Dr. Jiwani on Radio CKNW 980 Show with Bill Good

Text Transcript for Dr. Jiwani on Radio CKNW 980 on the Bill Good Show

This text transcript represents a Naturopathic Interview of Dr. Jiwani on Radio CKNW 980AM with Host Bill Good on the Bill Good Show

Bill Good @CKNW 980: Earlier this week we had two guests on who were highly skeptical of naturopathic practices, homeopathy.

And my next guest, I think her ears were burning when she heard Dr. Rob Tarswell, a physician say this on the program:

“I think that fundamentally naturopathy is based on sort of a hodgepodge of ideas, which do not stand up to scientific scrutiny. And any ideas which do stand up to scientific scrutiny, have basically been cribbed from standard medicine.”

Bill Good @CKNW 980: Give me some examples.

Dr. Rob Tarswell, MD: Well most naturopaths will prescribe homeopathic remedies.
Lots of naturopaths will engage in so-called chelation therapy, after administering dubious lab tests that get sent to mysterious labs, in various locations in the United States declaring that you have excess of this, or a deficit of that, and if we just sort of chelate out the bad toxins, we can cure your child’s autism. Some of it’s actually quite disgraceful.

Bill Good @CKNW 980: Dr. Tahira Jiwani is a naturopathic physician. You were listening to the program that day and that had you leaping to the phone.

Dr. Tahira Jiwani, BSc, ND Pharmaceutical Prescribing Authority: Ha, Ha, yes especially when you said that you had a hard time reaching someone to come on the show, so I’m very honoured to be here, thank you Bill.

Bill Good @CKNW 980: Oh it’s my pleasure, I’m glad we were able to get you.

What kind of training do you have as a naturopathic physician? And is physician the right term?

Dr. Tahira Jiwani, BSc, ND Pharmaceutical Prescribing Authority: I’m so glad that you said that and asked about this because many people do not know that actually, it requires three to four years Bachelor’s Pre-Med and then four years for a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine from an accredited naturopathic medical school.

So Naturopathic Physician is exactly the right term, and that’s why my ears were particularly burning because you cannot use the term naturopath; to say naturopath would be incorrect, anybody can say naturopath.

But to say Naturopathic Physician would be well, if you were to say you were a Physician Bill, you know that would be against the law.

So that’s why we prefer the distinct term Naturopathic Physician or Naturopathic Doctor. These terms are covered under our College.

We are licensed and have been so since 1923.

Bill Good @CKNW 980: Give me an example or two of conditions that you are able to treat as an alternative to more formal medicine.

Dr. Tahira Jiwani, BSc, ND Pharmaceutical Prescribing Authority: Oh! The list is extensive, anywhere from Colitis, ADHD, Asthma, Migraines, Eczema, any kind of Arthritis, anything from Mental afflictions to common Hayfever symptoms.

Yes, it’s very, very extensive and the reason is, because we’re treating the cause instead of the symptoms.

So that is one of the fundamental principles of Naturopathic Medicine.

It’s similar to if you put your hand on the stove and you feel pain, you can take a painkiller or you can remove your hand from the stove.

And so that’s our expertise is to help patients figure out what it takes to remove their hand from the stove.

Bill Good @CKNW 980:  But I’m skeptical to a point when you talk about being able to, and I don’t want to put words in your mouth, is it cure or heal?

Dr. Tahira Jiwani, BSc, ND Pharmaceutical Prescribing Authority:  NO! We never say the word “cure”.

Bill Good @CKNW 980:  OK

Dr. Tahira Jiwani, BSc, ND Pharmaceutical Prescribing Authority:  You hear the word “cure” from someone, then you’re talking to someone that’s probably not regulated by a College, and they are outrightly doing something against the law.

Bill Good @CKNW 980: But I was talking, I was talking with Pat Quinn a few minutes ago off air about hip replacement procedures. Can you delay, or take away the need, for someone to have a hip replacement, if in fact their arthritis has destroyed the cartilage in their joint?

Dr. Tahira Jiwani, BSc, ND Pharmaceutical Prescribing Authority:  Well, thanks to evidence based research, there are certain nutraceuticals out there that can actually rebuild the joint.

So again, if a patient walks in, and this is the other benefit of naturopathic medicine is that we’re taking an individualized approach. So, not every patient that comes in with osteoarthritis is going to present in the same way. Yes, they all have you know, pain and stiffness and soreness, but it depends to what extent, it depends where in their progress they’re coming in, and then we would take it from there.

So we’re basically sitting down talking to the patients about their health concerns, their medical history, going through their lab reports and then discussing treatment options. And this takes time.

Bill Good @CKNW 980: I am talking with Dr. Tahira Jiwani, a Naturopathic Physician, and I want to hear from you. Have you had success with seeing a Naturopathic Physician?

Have you, do you feel that they have provided you with a true alternative to more traditional medicine or not? We just have a few minutes for calls, but I’d really like to hear from you 604.280.9898.
We also are available on Twitter and on Facebook and we’ll be right back. 

Bill Good @CKNW 980: Your calls to Dr. Jiwani, a Naturopathic Physician. Mitch, Good Morning.

Caller Mitch: Good Morning, I just wanted to say that I’ve been to a naturopath, and my wife was as well, they actually worked in the same office and the experience was completely different.

I originally went to ask for some advice on diet and supplements, because I’ve got a couple of health issues that I’m concerned with.

And the person that I met, tried to steer me into something called whole body scans and live blood analysis and held crystals up beside me to tell me whether I was reacting to allergens in the room.

My wife, on the other hand, had a consultation with somebody who, apparently from what she told me, was totally different, and professional and recommended that she get a couple of blood tests, before she could give her advice on her questions, and you know referred her back to her GP on one point, and you know recommended a couple of things to take care of the other issue she was concerned with.

So totally different experience and that kind of leads me to think, I mean although personalities can vary, some seems like science and some seems like pseudo science.

I just can’t draw a connection between a crystal and an allergen.

Bill Good @CKNW 980:  Dr. Jiwani?

Dr. Tahira Jiwani, BSc, ND Pharmaceutical Prescribing Authority:  Yes, Naturopathic Physicians’, it’s a very eclectic type of practice. We’ve been trained and use many tools, clinical and laboratory diagnostic testing, nutritional medicine, botanical medicine, we’ve been licensed to prescribe pharmaceutical drugs as well, as well as acupuncture, minor surgery and IV and injection therapy.

So yes, we have so many tools in our tool box and it is dependent upon the certain individual or doctor how they wish to use those, and in what way.

The profession has been around for many years, so people have developed their own style or type of practice.

Bill Good @CKNW 980:  And I would imagine you would have quite a different experience from one GP to the other, too.

Dr. Tahira Jiwani, BSc, ND Pharmaceutical Prescribing Authority:  Yes and we actually work together with medical doctors, pharmacists and nurses.

About the blood testing, I myself prefer the scientific method of food allergy blood testing because it done at a regulated US lab. But there are other types of testing for what they call sensitivities, food sensitivities.

There’s a big difference between food allergies and food sensitivities. So you will see different styles of practice, depending on what type of testing that they do.

Bill Good @CKNW 980:  Mike, Good Morning.

Caller Mike:  Hi Good Morning Bill & Dr. Jiwani.  My question is, my three year old daughter has a gluten allergy. And we were recently told that a naturopath could reverse some allergies through manipulating brain waves or what not, and we were just wondering if a gluten allergy would be one of those allergies?

Bill Good @CKNW 980:  Gluten, is that an allergy?

Dr. Tahira Jiwani, BSc, ND Pharmaceutical Prescribing Authority:  So, the difference, now this goes back to an allergy versus a sensitivity. An allergy is when you combine the food in a test tube with your blood, you will produce a certain higher level of antibodies, which shows that you’re allergic.

Whereas a sensitivity merely means that you have a variety of physical responses, when that food is eaten. So there’s a big difference.

But either way, it is important whether you’re sensitive or you’re allergic, to avoid the food because they are doing harm in the body.

Bill Good @CKNW 980:  And you can’t cure it?

Dr. Tahira Jiwani, BSc, ND Pharmaceutical Prescribing Authority:  I never like to say the word “cure” Bill, because with allergies and sensitivities, you can overcome it if you take the food out, out of sight, out of mind.

But if you’re born with the allergy, there’s two different, there’s many different pathways of food allergy actually.

Bill Good @CKNW 980:  Maureen? Maureen, Good Morning.

Caller Maureen:  Hi. I just wanted to say that I had, when my daughter was two, she was severely constipated to the point that it was quite dangerous. She had been to her doctor, her pediatrician, Children’s Hospital, seen two different specialists and there was nothing that could be done for her.

It was just a horrible, horrible couple of years. I tried a naturopath, which did not work, but it was something I wanted to try again.

Saw a different naturopath and he was basically with a regimen, within about six months, totally alleviated the problem.

 Bill Good @CKNW 980:  Outstanding, good to hear from you, thank you. And Dr. Jiwani, I want to thank you for your time this morning.

Dr. Tahira Jiwani, BSc, ND Pharmaceutical Prescribing Authority:  Oh, Thanks a lot Bill.