Client Testimonial: Recovery from Narcolepsy

Hi, my name is Jordan. I've been a patient of Dr. Cain's for almost five years now. This is my story, and I'd like to share it with you. About seven years ago, I was diagnosed with narcolepsy. And my life became just a series of doctor's appointments and medications. I was sleeping up to 18 hours a day, had gained 50 pounds and felt like I was going crazy. All the doctors could really do was tell me that I could take this medication, which was amphetamines, and live a shorter life, or I could not take them and sleep my life away. So I took the medication. I experienced an entire set of side effects that ran my life from chronic pain to sleeplessness to sometimes the medication not even working for me. And that's when I found naturopathic medicine. Because I wanted a way out from taking all of these medications and still not feeling better. I entered Naturopathic Medical School at SCNM in Phoenix, where I met Dr. Kane. She was the resident there at the time. And my doctor, my student doctor, had referred me to see her because this is what she specialized in, was mental health issues and just kind of healing chronic disease. And within about a year of working with her, I think I look back now realizing I was better. I was off of all of my medications. I wasn't crawling under my chair during class to try and avoid having the professor see me sleep. And I was able to start driving again and having a normal life. When I started seeing a naturopathic doctor, what I noticed that was difficult, different, was this connection that you form with your doctor. They take the time to get to know you, they individualize your treatment to you, and they follow up with you in a way that you can really see changes and you can discuss them and know what works and what doesn't so that you can adjust your treatment accordingly. There's also a bunch of different modalities that she did with me, from homeopathy to nutritional counseling and naturecure, giving me recommendations to do things at home. And medications were always an option, but at this point, I didn't need them. And I kind of got my life back because I was able to do all these things at home. And they were simple and they were effective and affordable. I think one of the things that I've gotten from my time with Dr. Kane is this connection and this trust that I know I'll be looked after. And I know that, you know, if my symptoms change, there's still going to be someone who cares, who knows everything about me and who can work with me to really cure, not just cover my symptoms. And I think that the connection you form with your doctor is really important because that's someone you trust. And if you can't tell them everything about you, how are they supposed to help you get better? And when you're seeing a naturopath, they really do take the time to help you get better and get to know you. Had I not had naturopathic medicine, I look back and think at what my life would have turned into. And it worries me to think that, you know, I'd never have the hope of having children because with narcolepsy, sometimes you end up closing your eyes and then you can't move your paralyzed just for minutes. But you know, having a family with that is not even something in your foreseeable future. I'm now a naturopathic doctor myself. So getting through school, I credit largely to seeing a naturopathic doctor and being able to have a social life and friends and, you know, some normalcy to my life where I can go on trips and enjoy people and not have to be tied down by a prescription that quite frankly, I couldn't travel across the border with without documentation. My dream is to help others the way that naturopathic medicine has helped me. It would be amazing to have the opportunity to teach others what I've learned throughout my own personal journey with illness and how naturopathic medicine has helped me achieve that goal of well being and finding my true self and being able to function on a level normal with others and even potentially higher than that. And I already got my doctorate, so we'll see what's next. Maybe I can help others get theirs. For me, working with a naturopathic doctor was a priority because my health is a priority. And being a student with student loans, you know, it's not everything is affordable. And I could spend my money on snowboarding trips, a car or that new outfit. But to me, I think it's really important that you take those resources and you invest them back into yourself because this is something that lasts forever and your health will determine the rest of your life. I highly recommend working with a naturopathic doctor, especially Dr. Kane, my naturopath. Dr. Kane is the best.