First the good:
He…read morewill spend a lot of time with you. As a new fan of electronic medical records has a long checklist, that he enters into the computer. It is thorough, and he never felt rushed. His staff is wonderful, and the OLD building actually has natural light.
I liked him as a person, and know his personality is suited for extreme or difficult cases. If you are 300 lbs, can't get out of bed, brain fog and blood sugar swings, and have many OBVIOUS signs of extreme hypothyroidism, you will probably get help from him.
For me he was quick to "prove" a previous MD's diagnosis of Adrenal Fatigue was wrong. (But it was +12 months prior, and I had been working hard at getting to bed, eating lots of red meat, and all the other Adrenal helpers.) He spent 45 minutes with me, although the progress was slowed by his need to enter data into the system. I'd guess it was a "productive" 25 minutes. (And he was unable or unwilling to scan the docs I brought into the system.)
If you are an "A" type personality, reaching the age of 40, or a little beyond, and you can't get out of bed, can't focus, or become mentally exhausted after work that you normally loved, read the links listed below.
{Caveat: Don't suggest herbs or other low cost solutions, he prefers old school methods, but be forewarned you should research the initial reasons those drugs were developed and what the long-term negatives are for being on meds for +10 years. I did my research, after experiencing nausea taking Synthroid, and found desicated thyroid is a CHEAPER, better option. After 2 months on it, I'm about 95% me. Woop, woop!
More info: http://thyroid.about.com/b/2009/01/27/the-desiccated-thyroid-controversy-why-endocrinologists-dont-like-armour-thyroid.htm)
Now the bad:
I fell within the 30% of the population that is NOT within 1 St Dev from the mean/average. While my blood work did show some distortion (elevated cholesterol, low Thyroid hormones, no DHEA, etc.), but it wasn't BAD ENOUGH for him to be interested that I'd gained 40 lbs in a year, couldn't focus, and had nearly every symptom in the Hypothyroid checklist.
{For those who really want to learn why the standard tests don't work, read this: http://www.nahypothyroidism.org/deiodinases/}
Yes, I brought in sheets of online tests, just so I wouldn't forget anything. Lord knows my memory was shot, thanks to low thyroid hormones. And, I even brought in my DNA genome which included all the Vit B related defects contributing to hormonal disregulation. (And I mentioned I was a vegetarian for 30 years, which should have been a big warning to him that I likely faced long term nutritional imbalances. But I digress.) When presented with these documents, he scoffed and stated "We have an electronic system. I can't use those." So, that means the additional information, which is leading edge, isn't good enough for your system?
He recommended that I come back in 6 months for more tests. Ummm... so you want to monitor my decline? Sorry, I do want to live like a zombie until you decide I'm "bad enough" for treatment. I'm "bad enough" now.
So, for those who KNOW there is something wrong, and your MDs are ignoring you, I recommend that you go to ONE MEDICAL and get to work with a naturopath + MD combo. This will give you the insurance coverage for the detailed tests, and a softer approach to fixing your body's hormones. I've spent $500 of my own money on appointments and supplements, but couldn't be happier.
Finally, I have a doctor who listened to me. She believed me, when I said something is seriously wrong. I will admit that it took two months of seriously ramping up the thyroid med (I doubled the dosage every week for the first month, then held steady as my brain and body were starting to benefit.)
YOU NEED TO TAKE OWNERSHIP OF YOUR HEALTH.
FAT WITH BRAIN FOG? Try Dr Ohhira's professional probiotics. These were the KEY to clearing my brain fog. (5 in the morning 1 hour before breakfast, and 5 before bed for a week, then take 2 before bed every night for a month, then just one.)
HAVE YOU HAD FERTILITY ISSUES? Fertility issues on the female side of your family? AD, MS, ALS, PD, or any neuro issues in your family? Get your DNA tested @23andme and you can discover how to support your thyroid with better nutrition and specific supplements that work for your PERSONAL genes. (Google STTM, too.)
Genetic Genie and Nutrahacker sites can help you see how to help yourself (and your children/family).
So why 3 stars? I think he would be a good MD for "someone near average" in their Hashimoto's disease.
Update: After slight improvements, with my Functional MD, I still felt something wrong. She ordered a "micronutrient test" which clearly showed extremely low intracellular VIT B12 (2 StDev below), despite eating liver weekly.
I'm taking HCL/Pepsin w/each meal. It is working! I also took a DUTCH hormone TEST which illuminated why I can't loose weight! Excess Estrogen & Cortisol=CIrcadian Issues.
