Finding the "right" doctor

[Bestafter60]

I'm looking for help finding a doctor who believes in strength training and pushing the limits. I want someone who can advise/prescribe chemistry as needed. About 2 years ago my wife went to an orthopedic surgeon because of some cracking/grinding sounds in her knees when she went up stairs. She ahd been walking our slightly hilly neighborhood in gym shoes for about 1 mile per day and he advised her to stop walking. Seriously. That's NOT my guy. I'm looking for a source of doctors motivated to help athletic people keep going and achieve full potential at any age (me, 61). How do you find such a doc? I'm in 75075 for any local MD's that might be reading this.

[jkw]

I'm looking for help finding a doctor who believes in strength training and pushing the limits. I want someone who can advise/prescribe chemistry as needed. About 2 years ago my wife went to an orthopedic surgeon because of some cracking/grinding sounds in her knees when she went up stairs. She ahd been walking our slightly hilly neighborhood in gym shoes for about 1 mile per day and he advised her to stop walking. Seriously. That's NOT my guy. I'm looking for a source of doctors motivated to help athletic people keep going and achieve full potential at any age (me, 61). How do you find such a doc? I'm in 75075 for any local MD's that might be reading this.

You can search around for sports doctors, at least if you want a specialist. I used to live near philly and I was able to go to the same doctors that some of the pro teams used. I just searched in google for "sports medicine philly" to find them. A good PCP is much harder to find in my opinion. You have to go off of reviews/referrals, and possibly just try a bunch to find one you like.

[Bestafter60]

JKW, good advice, I had found such a guy, he was on the medical staff of a local university sports team and worked at what I thought to be a private practice. Then one day I called to schedule a physical and they told me he was gone, so I would be seeing a new doctor. I objected and asked where he had gone, because he was worth traveling to see. They refused to tell me, probably relates to an employment agreement or some other arrangement. So now I have to start the process all over. None of the rating systems discuss the traits I'm seeking, they mostly discuss prompted and friendliness, which are not my primary criteria. Where do you find a doc who helps you beyond just keeping well? Filling out new patient forms and hoping for the best is just not working for me.

[johnnys]

No specific advice, but I googled "texas testosterone" and found a few places that aren't shy about T, if that's the "right" kind. LowTCenter.com and lowTestosteroneDallas.com look promising and have locations close to you (no personal experience though).

I lived in Plano a while back (when EDS and Frito Lay were at the end of the earth), so thanks for the opportunity go look around the old neighborhood (my old girlfriend is apparently a massage therapist now, shouldn't have let that one get away

[jkw]

None of the rating systems discuss the traits I'm seeking, they mostly discuss prompted and friendliness, which are not my primary criteria. Where do you find a doc who helps you beyond just keeping well? Filling out new patient forms and hoping for the best is just not working for me.

Yeah the rating systems are not ideal, but some sites like ratemds.com do at least list real patient reviews, not just star ratings per category. You might be able to glean more information that way, but it's not perfect. Other than that, your only option would be asking around I would think. If you are a gym member you could try to ask other people at the gym.

What about this place? http://www.utswmedicine.org/hospital...orts-medicine/

[Bestafter60]

[QUOTE=johnnys;843768]No specific advice, but I googled "texas testosterone" and found a few places that aren't shy about T, if that's the "right" kind. LowTCenter.com and lowTestosteroneDallas.com look promising and have locations close to you (no personal experience though).

QUOTE]

Hi Johnny, Now McKinney is part of the sprawl and Plano is "inner city"! Not really, but we're widening the highway North of McKinney just like in Plano way back.
When I said the "right" doctor I was not referring to one who could prescribe testosterone, although I can see how that might be inferred. I'm looking for an MD who can goad me into peak performance, not tell me I'm fine if I can still walk in. And by "chemistry" I mean perform bloodwork and advise me how to maximize vitamins, calories, macros, etc. for performance rather than saying "eat whole grains" and "take it easy". I can see how that part could easily be misconstrued as well! I was hoping there was a way to find doctors whose practice went beyond wellness and promoted fitness.
Thanks for your and others' input!

[johnnys]

Got you, best. I'd love to hear your experience on this search.

I once tried to find the "right" doc like that for an orthopedic/trauma issue and found it frustrating - there are broken bone Orthopods, joint repair/replacement Orthopods, Rehab (PM&R) guys, etc.

I got the closest with a "Sports Medicine" Orthopod at the big teaching hospital institute that does lots of pro athlete/team work. I picked the one guy who had a football background, as I figured strength wasn't a foreign concept. He was certainly more open to making things "better" than just aiming for reasonably functional. Based on that - maybe start with Sports Medicine specialty (at Baylor - that's the teaching hospital in town, right?) and don't go with the doc who publishes on marathoners or Tour de France competitors.

[Bestafter60]

I found this site where an exhaustive debate on Cynegenics was taking place:http://www.seniorforums.com/showthre...-or-Legitimate
Turns out, this concept matches my criteria in many ways. I'm passing the link along for others intrigued by the TV advertising. I doubt I'll go this route, partly because of cost, partly because it seems to go too far along an interesting path. I'm more geared to personal responsibility and DIY thinking but have no argument with its practitioners or participants.

[Marlin]

I'm looking for help finding a doctor who believes in strength training and pushing the limits. I want someone who can advise/prescribe chemistry as needed. About 2 years ago my wife went to an orthopedic surgeon because of some cracking/grinding sounds in her knees when she went up stairs. She ahd been walking our slightly hilly neighborhood in gym shoes for about 1 mile per day and he advised her to stop walking. Seriously. That's NOT my guy. I'm looking for a source of doctors motivated to help athletic people keep going and achieve full potential at any age (me, 61). How do you find such a doc? I'm in 75075 for any local MD's that might be reading this.

It's not quite local for you, but I'm at Baylor Tom Landry near downtown Dallas and it seems like they have a sports medicine program. My doc at Baylor just tells me "whatever you are doing, don't stop!"