apparently he has people from all over that come to see him. People know about him from word of mouth. His skill is that he can tell if there's a chemical imbalance in your body, if a an organ isnt functioning properly, if your allergic to stuff and he can do chiropractic manipulation (but uses massage instead of cracking). I was skeptical when I heard about him so I decided to go and see what was so great about this man. When I went I didnt tell him anything about myself. I just wanted him to look me over. He had me lay on a table and he would lift my legs and adjust them. Then he would have me use my hand to put pressure on different parts of my body, like my heart, liver, stomach area etc. When I did this, he would lift my legs again. Then he would have me hold several different jars filled with things like herbs, minerals, foods etc on my stomach. He would again lift my legs and adjust them. Apparently from this he can tell what kinds of things your body is sensitive too or allergic to. He said I had low potassium, that my digestion was bad, I had liver/gall bladder issues, and I had an intolerance to milk. I was shocked, he was right! I have a slow gall bladder, my potassium is often low, and I have GERD. He gave me some herbs to help with the GERD, did a little bit of back massaging, and put pressure on my stomach to help release the tension in my stomach and intestine to ease digestion.
I've been back to see him a couple of times since and he has been helpful.

Anyway, now that I've bored you all with this long story, I've decide to take Noah there in a couple of days. I'm going to see if Toby can tell if Noah might be allergic to anything, or if he can tell what might be causing his eating issues. I wont let him do any massaging or anything like that. Everything he doesis so extrememly non-invasive and I'm not worried about him hurting Noah. You guys probably think I'm nuts, but I'm kind of excited to see if he can be of any help.

I'll let you know how my visit goes.

Yes, let us know what comes of it and what he thinks, :-D

Hmmmm...very strange. Keep in mind he has NO degree, and I would NEVER allow Noah to ingest anything he gives you, even if its considered a "safe" herb. However, his suggestions might be worth boucing off your GI, then you could try what he agrees with. Its an interesting idea. Good luck with the appointment, and let us know what he says.

Incredible....good for you. Anything is worth a try. I definitely believe many people have intuition and he could be one of those people. A few years back I went to see a nurse with intuition. She was great.

I hope he is able to help. Just think how many doctors with the "degree" and they can't help! So why not give this guy a try.

Best wishes, please let us know how you make out...
Jean

Hey, whatever works! Our western medicine has been iffy as far as "curing" all that ails our GERDlings, so I say give him a try. Let us know how it goes!

Seems like it's worth a try, eh? Hope he can help!

Let us know how the visit goes. I have resorted to Bowen therapy at times and found it really helped and have done some homeopathic without much success and have been mulling over some other non-traditional treatments as well... the key is to research it and find out what you feel comfortable with. I do not think you are crazy for investigating alternative medicines as I have a HUGE book on it and find sometimes it does help, but not always... same as conventional medicine. Just be careful with herbs, though.

I do not know how on earth he can determine allergy by having you hold a jar though. Could be like a good psychic guessing with that! However, I am sure that you will keep an open mind and will reseach what he says. I for one am very open minded to just about anything these days and look forward to hearing what he says.

I do not know how on earth he can determine allergy by having you hold a jar though.
It's really quite simple. The first time that I had my allergies tested, it was in a similar way. I sat in a chair with my arm extended. The person doing the test pushed down to see my strength, then she tried again with an empty glass jar in my hand, just to make sure that I wasn't allergic to the glass. She then tested me with different jars of things. With the ones that I was allergic to, my arm was easier to push down. My brothers had a similar test with a chiropracter trained in this. He put the foods to be tested on the tongue one thing at a time. There was something with the leg (perhaps it shortened a bit or seized up?) when there was an allergy.

Please let us know how it goes! And you might not want to mention that you called him a Witch Doctor... ;)

Wow, Janette, that's crazy! Was he right? Did you ever have other tests to confirm? I'm impressed!

I think you gotta do what you gotta do and good for you for looking for other avenues! Good luck and please let us know how everything goes! :)

Hi there,
Being a nurse practitioner, I am a huge stickler for scientific studies, testing, etc. HOWEVER with infant GERD, especially when feeding aversions are involved, I completely understand the need and desire to do ANYTHING possible to find some help. If I knew someone like this, I too would definately get an opinion. I would not consent to manipulation or herbs, but that is just my bias. Like anything in parenting, do what you are comfortable with. Good luck and I hope you find something to help!
Take care,
Kristina

Wow, Janette, that's crazy! Was he right? Did you ever have other tests to confirm? I'm impressed!
Yes it sounds crazy, but the food allergies that my brother had were confirmed in another test. I can't remember whether or not mine were confirmed, but the dairy and the citrus certainly were true!