Functional doctors

Posted by eileenb1022 @eileenb1022, Aug 3, 2022

Good morning,
I dont know if this is the right group to post this on. if its not please let me know. for all the various issues mediclly im dealing with, i wont list them but several people mostly on facebook all they said is you should see a functional doctor, and how they are amazing and so much better and thourough than regular doctors. well i probobly should have known better cause such one was advertising on facebook of all places said he was running a special for his consult which was pretty cheap and that he specialized in autoimmune disorders so i called. i was suppose to have a telehealth appointment with him tomorrow(as he is in a different state) yesterday i had to scan and email the questionaires they wanted which took a couple hours as my husband had trouble with it then she said thy would like my latest bloodwork which was in june so i emailed that. the only problem that i was aware of as far as bloodwork goes is a problem with my tsh, my b12, mt iron, iron sat and ferritan levels. well i get this email from him early evening yesterday shorly after i sent them. this dr. omg, he emailed me didnt even address me by name just starts with your choresterol isnt the issue, even thugh i have been on cholestrol meds for 19 yrs then he says my electrolytes are not good. all i drink is gatorade which has electrolytes so cant figure that one out. then he contines with if your results show a low anion gap it may mean i have a low level of albumin, a protein in the blood. which could indicate kidney problems, heart disease or some types of cancer. then types low AST too whatever im suppose to know what that is i didnt see that on my bloodwork. then he ends the email with the word "uuuuggggg". what dr says something like that? i am beyond upset and when i texted this to his assistant that i have all these problems with his email she defends everything, doesnt acknowledge the "uuuggg" then says she is refunding my consult fee. so seems to me this doctor is a scammer which did nothing but add to my fear. thoughts?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Healthy Living Support Group.

@sueinmn

Not all functional medicine doctors are outside the insurance system. Some large clinical practices have functional medicine practitioners (typically Nurse Practitioners with more training) available by referral.

This may have been lost in my long post above, so I will repeat:
Rather than give up in despair, maybe look for a practitioner through an organization that certifies and trains professional in functional medicine? I found good information about what functional medicine is here: http://www.ifm.org

And on the same site, I searched for certified practitioners near me:
http://www.ifm.org/find-a-practitioner/
Then, if you identify a doctor or nurse practitioner near you, check out the doc.

And I will repeat what we often tell people here: Never seek medical care from an Ad (on Google you can identify these by the tiny word "Ad" in the top line) - look for professional organizations, certifying agencies, etc. for advice. Exercise your right to be a smart consumer.
Sue

Sue

Jump to this post

What is Mayo’s approach to functional medicine?

REPLY
@jlharsh

What is Mayo’s approach to functional medicine?

Jump to this post

I can't answer for Mayo Clinics, but they do have at least one doctor in Jacksonville whose specialty is functional medicine. In addition, the Mayo Pain Rehab Clinic philosophy is to work on regaining function for people with chronic pain through a variety of practices.

Are you a Mayo patient?
Sue

REPLY
@sueinmn

I can't answer for Mayo Clinics, but they do have at least one doctor in Jacksonville whose specialty is functional medicine. In addition, the Mayo Pain Rehab Clinic philosophy is to work on regaining function for people with chronic pain through a variety of practices.

Are you a Mayo patient?
Sue

Jump to this post

Yes, Sue I am a Mayo patient (Rochester, MN). They are helping me navigate systemic issues that seems to cause blood flow and absorption problems. I recently connected back here hoping to find a place to plug in. So many topics and discussion threads seem to pertain so I am trying to figure out where others like me would be, if there are others.

REPLY
@jlharsh

Yes, Sue I am a Mayo patient (Rochester, MN). They are helping me navigate systemic issues that seems to cause blood flow and absorption problems. I recently connected back here hoping to find a place to plug in. So many topics and discussion threads seem to pertain so I am trying to figure out where others like me would be, if there are others.

Jump to this post

If you have a specific diagnosis for any of your issues, you could try typing it, inside quotes, in the search box at the top of the page. A list of results will come up, and you can click on each one to see if it is helpful. Return to the list of results be clicking the back button at the top of your browser.
Maybe this will hep you connect with others?

REPLY
@sueinmn

If you have a specific diagnosis for any of your issues, you could try typing it, inside quotes, in the search box at the top of the page. A list of results will come up, and you can click on each one to see if it is helpful. Return to the list of results be clicking the back button at the top of your browser.
Maybe this will hep you connect with others?

Jump to this post

That’s the tough thing! While I do know some about the various things my doctors seem to agree on as symptoms that are part of a larger picture we are going down the path of addressing the next symptom. It just goes on and on. I do not think there is a magic bullet or diagnosis, or at least me understanding what it is. I think my challenges are with acceptance of the unknown/unclear, navigating my care while at the same time maintaining a healthy balance of all things life, and communicating with my doctors. Does this make sense?

REPLY
@jlharsh

That’s the tough thing! While I do know some about the various things my doctors seem to agree on as symptoms that are part of a larger picture we are going down the path of addressing the next symptom. It just goes on and on. I do not think there is a magic bullet or diagnosis, or at least me understanding what it is. I think my challenges are with acceptance of the unknown/unclear, navigating my care while at the same time maintaining a healthy balance of all things life, and communicating with my doctors. Does this make sense?

Jump to this post

Yes, as frustrating as it is for you, it does make sense. Perhaps pick your major symptom and start there?

REPLY
Please sign in or register to post a reply.