Lori Alexander 55: God Frowns Upon Lying, Lori

[refugee]

30 minutes ago, cara said:

What's a functional practitioner anyway? 

My understanding is that a functional practitioner takes into account lifestyle factors that may be underlying symptoms, instead of just writing a prescription for a drug to treat the symptoms, which we’ve seen all too much of over the past few years.

While it may be “woo”, alternative approaches are popular in part because of the failure of the medical “system” to deal with causes and not just effects.

How can the “system” practitioners make a real difference, when they’re limited to 10-15 minutes with a patient, and expected to see as many patients as possible in as short a time as possible?

We’ve known some good docs and PAs and nurses, but that was in spite of the “system” and not because of it.

[SongRed7]

37 minutes ago, cara said:

What's a functional practitioner anyway? 

A made-up title to make one look like an "expert" 

[refugee]

26 minutes ago, SongRed7 said:

A made-up title to make one look like an "expert" 

No, there are actual competent MDs who are going in for functional medicine now. In addition to drug treatment, they consider the impact of diet and exercise and allergic reactions and environmental sensitivities and stress. They don’t throw out all they learned in med school. They simply add some common sense to it. (“If you eat lots of sugar, you may very well feel crappy. Let’s see what happens if you cut your sugar intake for the next few weeks. What do you feel is doable?” And “nightshades are known to cause inflammation in some people. Why don’t you avoid tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers, and the other nightshades on this list for 30 days, and we’ll see if it has any impact on your arthritis. I’d like you to be able to cut down on the amount of Celebrex you’re using, to avoid the side effects.” Paraphrase of a conversation related by a friend who has found relief from a functional med MD where other MDs were just writing prescriptions for stronger and stronger painkillers. She put her foot down, when they started prescribing opioids, after she heard on the news about people dying after taking their prescribed doses.)

[klein_roeschen]

4 hours ago, Hisey said:

Alyssa is guest blogging about hypothyroidism today. I'm sorry, I don't mean to be mean, but she writes like she thinks she's a doctor. Her advice is questionable. Eliminate toxins? Like if your thyroid is ok, it's fine to have toxins in your body?

http://www.whatthefertility.com/the-thyroid-fertility-connection/

I have hypothyriodism and all of her advice didn't help. What is helping is taking my tiny tablet of L-Thyroxin every morning and getting my blood testet every 3 months and based on that getting the dosage adjustet. And I could scream every time I read this detox this, detox that crap. Your body is detoxing 24/7 by having a liver. And while glutenfree is really helpfull with Hashimoto, it isn't the devil. Btw, Lori's super healthy einkorn bread is full of gluten, because einkorn is a fancier weat.

 

[sleepy_doggos]

My understanding is that a functional practitioner takes into account lifestyle factors that may be underlying symptoms, instead of just writing a prescription for a drug to treat the symptoms, which we’ve seen all too much of over the past few years.

While it may be “woo”, alternative approaches are popular in part because of the failure of the medical “system” to deal with causes and not just effects.

This is what I understood after working for the functional medicine MD. She would also look at many body systems simultaneously to sleuth stubborn issues, while many specialized MDs only treat one system.

 

[Hisey]

14 minutes ago, refugee said:

No, there are actual competent MDs who are going in for functional medicine now. In addition to drug treatment, they consider the impact of diet and exercise and allergic reactions and environmental sensitivities and stress. They don’t throw out all they learned in med school. They simply add some common sense to it. (“If you eat lots of sugar, you may very well feel crappy. Let’s see what happens if you cut your sugar intake for the next few weeks. What do you feel is doable?” And “nightshades are known to cause inflammation in some people. Why don’t you avoid tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers, and the other nightshades on this list for 30 days, and we’ll see if it has any impact on your arthritis. I’d like you to be able to cut down on the amount of Celebrex you’re using, to avoid the side effects.” Paraphrase of a conversation related by a friend.)

My doctors have always asked me lifestyle questions. It is not rocket science that eating too much sugar can lead to feeling bad, obesity, etc. Of course they consider this! My doctors ahve also asked me whether I smoke, drink, how much, etc. Similarly, my kids' pediatricians always ask them about exercise, school, friends, etc. I don't think you need to carve out a whole new "profession" in order to do this.

It reminds me of "family systems therapists." This is a group that says they consider the client's whole family (current family, family of origin, etc) when treating someone's depression, anxiety, etc. What do they think other therapists do, talk about the weather? All good therapists consider family systems, it's nothing special.

9 minutes ago, sleepy_doggos said:

This is what I understood after working for the functional medicine MD. She would also look at many body systems simultaneously to sleuth stubborn issues, while many specialized MDs only treat one system.

 

Recently I went to the dermatologist. He did not just look at my skin. He asked me (in his questionarire) where I'd grown up, where I'd lived as an adult, my sunscreen use, diet, weight, my family history of skin cancer, my current meds, pregnancy history, whether I had ever smoked, and on and on.

He was a "specialized MD", for sure, but he didn't just focus on skin

20 minutes ago, klein_roeschen said:

I have hypothyriodism and all of her advice didn't help. What is helping is taking my tiny tablet of L-Thyroxin every morning and getting my blood testet every 3 months and based on that getting the dosage adjustet. And I could scream every time I read this detox this, detox that crap. Your body is detoxing 24/7 by having a liver. And while glutenfree is really helpfull with Hashimoto, it isn't the devil. Btw, Lori's super healthy einkorn bread is full of gluten, because einkorn is a fancier weat.

 

Reading Alyssa's post made me worried I have hypothyriodism. Can I ask what your symptoms were, and what the pill did?

[Hane]

One of the gals at my church threw a Cinco de Mayo lunch-cooking party and I attended because it sounded like fun. It turned out to be vegan, which I was OK with even though the actual recipes weren’t actually authentic—and also oil-free and salt-free. As I choked the food down, our hostess started going on and on about how great a vegan/no-salt/no-oil diet is for “leaky gut” and other fake conditions. I heroically kept my yap shut, then went out and got a donut for dessert.

[sleepy_doggos]

@hisey it's hard to explain in a short list everything that these doctors do differently than others, so it comes out more simply written. If I wrote down everything this MD did that was different than others I would get nothing done today. Not only that, some people's dermatologists or allergists or ENTs or neurologists may not act like yours did! That doesn't make seeking out other help not useful, it just means that your doctor was able to help you. Others may not have found the right doctor for them and have to seek something else.

I saw this doctor help many people who had seen every other doctor they could consider and not found the root of their problem. So ultimately YMMV, but it doesn't make it not useful because you don't need it.

 

ETA She also managed and prescribed medications. It just wasn't her first or only tool for treatment.

[Hisey]

10 minutes ago, sleepy_doggos said:

@hisey it's hard to explain in a short list everything that these doctors do differently than others, so it comes out more simply written. If I wrote down everything this MD did that was different than others I would get nothing done today. Not only that, some people's dermatologists or allergists or ENTs or neurologists may not act like yours did! That doesn't make seeking out other help not useful, it just means that your doctor was able to help you. Others may not have found the right doctor for them and have to seek something else.

I saw this doctor help many people who had seen every other doctor they could consider and not found the root of their problem. So ultimately YMMV, but it doesn't make it not useful because you don't need it.

 

ETA She also managed and prescribed medications. It just wasn't her first or only tool for treatment.

 

You haven't shared even one thing that a  "functional MD" does, but other doctors do not. Honestly functional Medicine sounds like a lot of woo to me. I see it's foremost practitioner believes vaccines cause autism. Not very impressive.

I've been going to lots of doctors recently (long story) and all of them have asked about my lifestyle and habits. It's part of the diagnostic process. Doctors know that lifestyle choices affect the body.

Would a doctor would treat lung cancer without asking about smoking? Would a gyno see a woman with a difficult pregnancy without asking about diet, smoking, drinking, vitamins, spousal abuse, job stress? 

OTOH, for those elusive diagnosis, it can be helpful to have a doctor/nurse/PA who is willing to spend extra time really delving into a patient's history. But you don't need any special training to do that.

[SilverBeach]

1 hour ago, refugee said:

they consider the impact of diet and exercise and allergic reactions and environmental sensitivities and stress.

My regular MDs do this. Any doctor who just writes a script without due diligence and interest in me as a whole person won't be my doctor for long.

[squiddysquid]

1 hour ago, refugee said:

No, there are actual competent MDs who are going in for functional medicine now. In addition to drug treatment, they consider the impact of diet and exercise and allergic reactions and environmental sensitivities and stress. They don’t throw out all they learned in med school. They simply add some common sense to it. (“If you eat lots of sugar, you may very well feel crappy.

Umm I don't know what quack "conventional" MD treated you but, yeah exercise, allergies, environmental factors and stress are all on every standard questionnaire. Same goes for the lots of sugar...

And yes we do primarily treat causes first, symptoms second.

Thyroid issues in expecting mums can cause horrible birth defects and of course it screws with your fertility too, so I hope she takes some standard meds as well.

[Loveday]

Alyssa Hustedt is not a doctor. Not an MD. If a doctor incorporates 'functional practitioner' stuff into their work, that's great (and it sounds to me like most decent doctors do that--my own doctor certainly does!). But the difference between them and Alyssa is that they're MDs and she's most definitely not. So she has absolutely no business treating someone's thyroid issues, in my opinion. A wonky thyroid is serious business.

And now that I've opined on the subject, I think I might bring up my own thyroid next time I see my doctor. I seem to be having some of the symptoms of hypothryoidism Alyssa mentioned, right down to the disappearance of the outer third of my eyebrows!   LOL

[livinglongerthanyou]

1 hour ago, klein_roeschen said:

I have hypothyriodism and all of her advice didn't help. What is helping is taking my tiny tablet of L-Thyroxin every morning and getting my blood testet every 3 months and based on that getting the dosage adjustet. And I could scream every time I read this detox this, detox that crap. Your body is detoxing 24/7 by having a liver. And while glutenfree is really helpfull with Hashimoto, it isn't the devil. Btw, Lori's super healthy einkorn bread is full of gluten, because einkorn is a fancier weat.

 

Agree.  Her advice is dangerous, particularly if you are hyperthyroid. This condition can lead to a life threatening condition called thyroid storm. Been there. Done that. Almost lost my life.

Hyperthyroidism/Graves disease almost always leads to a specific eye disease that can lead to permanent vision loss. 

[quiversR4hunting]

36 minutes ago, Loveday said:

Alyssa Hustedt is not a doctor. Not an MD

This needs to be repeated. ALYSSA is NOT A DOCTOR. 

37 minutes ago, Loveday said:

So she has absolutely no business treating someone's thyroid issues,

And the above needs to be repeated too.

BTW, I was sympathetic towards Alyssa and how she was raised and how Lori seems to throw her shade.  Now I'm giving Alyssa the side-eye with this bs she is peddling.  

[refugee]

1 hour ago, squiddysquid said:

Umm I don't know what quack "conventional" MD treated you but, yeah exercise, allergies, environmental factors and stress are all on every standard questionnaire. Same goes for the lots of sugar...

And yes we do primarily treat causes first, symptoms second.

Thyroid issues in expecting mums can cause horrible birth defects and of course it screws with your fertility too, so I hope she takes some standard meds as well.

The “quack” doctors I went to were the ones who were “in network” for our insurance plan. And we are among the lucky people who have a relatively decent plan even though the deductible is much higher than it was a few years ago. 

 

ETA: I don't know about my friend's medical plan, just her anecdotal experience. In our own personal experience, a relative had an amazing, dedicated, knowledgeable, caring oncologist who explored all kinds of lifestyle aspects of getting through chemo. I have dealt with two specialists over the last decade, one thoughtful and caring and the other a know-it-all jerk with no time for patient input ("just take this heavy-duty prescription painkiller and call me when you're ready for me to do your knee replacement"--I sought other advice, and so far, I still have my knees). The family doctors we've seen over the last two decades have changed from personable and caring to appearing to be harried and burned out. I don't know why. Maybe it has something to do with a change in the corporate structure of the clinics they worked for. Same thing, two different clinics (we changed insurance and had to change clinics at one point), both announced a change in management right about the time the practitioners went from caring to harried. I don't know why it changed. Wish I did. But I suspect it had something to do with a new profit mode that included seeing patients in 10-minute intervals and scheduling as many appointments as tightly as possible.)

If you have a "regular" doctor who asks you questions and talks to you longer than five or ten minutes in an appointment, I envy you. Some of us don't have the choice to go to a doctor like that.

[Hisey]

48 minutes ago, refugee said:

The “quack” doctors I went to were the ones who were “in network” for our insurance plan. And we are among the lucky people who have a relatively decent plan even though the deductible is much higher than it was a few years ago. 

 

ETA: I don't know about my friend's medical plan, just her anecdotal experience. In our own personal experience, a relative had an amazing, dedicated, knowledgeable, caring oncologist who explored all kinds of lifestyle aspects of getting through chemo. I have dealt with two specialists over the last decade, one thoughtful and caring and the other a know-it-all jerk with no time for patient input ("just take this heavy-duty prescription painkiller and call me when you're ready for me to do your knee replacement"--I sought other advice, and so far, I still have my knees). The family doctors we've seen over the last two decades have changed from personable and caring to appearing to be harried and burned out. I don't know why. Maybe it has something to do with a change in the corporate structure of the clinics they worked for. Same thing, two different clinics (we changed insurance and had to change clinics at one point), both announced a change in management right about the time the practitioners went from caring to harried. I don't know why it changed. Wish I did. But I suspect it had something to do with a new profit mode that included seeing patients in 10-minute intervals and scheduling as many appointments as tightly as possible.)

If you have a "regular" doctor who asks you questions and talks to you longer than five or ten minutes in an appointment, I envy you. Some of us don't have the choice to go to a doctor like that.

I think you just need to change doctors, refugee. Just because some doctors are impatient jerks doesn't mean that is the "standard practice" for MDs.

As far as Alyssa goes, she seems like a nice lady but. . . 

She is not a doctor.

She did not attend college.

She was "homeschooled" for three years of high school (the first three years). 

So after eighth grade, she had exactly one year of formal schooling. So her science knowledge is at the middle-school level.

[refugee]

1 hour ago, SilverBeach said:

My regular MDs do this. Any doctor who just writes a script without due diligence and interest in me as a whole person won't be my doctor for long.

Must be nice to have that choice. I don't mean to sound self-pitying. I haven't been able to find a general doctor "in network" yet. The specialists seem to be less pressed for time, though.

1 minute ago, Hisey said:

I think you just need to change doctors, refugee. Just because some doctors are impatient jerks doesn't mean that is the "standard practice" for MDs.

As far as Alyssa goes, she seems like a nice lady but. . . 

She is not a doctor.

She did not attend college.

She was "homeschooled" for three years of high school (the first three years). 

So after eighth grade, she had exactly one year of formal schooling. So her science knowledge is at the middle-school level.

I did change doctors, in the case of the "impatient jerk." Thankfully, I was able to find another in his specialty. I haven't been able to find a family doctor "in network" since the second clinic in our plan went to this run-em-through-as-fast-as-possible model, so I just haven't gone to the doctor in about five years. (The "knee replacement" guy was about ten years ago.) I think of our insurance as a safety net if we have a car accident or something.

[AlwaysDiscerning]

Priceless comment of the year.

[dairyfreelife]

I used to have an insurance plan that covered acupuncture and chiropractors. Doesn't make them proper doctors.

Agree with people saying it and I'm saying it again...Alyssa is NOT a doctor and I'm not sure she's even taken a college level course. She doesn't have a bachelor's degree, let alone medical school, so yeah, she needs to STFU about stuff she doesn't actually know or understand. 

[Hisey]

3 minutes ago, refugee said:

Must be nice to have that choice. I don't mean to sound self-pitying. I haven't been able to find a general doctor "in network" yet. The specialists seem to be less pressed for time, though.

It's very difficult. Our healthcare system is a mess. Primary care doctors are pushed to rush people through. I'm sorry you are going through this, but keep looking! I keep trying doctors till I find one I can work with.

Alyssa has posted more about her infertility. I feel bad for her even if she is posting weird stuff.

Quote

whatthefertility@alyssahustedt still here ?—2016 was probably one of the hardest years of my life. Every time I walked into a doctors office, I would literally break out in hives. After a hysteroscopy, pelvic MRI, an HSG (where I was told my tubes were blocked), uterine biopsy, and in this photo: a laparoscopy, cyst removal and D&C, and many initial appointments with fertility doctors to discuss IVF, my husband and I decided to “take a break”. IVF did not make very much sense for my situation at that time and the stress was becoming debilitating for me. I sank into a deep hole of depression and loneliness.

That same year, my husband and I joined a community group at our church and lo and behold, there were two other couples in our group who were struggling to conceive. (Both of which have miracle babies now—one thru IVF and the other via adoption ?). I started randomly meeting people everywhere I went who wanted to share their fertility struggles and/or fertility successes with me (without even mentioning that I was in thick of it!). Everywhere I went I felt like God was telling me that I wasn’t alone. And through these people—their stories and their vulnerability and their strength—hope began to grow in me again. 
_
Community is SO important, especially when navigating the unknown waters of infertility. Although each of our journeys will be vastly different, continue to share and encourage one another and remember that you are not alone ?

 

[sleepy_doggos]

  You haven't shared even one thing that a  "functional MD" does, but other doctors do not. Honestly functional Medicine sounds like a lot of woo to me. I see it's foremost practitioner believes vaccines cause autism. Not very impressive.

I've been going to lots of doctors recently (long story) and all of them have asked about my lifestyle and habits. It's part of the diagnostic process. Doctors know that lifestyle choices affect the body.

Would a doctor would treat lung cancer without asking about smoking? Would a gyno see a woman with a difficult pregnancy without asking about diet, smoking, drinking, vitamins, spousal abuse, job stress? 

OTOH, for those elusive diagnosis, it can be helpful to have a doctor/nurse/PA who is willing to spend extra time really delving into a patient's history. But you don't need any special training to do that.

 

Fine. She tested people for food allergies.

She managed supplements to help people get through cancer treatment with a better quality of life.

She tested 5 thyroid numbers and managed them, not the normal 1-2 for most MDs and endocrinologists.

She did blood tests checking inflammatory markers and genetic blood clotting factors to try to prevent blood clots, stroke, and future heart disease.

She made sure that people had optimal levels of important nutrients.

She helped people with stubborn weight loss, uncontrolled diabetes, or prediabetes.

She ordered bone density tests and helped people manage osteoporosis and osteopenia.

She helped people manage stress, fatigue, and burn out.

She helped manage migraines, including my mother's chronic ones, which are now down to a minimum.

Immune disease.

Mast cell syndrome.

Liver disease.

Rheumatoid arthritis.

Gastrointestinal disorders, like chrohn's, diverticulitis, or unexplained vomiting.

 ETA she also managed sex hormones and helped many a miserable woman go through menopause with more ease.

 

Most importantly, she listened to people who had been written off at every other place they had been. And yeah, people got better.

 

ETA I am NOT saying Alyssa is a doctor or even a good practitioner. It sounds like she is working out of scope of practice to me. I am just saying I cannot write off functional medicine altogether because of quacks like her when I have personally seen it help so many people..

 

 

[refugee]

1 minute ago, sleepy_doggos said:

Most importantly, she listened to people who had been written off at every other place they had been. And yeah, people got better.

Sounds a lot like the friend I mentioned upthread a little, when we were trading stories about our doctor woes. She was written off every other place, too. The functional MD was able to provide some relief that she hadn't found elsewhere. Of course, YMMV.

[refugee]

Y'know something funny in the health discussion? Someone said something about "Everybody knows sugar is bad for you!" But it's not true. There are some real trolls on My Fitness Pal who are fanatical about CICO (calories in, calories out). They trounce anyone who talks about cutting down on sugar the same way that mention of a chiropractor at FJ brings out the "woo" denunciations. "Sugar is a healthy part of everybody's diet!" they proclaim. Sounds a lot like those nutritional studies paid for by the mega corporations that produce corn syrup and such.

As for me, I learned by trial and error that eating sugary stuff makes me feel horrible. Most of the time, I avoid it because I know what the results will be. Sometimes I'll choose to eat it with full knowledge I'll feel crappy afterward. Such is life. At least I can still enjoy a piece of fruit whenever. Just not candy/ice cream/donuts/pastries/all that "good" stuff.

Others in my own family have such high metabolisms that sugar *is* a healthy part of their diet, apparently, and they appear to need a certain amount of empty calories just to keep the weight on. And it doesn't seem to have any physical impact on how they feel. I should have such a problem... sigh... I've always been in the "I just *look* at a brownie and gain 5 lbs." group of people.

[Sarah92]

One thing that was heavily emphasized in my counseling program was, you are not a doctor. We always ask about latest dr. Visit in our offices and I think it's great. Whenever giving health advice "I'm not a medical dr. but here's what I suggest you speak to your doctor about". Holistic health is very important. 

Ive met good and bad doctors. I finally got to get a wellness check for the first time in years and I heard my new dr. is excellent. She'll also be able to do my Pap smears which makes me happy because I was afraid I'd have to go to a guy. 

On that note my dad has a doctor who refused to even consider fibromyalgia as a real thing let along diagnosis my dad. My dad was just curious as he felt like he met a lot of criteria.  Also refused to look into medical marijuana (their town has a new  marijuana clinic) for my dad.  He'd much rather leave him on opiates that are affecting his physical and mental health. Wouldn't give him reasoning or anything. 

[sleepy_doggos]

The family doctors we've seen over the last two decades have changed from personable and caring to appearing to be harried and burned out. I don't know why. Maybe it has something to do with a change in the corporate structure of the clinics they worked for. Same thing, two different clinics (we changed insurance and had to change clinics at one point), both announced a change in management right about the time the practitioners went from caring to harried. I don't know why it changed. Wish I did. But I suspect it had something to do with a new profit mode that included seeing patients in 10-minute intervals and scheduling as many appointments as tightly as possible.)
If you have a "regular" doctor who asks you questions and talks to you longer than five or ten minutes in an appointment, I envy you. Some of us don't have the choice to go to a doctor like that.

I have heard from medical professionals that the profession changed when notes switched from paper to electronic. Electronic medical records make some things easier, but it basically has made doctors work for insurance companies in they way they have to document. This can cause long hours, less say in their own style of practice, and even burn out.