Services
I want to provide you with whole-person care and work together with you on your wellness and optimal health. I primarily prescribe the Guaifenesin Protocol for recovery from the symptoms of Fibromyalgia. I will expect you to be willing to invest some time and energy on your end to accomplish your goals. I will always give you 110% of my attention, my experience, and my positive energy!
Our services
Being able to understand all aspects of the illness and able to find the typical swellings in the muscles and tendons on physical exam allows me to assure you of the diagnosis. Being an experienced physician, I can also make sure you don’t have other issues that may be mimicking some of your symptoms or creating barriers to recovery.
Fibromyalgia patients not only have similar constellations of symptoms, they also tend to have “hard and tender places” in their muscles. These areas can be mapped out on a figure of the body and tracked over time to ensure an accurate diagnosis and also monitor the effectiveness of the treatment. This is called Body Mapping.
Some people can just read the book “What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Fibromyalgia” and do pretty well. But most people need some help along the way. There can be many questions and times when you might not know if you are doing all of the right things to get well as quickly as possible.
A significant proportion of patients with Fibromyalgia appear to feel much better if they follow a low-sugar, low-carbohydrate diet. Evidence also suggests that exercise can help maintain energy and keep pain at bay. Knowing how and what you can do, and when you can start pushing yourself again is another area we cover during treatment.
I have experience in mind-body medicine, biofeedback, and other modalities to help you to find non-drug alternatives to help you. Some of the typical medications prescribed for Fibromyalgia have been shown to not respond well with sleep, emotional regulation and fatigue. We can work on other ways to help your body to function as normally as possible.
Not sure if a loved one might have Fibromyalgia? Have they been to see multiple doctors and been given a long list of “-itis” and are still slowly getting worse and feeling much older than their years? Give them a chance to get evaluated by a doctor who will spend the time to get the big picture and help them understand what is going on.
I will treat and prescribe only for Fibromyalgia and some chronic pain, although I do NOT prescribe opiates. I can help you to understand how any other health issues are influenced by your Fibromyalgia, but you will still need to have a Primary Care Doctor to handle your other medical needs. I will be happy to communicate with your Primary Care Doctor to be sure they also understand how your Fibromyalgia affects other health concerns.
I offer programs of care that are optimized for recovering from Fibromyalgia based on years of experience and research. I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Dr. Paul St. Amand, an endocrinologist at UCLA and a Fibromyalgia expert. He has laid the foundation for us all. Dr. Melissa Congdon has also been of tremendous help to me on my own journey.
My rather eccentric travels through various fields of medicine and neuroscience have allowed me to develop expertise in biofeedback, neurofeedback, microcurrent electrostimulation methods and other mind/body techniques that can help to address pain, anxiety, sleep and autonomic system disturbances in addition to offering guidance in using the Guaifenesin Protocol to overcome the symptoms of your illness.
Recovering from Fibromyalgia and effectively using the Guaifenesin Protocol requires a very well-educated patient and a strong resource for guiding you through the process from diagnosis to wellness. I have developed a program of care based on patient needs rather than insurance company approvals.
Dr. MacDonald can diagnose and treat you for Fibromyalgia. If you're experiencing fatigue, muscle pain, headaches, sleep problems, dysmenorrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, and/or brain fog, call her today!