From a personal perspective, I was treated by Matia at ICAMA several years ago and went from constant pain and urgency to being able to live my life largely symptom-free ever since. Not only that, but she’s the most caring healthcare provider I’ve ever encountered, and at a time when I was hopeless, she was a lifeline. She taught me so much about taking care of myself for long term health, and so many other things that I don’t even know who I’d be at this point without her treatment. It shifted my perspective dramatically at steered my away from the standard American diet to a diet that supports health, longevity and balance. It was a holistic approach that also included attention to the emotional side of this challenging condition.
At the time, the idea that gut imbalances can cause many other chronic conditions was pretty new, but I’m super surprised to see people questioning it here as many studies have shown high correlation if not causation. I suppose we all need to be careful about citing things as fact if they haven’t been directly proven, but research is even starting to point to a connection between gut bacteria and Alzheimer’s at this point, so it’s not a stretch to say that gut imbalance can contribute to IC. It’s also not a stretch to say that nervous system dysregulation tends to occur in tandem with many chronic conditions, but there’s probably not hard science to prove that it’s the direct cause either.
If there was any $$ behind researching alternative treatments for chronic conditions, they’d probably be scientifically proven. Instead, all the $$ goes towards pharmaceuticals that are a band-aid rather than a root cause treatment. If you’re someone who has found relief from something along those lines, that’s fantastic. But everyone needs to find their own path. I hope someday there’s more science to prove some of the things I know to be true for me through taking this approach to healing.
