On my process of searching for help

I've learned a good deal stumbling through the thick jungles of the internet, trying to learn about my conditions and how to treat them (and not just their symptoms). I'm going to attempt to list some of the points here. Perhaps I'll do a "How to educate yourself about your own health without getting lost in a sea of opinions" post or video at some point... but to be perfectly honest, I'm still learning. 

Here's what I've learned so far...

Some tips researching treatment methods:

1. Always look for published medical research by the people you're seeking treatment from. 

    They may not always have it, and that's ok because it's rather expensive and time-consuming to get peer-reviewed and published... It's ridiculously boring and hard to read anyway. I'm not suggesting you try to read it all yourself -just to verify that it exists. If you don't find anything on a site you're looking at, write an email or call to ask anyway. If they do have research providing conclusive findings regarding the specific treatment you're interested in - then try to read it.... If you have a doctor or nurse who can help you delineate what it all means, even better. 

For those who are completely unfamiliar with what I'm even talking about, this kind of reading is often reeeeally dry and hard to read, or even find as a layperson. It's just the only thing that let's you know that you can for sure trust that the research has been done and peer-reviewed. otherwise, everything is hearsay. 

If you want to find out if a certain body of research exists (say, studies on the role of melatonin in scoliosis) you can start by looking here. Just type in a few key words at the top right and see what comes up!

2. Cross-reference

    Always try to find information in other places that supports the claims a given specialist/practitioner is reporting on their website. If you can't find any other information, try asking a trusted health professional what they think based on what information you have.... If you're fresh out of trusted health professionals, you're not alone... but that's another blog post. :/

3. Ask people who have tried it!

    This may require some super-sleuthing, as finding the contact information for people who have tried certain methods can be pretty tricky. Sometimes you can ask the practice directly - "are there any patients who have had success that would be open to speaking with me?" ...Never underestimate the power of Facebook groups, and I have had some luck reaching out to people who make yelp reviews for places I want to check out too.

I had one particularly amazing experience digging until I found the contact information for one Martha Hawes (rather famous in the world of scoliosis research for her challenging findings) and through that effort, I made a helpful contact AND a friend. (I would like to interview her on this blog some day, and SHE would be the one to tell you how to research, but again I digress.)

4. Bookmark it!

    I have a voluminous TROVE of bookmarks. I hoard them like a crazy cat lady hoards tiny porcelain figurines. I keep them very organized and they serve me well. Almost as good as minions... Not quite. Still trying to teach them how to bring me coffee and snacks and build rockets. (PS: I always use "CMD+Click" to open a new tab, so I don't lose my former place. )

5. Trust yourself stumbling through the dark

     I have to admit that some of my most successful attempts at digging for answers have been when I stumble blindly onto something by being click-happy. After a year of digging, I accidentally ran across the treatment I'm now taking on... Don't give up!

6. Trust your instincts.

I think it's safe to say this is advice for any and every area of life, no matter what you're talking about. Honing your instincts is an entirely different thing (that I'm not here to blog about), but go with your gut. When you narrow it down to a few providers, interview them! ...and then go with your gut.

That's about all I've got so far.

In regards to reading about health on the internet in general:

Most people know this, but in the event that you're young and/or new to researching and you're looking for answers: 

Unfortunately nothing you read on the internet is guaranteed to be true. Even checking several different sources is most likely not very helpful, as people so often regurgitate what they find on the internet. As in any research, seek information that cites references and look at those references. Are they reputable sources? Telling that much is hard in itself, sometimes. All you can do is keep digging.

Here is the list of published research I found on the website for the Chiropractic Bio Physics website that led me to belive that theirs is the method I want to try. (It's long.)