Who Even Needs a Doctor These Days?

Let me start by saying that EVERYONE needs a doctor. 

Now that we are clear on my stance, let's think this through. 

The present health and fitness industry is oversaturated with coaches partaking in a pissing war with prospective client results getting caught in the crossfire. 

Scrolling through my feed, I make an effort to unfollow health and fitness coaches who exhibit the following behaviors:

• Playing the game of who sounds smarter / more polarizing. 

• Blind conformity to echoing the posts of other coaches for the sake of superficial credibility without taking the time to investigate the validity of a claim and how it pertains to delivering better services to their clients. 

• Spending more time nurturing an image on social media than in the service itself. 

• Scaring clients away from seeing a general practitioner on a regular basis. 

• Labelling themselves as "hormone specialists" without a credible, legally regulated certification / license to do so.

The only doctor most people see these days are random ones at a walk in clinic when they want a suspicious rash looked at. This renders continuity of care impossible without establishing a long term relationship / rapport with a general practitioner. Why is this the case? 

Not unlike the health and fitness industry, there is plenty of opportunity for growth in the western medicine industry. 

In most primary care settings, doctors only get 15-30 minutes at a time with patients for an appointment. The patient load they are subjected to is abhorrent. 

The standards of traditional western medicine are lower in regards to what renders one “healthy”. 

The reference range you see when you get your blood work drawn as to what is “normal” or “healthy”, is based on population average; not necessarily what may be optimal for YOU. 

There is an emergence of practitioners who do, in fact, expand their knowledge-base with the current times in hearing you out if something doesn't feel right despite your bloodwork reading "normal".

How can we find a middle ground?

The Role of Western Medicine:

Western medicine’s job is to help you gauge how close you are to the red zone of health which warrants a hospital stay. A doctor will take into account the controllable and uncontrollable determinants of health in your history when giving medical advice or prescribing a medication. 

A general practitioner is also meant to serve as your referral highway. If there is a respective issue you are having that falls out of the scope of a GP’s knowledge base, they are duty-bound to refer out or to consult with a specialist on a case. They will keep on file information collected regarding the course of treatments/outcomes/recommendations from the specialists collaborated with for the sake of continuity of care.    

As a patient, it is important to understand that bloodwork is interpreted differently through the respective specialty lens of each health professional. 

What one practitioner may deem as “normal” may be seen as “not ideal” by another. 

How can you, the patient/client know what is ideal for you and which professional to seek help for a respective issue?

Assemble Your Health A-Team:

Find yourself the right General Practitioner, Functional Practitioner, PT & Wellness / lifestyle coach, and other respective specialists to address your unique comorbidities.

You may have to kiss a few frogs before you find the right practitioners. Be patient. You CAN seek out multiple opinions. Any health professional worth their salt should not get emotionally butt-hurt by your due diligence. This is YOUR health. 

You will want players who know how to use two ears and one mouth on your team. 

Seek out health professionals who are open to collaborating with other members on your team. This optimizes the flow of continuity of your care and reduces the probability of an adverse outcome. 

A top performing health professional is always keeping up to date on the science of their craft in keeping the tools in their toolbox sharp. 

A beneficent health professional will remain skeptical to bold claims you will happen across in the abyss of the misinformation infested waters of the interwebs. You should feel comfortable with bringing these claims to members of your team to clear the daily drops of shit claims that obstruct your field of vision.  

A humble practitioner swallows their pride if you ask questions or seek clarity on a given medical, training or nutritional intervention prescribed to you. 

Take ownership in actively being a part of the team:

The patient / client is at the CENTER of the interprofessional collaborative model. Act like it. 

Take notes at your doctor’s appointments. Remain informed on what medications you are on and why. I cringe every time I take care of a patient in the hospital who hasn’t the faintest idea nor interest in why one would put a pill in the body and its resulting effects.

Just like any relationship, your working relationships with your healthcare team members require communication to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Get curious about what is working for your body, what isn’t and WHY. 

Always take blood work results with a grain of salt. If you’re in a symptomatic state of disequilibrium, despite your lab readings falling in the “population average” range, keep digging into the ‘why’. Be patient with the process on your quest to understand your body. 

Keep some form of record of your symptoms in response to a newly manipulated variable / health intervention (ie a calorie deficit, an increase in carbs, being put on hormone therapy, being put on a new medication/supplement, etc). 

The more data you collect, the more information a health professional has to work with to find you an answer.  

Be assertive in vetoing and vocalizing what health interventions feel right for you as well as what does not. A health professional is there to educate you on your options, you make the final call.

When in doubt, verify where the scope of practice starts and ends for every professional on your team. 

Use your gut when a solution is being suggested. Do you think this health professional would suggest that intervention if it were for themselves or a loved one?  

On the other hand, if you fully trust your health professional and they are suggesting an intervention SLIGHTLY outside of your comfort zone, ensure you give it a solid try as well.

Don’t knock it until you try it. 

When in doubt, play the “worst case scenario game”. Worst case, an intervention doesn’t work and you try something else. 

Closing Thoughts: 

The health and wellness space is a spicy game of Russian Roulette. Play responsibly. Understand that the science of health truly isn’t black and white. 

Coaches aren’t doctors. 

Western medicine isn’t the devil. 

Use your brain. 

You, the patient / client are not to blindly follow orders without questions asked. 

I have taken care of patients who changed the entire course of their treatment when they become an active part of the interprofessional collaborative process.

Remain optimistically skeptical. 

Take ownership in being an active participant in the joint effort that is YOUR health project.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

Until next time.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Nurse / Wellness Coach,

Dev