Physician

Thanks for the great question! I always considered myself to be fairly healthy, but the reality is it was not until I got sick a few years ago that I really got the wake-up call. The gluten-free diet was a part of my whole "transformation", which has included a transition to a non-processed, primarily plant-based diet, much of which I (try) to grow myself! It has also given me a real appreciation for the amazing healing capacity of our bodies and spirits, as well a much better appreciation of what my limits truly are. While I still try to push through those limits, I'm much more accepting of my boundaries than ever before. I wrote a little about my dietary changes here: http://www.morrisonhealth.com/blog/health/dr-attais-gluten-free-diet . I also feel that what I've gone through personally has made me a much better physician; dealing with illness and recovery as a patient has taught me things that medical school and 16 years of clinical practice did not even touch! Thanks for the great question! I always considered myself to be fairly healthy, but the reality is it was not until I got sick a few years ago that I really got the wake-up call. The gluten-free diet was a part of my whole "transformation", which has included a transition to a non-processed, primarily plant-based diet, much of which I (try) to grow myself! It has also given me a real appreciation for the amazing healing capacity of our bodies and spirits, as well a much better appreciation of what my limits truly are. While I still try to push through those limits, I'm much more accepting of my boundaries than ever before. I wrote a little about my dietary changes here: http://www.morrisonhealth.com/blog/health/dr-attais-gluten-free-diet . I also feel that what I've gone through personally has made me a much better physician; dealing with illness and recovery as a patient has taught me things that medical school and 16 years of clinical practice did not even touch!

In my new book, one physician I interviewed recommended asking one physician whom you trust and feel confident in for a referral . He said that good doctors know other doctors like themselves.
Call a doctor's office who you trust and like and ask the doctor's nurse there who she/he sees.
Ask friends and colleagues who they see and like.
Call or go to your closest hospital ER. Ask the primary nurses there (RNs) and ask who they think are good doctors. They see who actually visits patients in the hospital, who responds to pages, and who care about their patients.
You can go to the AMA website and seek out doctors you are interested in. It is better if a doctor is board certified in his or her specialty.
Good luck!

That's not as difficult as you may think. All the licensing groups have lists on their website by geographic locations. We actually guide you to it from our LINKS section. If you go to annieappleseedproject.org and click on LINKS (right side button), then scroll to Professional Referral Network, you'll see a page with all types of practitioners' organizations.

Seeking acupuncture, homeopathy, naturopathy, yoga, etc. All there.

Of course it also depends where you live - remote or rural, less likely o find someone.

PreparedPatient your answer was excellent advice, and I think the article is a very helpful resource. I'd add that as physicians, we're used to hearing personal, intimate and embarrassing information - if you can't ask your doctor, who can you ask? We're here to give support and advice, not to judge. It's important to get answers to your questions. And I agree - if you don't feel comfortable opening up to your doctor, it's probably time to find a new one! It can be hard to talk to doctors about our symptoms if they’re embarrassing or deeply personal, if they are about sexual activities or concerns, or if you fear you may be judged or criticized. But doctors deal with intimate personal information all the time. Whatever your problem is, the doctor has probably seen or heard it before. If you really can’t talk to your doctor about your problem, it’s probably time to think about finding a new doctor who you can trust.

For more advice about talking to your providers about symptoms, see our full-length feature article: http://www.cfah.org/hbns/preparedpatient/Vol3/Prepared-Patient-Vol3-Issue8.cfm

Be clear and persistent! A recent report in the New England Journal of Medicine found numerous studies showing that doctors often downgrade the severity of patients' self-reported symptoms, particularly when it comes to medication side effects. This is case when keeping a symptom diary can come in handy—specific data can help both you and your health care team.

For more advice about talking to your providers about symptoms, see our full-length feature article: http://www.cfah.org/hbns/preparedpatient/Vol3/Prepared-Patient-Vol3-Issue8.cfm
There are a couople of things I might add to this, having been a nurse.

1. Ask yourself how you will know when the doctor IS taking your symptoms seriously. What will you see or experience when that happens? Are you concerned you aren't getting proper treatment or enough treatment, or are you wishing for some compassion and emotional support from your doctor? Expect that you may not get 100% relief from all of your symptoms all of the time, but don't suffer in silence because you fear your doctor's wrath if you tell him about that pain or nausea again.

2. Doctors and nurses have a hard time quantifying how much a symptom is affecting a patient. That's why there is a scale for pain, for example, that runs from 0 to 10. Health Care professionals use this to try to create a level playing ground on which to communicate. Be as descriptive of the symptoms as you can be and let the health care professional know how the symptom is impacting you. "The pain is so bad I can't cook dinner for my family." "I'm so dizzy I can't walk down the hall when I need to urinate." These sorts of descriptions will let the professional know that it isn't just an annoyance, it's impairing your ability to function.

3. Not every symptom is related to what the health care professional may be treating you for. Sadly, our medical system is structured into silos; oncology, family medicine, internal medicine, gastro-intestinal, proctology... you get the idea. Specializations are great from the standpoint of getting expert care, but they don't help when patients have symptoms that might be outside a treating specialist's area. In cases like this you may need to ask, "Do you think this is related to what you are treating me for, or do I need to see a different sort of doctor?"

4. When people become anxious (which many people experiencing cancer diagnosis and treatment often times can), they may become hypersenstitive to what the body and mind tell them is going on. This is a natural effect of the fight/flight response that can be triggered by an accumulation of stress. Not to say that you don't experience the symptoms, but they may not be an indicator to the doctor of an urgent problem that needs to be treated. It might also be that treating a particular symptom might interfere with other treatment that is more urgent. Tell the doctor about your symptoms and then tell him what you just understood his response to be. Then ask if together you should alter the care you are receiving.

"Doctor, I feel pressure and pain at about an 8, especially when lifting. It's making it difficult to pick something up and move it."

"Well, I don't think that's anything to be concerned about. You should be resting. I'll see you next week."

"Doctor, I understand that you don't feel it's anything to be concerned about, but I brought it up because I AM concerned. Now, do you think there is some way we can decrease the pain without interfering with my treatment? I'd really like to be able to do as much as I can around the house. It helps me to feel normal."

5. Doctors, like any other experts, sometimes forget that their patients don't have the same level of knowledge about their conditions and need to be clued in to what they can expect and what may be "normal" symptoms/side-effects that are experienced during treatment. Keep asking and consider approaching other health professionals until you get an answer that puts your mind at ease. But be careful you don't end up doctor shopping until someone gives you a prescription. "Too many cooks spoils the broth." All your health care providers need to be aware of your medications and other treating physicians so that they don't end up over medicating you or prescribing treatment that is contra-indicated for another health problem.

This is a tough one, as the question sounds like "How do I challenge my physician's choices in my care?" The best way to address this is to speak with your physician directly and explain that you are interested in low-cost, or lower-cost forms of care. Before the discussion, however, do some research on your treatments, on other treatments, and on the cost-benefit of each. Ultimately this is a matter of trusting your doc, and if there is ever any question or insecurity you might want to start shopping for another doc or another provider organization. Good luck! This is a tough one, as the question sounds like "How do I challenge my physician's choices in my care?" The best way to address this is to speak with your physician directly and explain that you are interested in low-cost, or lower-cost forms of care. Before the discussion, however, do some research on your treatments, on other treatments, and on the cost-benefit of each. Ultimately this is a matter of trusting your doc, and if there is ever any question or insecurity you might want to start shopping for another doc or another provider organization. Good luck!