Why I Love My Doctor

[Jason Donaldson]

My primary care physician is a DO, not an MD, and he's fully supportive of my strength training, as well as my TRT. I had my annual physical today, and was once again reminded why I've kept him for over ten years.

I was discussing with him how I'm currently working on dealing with some weirdness in one shoulder, not so much to get advice from him as to see if he suggested any referrals, in case I need them later. He was more in favor of a trainer or coach than a PT, and when I described the community on this forum, his immediate response was, "I definitely think you'd be way better off with them than a PT. You need to hear from experience, not a PT."

He was also genuinely excited about the copy of The Barbell Prescription I brought him.

However rare, there are good ones out there.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Yeah, there are 5 or 6.

[Alexander Dargatz]

Good doctors are hard to find indeed.
I have had enough "interesting" experiences to stay away from them for chronic stuff, only for emergencies.

I was lucky to find one to help me during the Covid crisis by attesting that I can't be vaccinated (until it's proven I'm not allergic..), otherwise I might have lost my job. I found a few resisting the federal coercion. Unfortunately, that does not mean they're good doctors in other regards, but I'd still rather go to one of them than the rest of the puppets.

[DaveJF]

Jason, are you aware of a way to find a good DO other than a general search engine query? If I can ask, how'd you find this guy?


Guessing probably word of mouth but I'm old and cranky and hate talking to people.

[Jason Donaldson]

Jason, are you aware of a way to find a good DO other than a general search engine query? If I can ask, how'd you find this guy?


Guessing probably word of mouth but I'm old and cranky and hate talking to people.

I'm sorry, I wish I could tell you, Dave - in my case, it was basically just dumb luck. About ten years ago, I was looking to find a primary care physician and saw who was available through my insurance for appointments. I saw that this guy was a DO instead of an MD, and looked into what that meant - when I saw that a DO had some additional course work in osteopathy, and saw what that was about, I was intrigued, and picked him as a result. This was actually a couple of years before I started training, in fact.

You're not in the upper midwest, are you?

[Will Morris]

Your best bet is to find individuals in your local area that have similar interests and values and have them recommend a provider they use that appreciates their values as patients. Of course, if you find a provider who does not appreciate your values as a patient, you can always gently remind them that your values are one of the three pillars of evidence based medicine and you can see how fast they assume a non-EBM stance in their practice.

In practice, if you can't find a group that can give you a strong recommendation, then you should use your first appointment with any provider as a sort of interview process. If that provider does not meet the requirements, the next routine appointment you have, make sure you have switched your primary care provider with your insurance. It is a bit of a hassle, but, it's no different than shopping for a used car. You don't have to buy the first one you test drive.

[DaveJF]

I'm sorry, I wish I could tell you, Dave - in my case, it was basically just dumb luck. About ten years ago, I was looking to find a primary care physician and saw who was available through my insurance for appointments. I saw that this guy was a DO instead of an MD, and looked into what that meant - when I saw that a DO had some additional course work in osteopathy, and saw what that was about, I was intrigued, and picked him as a result. This was actually a couple of years before I started training, in fact.

You're not in the upper midwest, are you?

I'm a bit north of the Mpls/St Paul metro area.

Reason I asked is b/c I've read that DO's will in general consider a broader range of treatment options and may not be as beholden to PPO's and such, so might be someone decent to bounce ideas off of. Or as in your case might be able to make more open-minded recommendations and/or referrals if needed. At least for right now it would just be someone to get periodic check-ups with that I could also use as a consultant if something serious comes up.

Your best bet is to find individuals in your local area that have similar interests and values and have them recommend a provider they use that appreciates their values as patients. Of course, if you find a provider who does not appreciate your values as a patient, you can always gently remind them that your values are one of the three pillars of evidence based medicine and you can see how fast they assume a non-EBM stance in their practice.

In practice, if you can't find a group that can give you a strong recommendation, then you should use your first appointment with any provider as a sort of interview process. If that provider does not meet the requirements, the next routine appointment you have, make sure you have switched your primary care provider with your insurance. It is a bit of a hassle, but, it's no different than shopping for a used car. You don't have to buy the first one you test drive.

Thanks Will, I will keep that in mind.

[Jason Donaldson]

I'm a bit north of the Mpls/St Paul metro area.

Ah, too far from here to recommend mine, then.

Reason I asked is b/c I've read that DO's will in general consider a broader range of treatment options and may not be as beholden to PPO's and such, so might be someone decent to bounce ideas off of. Or as in your case might be able to make more open-minded recommendations and/or referrals if needed. At least for right now it would just be someone to get periodic check-ups with that I could also use as a consultant if something serious comes up.

Mine is still an employee of a large organization, so I don't know that his degree changes anything there. He's the only DO with whom I've had experience, so I don't know how much to ascribe to him, how much to his field, and how much is my taking charge of my health and the working relationship. Of course, working all three angles to the extent possible is probably the way to go.

I do think it makes sense to have an established PCP on the books for when you need to interface with the overall system.

[Will Morris]

That used to be the case for DOs, but the osteopathic practice is slowly evaporating from the practice patterns of trained DOs. More and more, DOs are referring to themselves as Faux-Does meaning that they are DOs, but in essence, see themselves as MDs. They are leaving the osteopathic practice as soon as they complete their program. So, it is becoming far more likely that you will see a blurred, or even indiscernible difference, between the practice of a DO vs an MD.

[Satch12879]

I just had an absolutely shitty physical at my parents' G.P.. The nurse practitioner who examined me offered the usual bullshit diet/cholesterol advice (no fatty foods, no red meat), weight/BMI chiding (I'm 207 at 5'-10"), and the obligatory "did your clinic physician explain the risks of increased prostate cancer with testosterone supplementation?"

And before you ask, the only reason I went was for a separate medical issue that's developed over the past couple of months which was the reason I went in in the first place. But of course, they have to get you when you tell them you haven't had a physical in longer than you can remember.

Also, the nurse/aide that took my information and did the EKG was so awkward and seemingly dimwitted that I wanted nothing to do with the practice. I have no intention of going to the follow-up.

Jason, can you ask your DO if he's got any half-way not stupid colleagues in New Jersey?