East Asian Medicine - Patient Stories
Long-term side-effects of antibiotic treatment
I was mis-prescribed a strong combination of antibiotics, which caused a number of long-lasting side effects. Although these were primarily gut and liver-related (severe dysbiosis, constant nausea, extreme digestive upset and malabsorption) I also developed what seemed to be unrelated symptoms, such as hormonal problems, skin rashes, eye inflammation and joint pain. My GP ordered a series of tests and sent me to several consultants of differing specialisations but none of them were able to offer a solution and all my symptoms continued without improvement.
Almost two years after these problems had started and with no discernible improvement, I consulted Volker and despite the fact that the situation was complicated by the length of time that the various symptoms had essentially remained unaddressed (I arrived at my first appointment with a list of symptoms almost three pages long) thanks to his holistic and professional approach my health started to improve. Sometimes the improvement in a particular symptom took some perseverance and at other times it was remarkably fast. At one point he also referred me for osteopathic treatment, which I found to be very beneficial and which complemented his own treatment very well. I am now fully recovered and symptom-free.
During this entire process, I found Volker to be an extraordinarily skilful physician of the highest level of professionalism and integrity, with a real understanding of illness and its causes and how to deal effectively with often complex and shifting symptom patterns. Not only is his approach truly holistic and his treatments effective but I found his genuine concern for my well-being and his understanding and treatment of the emotional stress caused by the physical symptoms I was experiencing to be an important part of my recovery. Having responded to Volker's approach so successfully, I have since continued to consult him as my primary practitioner whenever the need has arisen.
D. K. Brighton