Well, this week I had my two left wisdom teeth pulled. As I sat in the dental surgeon’s office, discussing my options, I got the question I always dread: “Do you have any allergies?”

Do I tell him that I had food allergies but had them treated with NAET and now they are gone? Does he want to know that I reacted to the chemicals used to clean my office 20 years ago? Should I include the fact that I’m on a special diet to exclude oxalates, and - oh, by the way - do any of the drugs you use to treat me while you are pulling out my teeth have oxalates in them?

Again, I chickened out. I said, “None that I know of that would affect this treatment”.

It was mostly the truth, but it certainly avoided getting into any detail. I assumed that the question had to do with pulling my teeth - and that he didn’t want to know my life story. I suppose I was right. He looked at me funny for a moment, and then we carried on our discussion.

I wonder if I’m denying an opportunity for my health professionals to learn more? I’m sure that I’m avoiding the potential for a confrontational or belligerent exchange. I do remember once telling a doctor that I’d been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in my 20’s but that I’d found that certain changes in my diet “cured” the condition. His response: “You must have had an incorrect diagnosis”.

Of course, changing your diet couldn’t help to cure arthritis. Only a drug can do that.

Which really makes me wonder - what the heck did people do before drugs? I seem to remember my grandmother (who was born in 1899) telling me about various treatments that she went through which either greatly reduced symptoms, or “cured” her. They were not drugs. Yet, somehow she survived. My father survived scarlet fever, back in the days when the use of antibiotics was extremely limited and his parents couldn’t afford them. His recovery was credited to rest and care - not a drug.

Makes me wonder if our doctors haven’t forgotten that people used to survive (and even thrive) without drugs - and sometimes, they even got cured.

Which brings me back to allergies. My son’s food allergies have clearly been cured, but I have no pre-existing blood test to prove it. He certainly had distinctive symptoms, including hives - but perhaps it would be suggested gently that he grew out of them.

I’d like to meet more doctors who are interested in what we’ve done - and less likely to “poo-poo” the whole thing. After all, perhaps cures are out there, and the medical profession just hasn’t realized it yet.