Finding the right health care professionals

(Tina) #1

New to the forum, so apologies on advance if this has already been covered/discussed.

How can I go about finding a Doctor that will work with me on this journey. Mine is still preaching the old dogma and I anticipate we’re about to come to an impass on my lipids and statin therapy.

First off I’ve spoken to her once a year ago. All subsequent communication has been via typed messages with her PA via the patient portal. She’s still insisting that I go on a low fat diet due to my cholesterol. And has tried to up my statin therapy- completely ignoring the fact that I told her I quit taking the last statin prescription 4 months ago. All this after I reported that I’ve been on a low carb diet and IF for the last 4 months. In which time I’ve 1) lost 45 lbs, 2) dropped my A1C from 6.0 to 5.1, 3) been able to stop taking prilosec entirely, (no more acid reflux) 4) dropped my triglycerides almost in half (still high at over 200, but half of what it was before)

I live and work in the St Louis area. Surely there has to be someone out there that will work with me on this? Any advice on how to find a progressive doctor?

#2

I believe this is dated, but might be worth a good start. https://lowcarbdoctors.blogspot.com/

(Sophie) #3

You should look for an Osteopathic Doctor. Good luck. It took me years to find mine, and ironically, he’s located just down the street from me…go figure.

(Karen) #4

My Bday is on the 12th, I have my annual with a PA on the 12th. Will have bloodwork done soon too. I am hoping it will tell the tale. Not sharing my WOE yet with my Doc.

Will let you know the results, fingers crossed.

K

(Tina) #5

Thanks, but yeah, that’s a bit dated and nothing listed in my area

(Tina) #6

This sounds promising. Though one of the doctors listed is at the same practice as my doctor. Are there different flavors of DO, I wonder?

#7

I know two DOs. One is my son’s pediatrician who I have complained about and kept insisting my overweight child had to eat sugar to keep up his strength!

https://www.ketogenicforums.com/t/pediatrician-keeps-pushing-sugar/25227/10

The other recently graduated at the top of her class. She went there because it was close to home and she could save on rent. She had no nutrition training at all and has not recommended to her mother, whom she loves dearly and is a cancer survivor that she should cut all sugar!

Since you are in St. Louis you may want to contact the guy who does the Low Carb Leader podcast. He runs a hospital in St. Louis I think as his day job. He may have some suggestions

(Sophie) #8

My DO has known that I was lo-carb for a few years and had no issue with that… but if you read @Saphire’s post is doesn’t surprise me that there are those that aren’t so open to the science unfortunately. I guess you will have to test drive one to see.

https://www.ketogenicforums.com/t/omg-my-doc-is-cool-with-keto/20110

(Tom Seest) #9

Dr. Emily Hecker is a Functional Doctor and is Keto friendly: http://www.enlightenstl.com/

She has a tendency to be more protein happy than I’d like but I’m not sure you’ll find a better doctor in the St. Louis area.

If you ever need a cardiologist, I use this keto friendly Cardiologist at St. Lukes:

(Richard Hanson) #10

Good Morning Tina,

First, it sounds like you are doing just awesome! Congratulations and welcome to this forum.

Knowledge is power over your own health choices. One thing to consider is that you are not responsible for your doctor’s ignorance and have no obligation at all to follow any treatment plan she might prescribe. Your doctor works for you and if she dose not understand that fact it might be time to just find another random doctor. It is not like doctors are rare, although doctors that are not utterly ignorant of keto are scarce.

You can practice a few communications techniques to use with your doctor.

Practice saying the word “No”. Dogs understand that word and doctors should also. If you need a bit more impact for a doctor that does not understand how to listen… try “Hell No” … “I am not going to take a statin and I am not going to eat a low fat diet just because you are ignorant of the science”. You might need a new doctor after that, but there are lots of doctors. Some few are even capable of learning.

The more you learn the more you will come to understand just how useless most doctors are when it comes to managing your health. Yes, when you break a leg, or get injured in a car accident, doctors are great and emergency medicine can save your life, but when it comes to managing chronic health issues most doctors are worse then useless, they cause harm. Just think about all the T2D patients who are prescribed insulin injections when their core problem is insulin resistance.

You don’t need a doctor to help you on this journey! It is a waste of money when you can get far better medical advice by watching videos online. We are continually programmed to comply with our doctors advice but you are already looking for a doctor who will advise you to do what you already know is correct. Think about that a bit. Two different doctors give you two different approaches to treat the same issue, different and incompatible, which one should you respect? If you already now the answers, there is no reason to ask either, just do what you know is correct and save the money for a great steak or a huge supply of bacon.

You rock Tina and are doing great!

Keto for Life!

Warmest Regards,
Richard

(Tina) #11

Thanks! I’ll definately check both of those out!

(Tina) #12

Thanks, Richard! Love this amusing and utterly correct assesment of the common Doctor :). I can’t agree more. I think I’ve been waisting my time sending links to the info behind my reasons for staying off of the statins, going low carb and ingnoring her low fat recommendations. I should have known what I was in for when I started seeing her and after my first bloodwork came back she wanted to put me on BOTH adiabetic diet AND a AHA low fat diet. When I came back in for dietary counceling, I was initially presented with diet books published by ADA and AHA.

I do have high cholesterol numbers. I’ve always had high cholesterol numbers. Even when I was 25 and weighed 125 lbs, (Back in the late 80s) my total cholesterol was high. Thankfully my doctor at that time was not in a big hurry to put me on a low fat diet and statins - which was the common practice. His theory being that I could obviously eat nothing but plain rice and have high cholesterol, and I had no other heart disease factors. If not for his cautious approach, I could have been taking statins for the last 30 years.

I balked on the statins until about 8 years ago, when my employer started using standard health measureslike cholesterol numbers to determing the co-pays for health insurance. So at that time I went on Statins to save money on the premiums - and because I was being told that without a doubt my cholesterol would cause heart disease. Then my husband got laid off in 2013 and I quit taking them for financial reasons again. Never got around to re-establishing preventive health care until last January, At which time she put me on a reasonable dose of statins until summer when I stumbled accross the history of the whole fat/coholesterol hypothisis and took myself off.

I do think my Cholesterol profile is not very good right now, though, based on my HDL/Trig ratios, so I would like to find a Doctor that I can work with to get the right test, etc. But you’re right, the majority know less than I do.

I wonder, Is there a topic on the forum for how to be your own Doctor, by any chance? Like how to order and interperet your own tests?

#13

Interesting idea although it would have to be carefully worded or contain a disclaimer to avoid a practicing medicine without a license!

You can order your own tests but it depends what state you are in. Certain ones in my area do not permit it. I am sure someone has a link to ones they have used will post but otherwise try this one which I have never used but came up on a search

https://www.health-tests-direct.com/ordering-page/find-blood-draw-center

(Fred Bartholomai) #14

I would recommend a ‘functional’ doctor. They don’t treat just one thing. They treat the whole body, they look for the root cause. They spend more time with you.

Here are a few resources to check out.
Dr Mark Hyman - functional medicine. What is it ?

How do you find such a doctor ? ( Many of then support the low carb/keto diet).
Here is a great resource: IFM (Institute Of Functional Medicine)

I am in the hunt as a well for a functional medicine type doctor that will support me on the keto diet. My big issue is high cholesterol levels after being on the keto diet now for the last 4-5 months or so.

#15

While I have no medical training and do not presume to advise, most keto podcasts address the high cholesterol and why it may or may not be a concern