Three Things To Think About When Choosing Your (Next) Doctor
After over three years of dealing with a pregnant-looking belly more days than not (accompanied by a wide range of flat-out not fun symptoms that began building on as time went by), and over three years of working with a variety of different doctors, ranging from conventional ones to integrative ones, I knew I needed to be very, very picky when selecting who I would work with next. What a run on sentence. Woof. No more, I promise.
Integrative/ holistic routes are EXPENSIVE, and I’ve paid stacks of dolla-dolla-bills out of pocket thus far for appointments, supplements, and keeping up with the lifestyle recommendations (sesame oil for abhyanga ain’t cheap!). I’m sure many of you have, too. In addition to the money, much time has also been spent… I began sounding like a broken record to my friends trying to plan dinner dates and brunches, “I just can’t go out with you guys for another month, but once I’m healed, count me in!” Over, and over, and over again I said this. While at first I was beyond motivated to heal, the days, months, and years that went by started stamping on my positive spirit.
I’ve spoken with many people who follow me who have been in the same boat, jumping from doctor to doctor and spending all their money to find answers. Tired, frustrated, hopeless, broke. It gets old. As much as I’ve loved learning about the body, the gut, and health through each person who has been a part of my healing process, I wanted this next jump to be my last jump.
I knew western medicine doctors just weren’t an option for me (if you’ve been following my story, you know my beef with conventional medicine. If you haven’t, you can watch this). With that said, I had been very quick to sign up for the next functional and/or integrative doctor I came across. While all great in their own ways, I still wasn’t getting better.
Around the third/ third and a half year of my journey, I had become fascinated by Ayurveda. Everything about it made so much sense to me (go check it out!). When I came across Dr. Stephen Cabral and saw that he incorporates Ayurveda into his naturopathic practice, I had a strong instinct telling me that I should work with him. Still, I did my research. I listened to podcasts of his, I channeled my younger, Harriet-The-Spy-loving self to thoroughly investigate his beliefs and approaches to “treatment,” and inquired if the practice has worked with similar cases like mine in the past — needless to say, they’ve dealt with many. I was on board. #TeamCabral
Finding him wasn’t a quick Google search this time around. I had decided to slow down and make a smart next move for myself. The good news? It worked out for me. Tremendously. So, if you’re currently trying to choose a doctor, here’s the advice I have for you! *If you're short on time, jump straight to "values." I believe that is the most important!
Credentials
Anyone on Instagram can be a nutritionist or doctor now, so it seems. Everyone’s out there preaching their health beliefs, many of which don’t really have the credentials to back up what they’re saying. (I do believe in speaking from experience, which is why I’ll post about things I feel are really working for me, but I’m not here telling you I’m a doctor, either.) Before choosing a doctor/nutritionist/practitioner, make sure you can assure that he/she is, in fact, the title his/she is claiming. Is he/she just spitting things out into a newsfeed hoping you won’t background check? 3,000 likes on a post doesn’t mean this person should be your healthcare provider. It sounds silly to have to say it, but knowing the influence social media has on people, I may as well.
So, check out where he/she studied and the degrees he/she has earned. See what research they’ve been a part of and who their mentors were. You want this person to have taken the steps needed to get where he/she is very seriously to ensure they are passing on the best knowledge and guidance that they can possibly offer to you. Knowing his/her credentials is a starting point to help you build a picture of who he/she is. Questions to consider here include:
Where did the doctor study?
What exams did he/she pass?
What additional certifications does he/she hold?
Beyond his/her practice, what work does he/she involve himself/herself in (summits, public discussions/guest speaking, blogs, podcasts, books, interviews, etc.)?
Who were my doctor’s mentors and biggest influences?
How many years of practice do I want my doctor to have under his/her belt?
How many patients has he/she treated thus far?
And again, dodge the #instadocs.
Affordability
It’s no secret that going an alternative medicine route is most likely not going to be covered by insurance, and therefore, well, it’s covered by you. This puts us all in a really tough position. Am I willing to spend this amount of money when I have other living expenses? When you realize the costs add up to and/or beyond a flight to Europe, I get that you might stall. I have stalled many times. But what it comes down to is this: Are you willing to make an investment for your health? To get answers. To have a plan. To one day finally feel better. To one day finally feel alive again. To me, that’s worth it.
Unfortunately, you can’t make money appear from thin air, so I completely get that you’ll still need to make choices: which doctor, how many appointments, which tests... My advice here is to find the doctor you REALLY think will help you (after much, much, much research), and go all in. Babystepping around higher-cost solutions, I ended up spending so much more money (and time) than necessary in the long run. Granted, I truly believe everything happens for a reason, and the people I worked with each taught me something and helped me in some way, but let’s be honest… you want to heal stat. If you get stuck jumping from doctor to doctor, you’ll just be continually put on new supplement protocols and eating protocols that are very expensive, especially when keeping up with them for approximately 3-4 months each. If you’re thinking that that must mean your cheat meal donut went from being 4 months away to an unknown amount of time away, you’re correct. (Side note: don’t worry, my doctor’s protocol allowed 1 cheat meal every week after the first 21 days, so… donuts.)
Depending on the doctor or on how many tests you opt in to take, you may only get partial answers. Find the right doctor who can get you to those answers and get you to the right protocol. He/she may come at a higher cost, but trust me, you want the knowledge and experience he/she has. When it comes to the tests, do them all (as long as you can somehow manage it… a few less few splurges on Nikes, more dinners cooked at home, one less vacation…). Seriously, please. I wish someone had told me that. Get all the data, all the information, everything you need to get a whole, well-rounded picture of your health right up front. When the time comes to buy the supplements, don’t back out... you came this far right? You found the right person to lead your care. You took all the tests. Don’t flake out on the supplements. An investment in health made now is the greatest thing you may ever do for your future self. Here are some questions to help you determine affordability:
- How long is the predicted time that I’d need to be taking the supplements and working with this doctor to heal my body?
- What will the total amount of expenses be (approximately)?
- How long will this take me to pay off (realistically)?
- Are there ways for me to save money (buying supplements in bulk, working with him/her for a committed duration of months, working with a health coach that works with the doctor rather than him/her directly, etc.)?
- Do the long-term benefits outweigh the short-term costs?
Values
The most important, so the longest. Over the course of my journey, I began to really understand myself. Values about health that I never once held are now some of the things I care about most deeply. My journey led me to realize that solutions for healing are not one-size fits all—individuals need individual plans. Holistic approaches consider that. Ayurveda, especially, with the different doshas and different ways to balance those doshas. Ayurvedic beliefs became a part of my values.
After being paleo for so long with my holistic nutritionist, I began to realize that I do not like consuming meat in large amounts and multiple times a day, opening my eyes to the fact that I wanted someone who could be more open-minded when it came to eating. At the same time, I wanted someone who would recommend a plan that was right for me and my symptoms, not a plan that his/she himself/herself followed. Just because your practitioner is paleo, you don’t need to be paleo, for example. (She wasn’t wrong in that approach, by the way. Many people go paleo to treat SIBO and Candida, so I’m not saying that. But I knew all that meat was dragging me down.) Again, this goes back to the individualization.
I also knew I wanted someone who was both experienced in medicine (credentials!), as well as experienced in what I was directly facing. The holistic nutritionist I worked with had had the parasite type I had (my only diagnosis at the time), and working with her was so comforting because she was able to relate to all my struggles and frustrations. Find someone who has been through what you’ve been and then decided to go into practice. Many get into the field after a personal experience with something that put them through hell. It is 10,000 times easier when you guys share a similar story, because they are able to relate and sympathize with you. They also bring so much passion to that area work that you’ll feel meal confident in their guidance. Say you find an awesome integrative doctor, but she specializes in chronic thyroid issues, while you’re suffering from bacterial overgrowth. While she may have experience in both, she may not. You should find out
Naturally, all of these values led me away from western medicine, so that made the choice between the two easy for me. Besides, I learned that natural practices used in eastern medicine were exponentially healthier and more effective than what western medicine treats with. I hope you learn that, too.
Take a second to think about your values, and then find someone who can align with them. Here are some questions to help you discover what your values may be from a healthcare standpoint:
- Am I looking for someone who specializes in what I may specifically be facing, or do I want someone who works with a large variety of case? (Narrow scope vs wide scope of practice)
Do I want my doctor to have faced similar symptoms in their life/ have a similar backstory?
Do I want a doctor who addresses disease or dis-ease?
Do I want a doctor who will mask my symptoms or who will identify and heal the underlying causes?
Do I care about my doctor’s eating ethics? If so, what ethics do I want them to follow? Paleo? Keto? Vegan? Vegetarian? Flexitarian? Whole-food based?
Do I care about my doctor’s treatment philosophies? If so, what do I want those philosophies to reflect?
How long will the appointments be, especially the consultation? Do I want a doctor who will give me the time to explain and take the time to understand my health history (prior) and signs of progress and obstacles (during)?
What type of plan do I want my doctor to be able to put together for me? Supplements only? Nutrition, too? What about a lifestyle routine?
What type of approach do I want my doctor to be taking? Western medicine or Eastern medicine? Functional? Integrative?
Do I want a doctor who would prescribe only herbal remedies or do I want a doctor who provides prescriptions? Maybe a mix of both?
What type of support is offered when I’m not in an appointment but I have a question?
Your personal values should come together and create a high standard that you hold in your search, and you should not settle for less. Your health is invaluable, and your standards should reflect that.
Picking a doctor can be overwhelming and oftentimes scary, considering the investment. If it’s your first time around, it can be hard to know what to look for. If it is the third or fourth doctor your seeking help from, skepticism may be taking over and causing you to hesitate. I’ve been there and I hope this helps!
What has been on your mind when trying to choose a doctor? What are you specifically looking for? Let me know in the comments!
If you need help in finding a doctor, feel free to comment asking for help or shoot me an email—I’d love to talk more about my experience in the search and help your find the one for you, too.
