I would argue reaching your eighth decade living in the United States free of chronic disease and pain, mentally and physically active, and happy is like winning the gold medal of life. It’s extraordinary especially when it is estimated that nearly 95% of Americans 65 and older have at least one chronic condition and nearly 80% have two or more. We are currently living in a time where life expectancy in the U.S. is in a steady decline.
You can’t have Lennon without McCartney or Jordan without Pippin or Jobs without Wozniak. Great leaders, rock stars, famous athletes and the brightest minds of our time all know one thing – you can’t achieve greatness on your own. If your goal is to win the “Centenarian Olympics," you need your own health care dream team. When it comes to healthspan you don't need the best functional medicine doctor in the country, you only need one doctor who will do these three fundamental things:
Runs functional labs annually, discusses your results and how to reach optimal levels Functional labs are the foundation of preventative medicine and healthspan. However, the majority of doctors are running the bare minimum because of 2 reasons: (1) they don't know how to read functional labs, or (2) they just don't have time to read them. Let's take thyroid testing as an example. Most practitioners are running a TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) test to check your thyroid function as part of your standard annual labs. Here's the problem: a TSH test shows only a small fraction of how the thyroid is or isn't functioning. To get a more complete picture, you need to run a panel of at least 5 other tests on top of TSH. This becomes a serious issue when you are experiencing vague symptoms like fatigue, weight gain or loss, and muscle weakness that could be contributed to thyroid dysfunction, but your doctor runs the one TSH test and says your "labs look normal." When you get your annual lab results back and they are in the green or normal range, you should not breathe a sigh of relief and think you're clear for a year. Here's what they're not telling you: lab result ranges are based on the average American. To put that in perspective, in a 2021 international study of 11 countries and their health outcomes, the U.S. ranked dead last. They don't test a bunch of triathletes from Australia and Norway (ranked 1 and 2 respectively in the previously mentioned study) and use their lab ranges as the standard. Nope, the ranges are getting further from optimal and less conducive to life at the exact same rate as the average American. Living a healthy, vibrant life well into your 80s requires you to be far better than average, you need to be optimal.
Listens, answers questions and works together with you to reach your health goals Medical gaslighting is the buzzword of the moment but it's real and happens all the time. We all know someone or have personally been in a situation where a provider dismisses or refuses to discuss your symptoms, constantly interrupts you, refuses to order lab work and imaging, is condescending or belittling, or doesn't provide referrals. Medical gaslighting can lead to misdiagnosis, unnecessary suffering and endless frustration, and costs lives. It's a serious problem in our medical system and doctors should be held accountable. How do you respond if you have been gaslighted? First, keep detailed records of the symptoms you've been experiencing for your most pressing issue including lab results and other information that would be helpful, and a list of prepared questions. In our current medical system, doctors are not given much time for each patient less than 10 minutes in most cases. You may have a good doctor, but they are probably overrun with work and their hands are tied. Try to make their job easier. If that doesn't work, and you still feel like you are being ignored, switch providers. That can be easier said than done but try to get an in-person referral from your current doctor or call your insurance for someone in-network. When searching for another provider, look for terms like functional/integrative medicine, a DO or ND rather than MD. A Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine or a Naturopathic Doctor do the same job and have similar schooling as MDs but offer a more holistic and comprehensive approach to care.
3. Searches for the root cause to your symptoms
I had a patient who was experiencing debilitating migraines. She was missing school, extracurricular activities and her bright, bubbly personality and joy for life dimmed. Before I saw her, her mother had taken her to a few doctors who didn't ask any questions and prescribed everything from a pain relievers, anticonvulsants and birth control to antidepressants and beta blockers. I asked her about her symptoms, diet, stress, sleep and menstrual cycle. Because her diet included multiple cups of coffee per day and she was experiencing a lot of stress, magnesium deficiency became the most likely possibility. I suggested getting a blood test for magnesium levels, immediately starting a magnesium supplement and recommended dietary changes. Within a couple days of taking magnesium through the supplement and including more magnesium-rich foods and reducing her caffeine intake, her migraines were completely gone, her personality returned, she was sleeping better, and her stress had noticeably diminished. This is a straight-forward example of finding the root cause. It's not always this easy and will often take some trial-and-error, research and investigation, but you will never be deficient in a prescription drug. Calley Means is often quoted, "If the fish tank is dirty, you clean the tank. You don't drug the fish."
It's not up to you to transform the worsening medical system, but you can start advocating for your health and your life by listening to your body, demanding to be heard and not settling for fast food health care. It's worth it to find a good doctor because the only one who suffers is you.
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