Dr. Alper Tunga Özbek

A 14-year-old competitive rhythmic gymnast from a middle-class family presented with persistent fatigue and unexplained weight loss. Dr. Özbek discovered a rare presentation of Addison's disease, masked by her athletic regimen. Treatment involved careful cortisol replacement therapy coordinated with her training schedule, requiring close collaboration with an endocrinologist. Her recovery was gradual over six months, with her family meticulously tracking symptoms and medication times.

A 3-year-old refugee child from Syria, recently resettled in Bursa, was brought in by social workers with failure to thrive and severe developmental delays. Dr. Özbek diagnosed severe celiac disease compounded by post-traumatic stress. His approach combined a strict gluten-free diet with play therapy sessions in the clinic. The child's extended family, though initially distrustful of medical systems, became deeply involved after seeing initial progress over three months.

An 11-year-old boy from an affluent family presented with mysterious episodic paralysis. Dr. Özbek identified hypokalemic periodic paralysis, a rare genetic channelopathy. Instead of immediate medication, he implemented a detailed dietary potassium management plan and emergency protocols for attacks. The patient learned to self-monitor with a smartphone app, achieving near-normal function within weeks with minimal pharmaceutical intervention.

A 7-year-old girl from a rural farming community arrived with what appeared to be severe eczema. Dr. Özbek recognized it as a cutaneous manifestation of a rare autoimmune disorder, dermatomyositis. Treatment involved pulsed steroid therapy and methotrexate, with weekly video consultations since the family lived three hours away. Her grandmother, a traditional healer, initially resisted treatment but eventually incorporated medical care with herbal compresses approved by Dr. Özbek.