Holistic Practitioner Spotlight with Dr. Veronica Hayduk, a Naturopathic Doctor
We are speaking with Dr. Veronica Hayduk, a Naturopathic Physician who treats individuals with pain accompanied with extreme fatigue resulting from lack of adequate pain relief.
Tell Us a Story About a Patient with Pain and Extreme Fatigue and How You Helped
Out of desperation, Connie, a 42 year old restaurant server decided to try natural medicine. She came to my office with crippling pain in her shoulders and back and extreme fatigue. This was causing her to miss shifts at work and so her anxiety over finances was compounding her physical problems.
Over the course of a year, Connie had been to her family physician, a rheumatologist and a neurologist. All of the prescribed tests which included routine blood work, MRI’s/CT’s, nerve conduction tests and muscle biopsies were considered normal.
No Lasting Relief of Pain or Fatigue
Connie’s doctors placed her on several courses of Prednisone, which helped the pain but did not alleviate her extreme fatigue. She was popping Ibuprofen like candy in addition to taking her prescribed narcotics, muscle relaxers, and an anti-convulsant drug. None of those gave Connie lasting pain relief. The side effects of the medications were effecting her gut function and making her feel queasy.
Delving into New Territory
At her first appointment with me, I suspected Connie had food sensitivities. She agreed to take a finger-stick test to look at 100+ food sensitivities. We also discussed boosting her nutrients with a multivitamin and omega 3 fish oil. I recommended that Connie have additional blood work that covered a review of systems not recently checked or never looked at.
A month later, at her second appointment, we reviewed the lab work and food allergy results. The test ranges indicated that Connie had low vitamin D levels and her thyroid function indicators were not in the optimal range. The food test results showed sensitivities to tomatoes, sugar, dairy and mushrooms, not something she wanted to hear since she exclaimed that the tomato soup and cappuccinos were her favorite at the restaurant where she worked. But wanting to feel better, Connie agreed to avoid those foods, take the supplements we discussed and a few herbs in a custom tincture. I also recommended that she try doing more stretching exercises.
Pain Free Until…
Three months later, Connie reported that she was completely pain free and no longer had a need to take pain pills. She was also delighted that she had more energy and better digestion. Still under the care of her primary care doctor, he suggested that her improvement was just a function of time that made her feel better. So Connie tested the theory and had a great big bowl of tomato soup and coffee with lots of cream and sugar. Within the hour, all of the pain and fatigue had resumed and she felt awful again.
While it is true that time did help her heal, avoiding her triggers, addressing her thyroid function, and re-nourishing her body proved to be the most helpful to resolve her pain and fatigue. The end result of the naturopathic approach was that Connie has her life back.
Why and When Did You Choose the Holistic Path?
I have always wanted to be a doctor. As a child, I watched my Mom suffer with a skin condition in which none of the traditional treatments offered by the dermatologists helped her much. During that time, I bought what I thought was a cookbook as a present for my step-father who was a chef. I noticed he rarely used the book and so I flipped through it in more detail. The Herb Book, by John Lust was certainly not a cookbook, but rather a wondrous guide to harvesting plants and making medicine. So as a young teen, I experimented with growing and processing herbs, which eventually led me to naturopathic medicine. I could be a doctor using natural approaches that were actually gentle and effective in helping people get and stay well .
What Lessons Have Your Work and Personal Experiences Taught You?
Working with so many different kinds of patients and their families over the decades has taught me more than anything learned from a book. Patients teach patience. The practitioner must listen carefully in order to uncover the obstacles in the patient’s way to a life of abundant health and happiness.
What Would You Like Your Patients to Know About Your Services that They May Not be Aware of?
While natural medicine practitioners may be out of network for most insurances, a patient may still be reimbursed by certain plans. Some insurance companies may offer compensation or payments to the provider may be used towards the yearly deductible. Health Savings Accounts and employer-offered Flexible Spending Accounts may often be used for payment.
Find out more about holistic health insurance coverage here.
Any Additional Comments:
“My honor as a naturopathic doctor is to coach my patients about how to optimize their health and prevent chronic diseases. Empowering them with knowledge enables them to make more informed decisions, so they can finally begin to control their own health.”
Biography
Dr. Veronica E. Hayduk, is a naturopathic doctor that has been serving the natural and functional medical and health needs of Maryland’s community for over a decade. In fact, she was the first in Rockville.
She has Dual Bachelor’s Degree in Religious Studies and Psychology with specializations in Cell Biology and Microbiology from the University of Arizona.
Dr. Hayduk received her Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine (ND) from the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine.
Dr. Hayduk is pleased to offer you and your family safe, non-toxic, effective, holistic alternative medicine for all of your health concerns. She successfully utilizes time honored traditional naturopathic medical wisdom (such as herbs, homeopathic remedies and targeted nutritional plans) whilst blending in current trends in Western (allopathic) medicine with her unique and individualized patient-specific natural treatment plans.
A complementary phone consultation with Dr. Hayduk is available. Please call 301-395-9118 to schedule.
Dr. Veronica E. Hayduk
Naturopathic Medicine
Second Nature Health, LLC
620 Hungerford Dr. Suite 15
Rockville, MD 20850
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About Us
As holistic dentists, we've recommended products and services that supported our patients’ health for decades. In experiencing our own health challenges from mercury toxicity, we worked closely with many natural, alternative, and integrative health practitioners who aided our recovery as well as our patients’. We built this site to provide you with a simple-to-use, comprehensive, informational, and functional resource for your physical, emotional, and spiritual health & well-being.