1. Functional Medicine.
   
   • Not optional, must be based on solving the ROOT problem.
     
2. Honesty
   • A Doc that can say: "I don't know, but ill find out for you"
3. Useful Tests.
   • Nutrient Deficiency, Complete Allergen Testing, A1C, Lipid Density.
4. A desire to very rarely see me again professionally.
   • Self explanatory.
5. Drugs as a Last Resort, not the first.

I want a doctor to be Educated about how to diagnose issues. Not how to prescribe band-aids.

Personally, im only concerned with doctors now, if I have a traumatic accident.

If something did happen, I would seek a doctor that was fully committed to Diagnosing the Root Cause, and would have that discussion before coming in.

I want a physician that will view any health problem I may be dealing with as a puzzle to be solved, not just symptoms to ameliorate with drugs. What a change it would be to get a recommendation to read a book instead of a prescription for a pill!

I want a physician who not only is knowledgeable in nutrition-regulated health, but who follows the lifestyle themselves in order to be an example for their patients. I don't want a hair stylist who looks like Don King, so why would I want a doctor who needs ten weeks with Jillian Michaels?

I've had plenty of crappy doctor's experiences throughout the years. Some of my biggest gripes from those are:

-Being treated with suspicion rather than curiosity or concern--at times I've been made to feel like a burden (presenting too many things at once), drug seeker, or hypochondriac who has been taken in by internet scare mongering and am certain that my care suffered from those snap assumptions. For instance, in college I once simply asked for a referral to an allergist from the campus doc. After ten minutes, he told me I was suffering from anxiety and wrote me a valium prescription and refused to give me a referral.

-Having questions met with ambivalence or even hostility. Questioning the efficacay of a proposed intervention, asking for a specific test, asking for clarification, or requesting a copy of test results have all gotten me terse responses and sometimes outright refusals.

-Being encouraged to be a poor advocate for my own health by the paternalistic nature of some doctors and the health care system. The "shut up and take this pill cos daddy know's best" attitude has reigned throughout most of my medical experiences and really disempowered me over time. I'm working hard to rectify this.

My ideal health practitioner would be the opposite of the above. Luckily, my current one is! I recently started going to a sliding scale community health clinic on account of being uninsured for the past nine years and living well below the poverty line. I was assigned to a nurse practitioner who has been the most pleasant surprise in the two times I have seen her. She immediately ordered a complete metabolic panel, A1C, TSH/T3/T4, and a CBC and told me online sites where I could seek additional clarification of my results in case she couldn't get to it all during my appointment. She also explained why she was ordering them since she knew I would be paying out of pocket. She is warm and open to questions and ideas. She lit up when I said I chart my menstrual cycle and seems to respect my knowledge about my body. She said she prefers nutritional & lifestyle interventions and wishes more people were open to them. She has yet to mention drugs. She has yet to say the word cholesterol. She recommends eating gluten-free. She is up on current science. She is a treasure.

It sounds like most people want a doctor to spend more time to them and listen more and just practice better medicine. This is pretty much what patients always want. My question would be how many people are willing to go the concierge medicine route? If you want doctors to practice real medicine, then you're going to need to divorce doctors from both insurance and government paying the tab. The fact is that it is always going to be cheaper to for insurers and government to force physicians into practicing fast food medicine.

Yeah, I can do a decent focused exam and history inside of 15 minutes. If I have to do 3 or 4 an hour and then sit around for hours after work doing paperwork and arguing with your insurance company or Medicare over ordering tests for you, well, that 15 minute exam isn't going to be that great towards the end of the day. Plus, if you have some complicated issues and I can only bill for one chief complaint per visit, or if you want nutritional counseling or whatever--yeah, that isn't going to happen so well under the current system.

I would love to set up the kind of practice that people on here want in a few years when I get done with school and residency, but unless the market is there (and fortunately, I think it is), I won't be able to practice the kind of medicine that I want and that I owe to my patients. So it starts with the patients--you need to demand the kind of service that you want, and it just isn't going to come through your PPO, HMO, government plan or anything like that. So seek out the doctors in your cities that are doing concierge plans and support them. Many of them won't necessarily share your nutritional views, but here's the thing--you're paying them directly. They want to keep you happy as patient and a customer. So they'll research it themselves and hopefully become more open minded, especially if more patients are pushing for it. Direct payment between you and your physician is going to lead to them being more responsive. That, and it makes primary care more lucrative, which means you get more and better doctors choosing it instead of going into subspecialties where they can use their talents after you've trashed your body for years.

So as a future physician, I'm telling you all that I want to help you (well, the greater "you") all and I want to practice good medicine, but consumers have got to create the right market for physicians. I don't want the government coming between me and my patients and I don't want insurers coming between me and my patients. Me and my patients are the only parties that really have a vested interest in my patients health.

I certainly welcome Dr. K or any other practicing physicians thoughts on this, but I, for one, have about zero desire to run a practice (or be part of a practice) that sees patients merely as RVUs.

More than anything I want a doctor that ASKS ME QUESTIONS and LISTENS TO MY ANSWERS.

First the nurse comes in and checks my blood pressure and asks why I'm there. Then the doctor breezes in and updates my prescription because everything is status quo. She never asked how I was doing with anything. When I expressed my desire to figure out WHAT caused my blood pressure issue it just seemed to confuse her. I had medication, things were under control, WHY would I want to know what caused it. I asked about tests and she wasn't even listening. When the results came in, they weren't what I asked for.

I had a doctor that spent more time with me and all the other patients, but he was so good he got extremely busy and it was hard to get into an appointment with him. He was still all about the pills, but at least he talked to me.

I don't usually respond to these sorts of things but I feel a calling to speak up.

Trying to read through the responses was painful. Very painful.

What kind of a doctor would I like to go to? None. I want a partner in wellness. I want a person not a corporate fat head who is only interested in the profit line. I want a partner in health who is a holistic practitioner who recognizes that, I the patient, am not a body part or a symptom but a person. I am a person, whole person. My nutrition effects not only my body's health but my mental health, and ultimately my spiritual health. Sometimes what is hurting isn't my back but my "heart." I want a parter in health who is not egotistic or narcistic. I want a partner in health who knows more than I do about the working of the human body--for crying in the sink how in the world can a doctor care for patients if they do not know the value of cholesterol or that there are different sizes of LDL? BUT want to put me a woman on a statin even though I my HDL is the highest they have ever seen and my Triglycerides are the lowest BUT my LDL is very high? Fortunately I said no and did my own research! I want a partner in health who is honest. Please do not tell a patient with cancer and their family that that they will be just fine and then the patient dies the next week.

I have been involved in the health care crisis in this country for nearly 20 years since I could not get health care while pregnant with my son because I did not have insurance but medicaid. Nothing has changed in this country and will not change until we the patients demand quality care for all people not just those who can afford it. Health care is not a business!

I would also like to find a Dr. who doesn't carry such an air of arrogance (not you, Dr. K.; you seem like a good guy). They routinely talk down to me, brush off my questions, treat my own thoughts about my own health as silly. No, I don't have medical training, but I read a lot about matters of health, and I'm a college professor and fiction writer with seven books published, so I don't exactly need to have basic conversation dumbed-down for me. Also, when I'm kept in waiting rooms for over an hour, I assume that once again the Dr. has overbooked, intentionally, and that the assumption is that his time is more valuable than mine.

These have probably already been mentioned in the above answers, but I would love to see:

1. clinical problem solving that gets to the base of a problem, rather than symptom treatment only
2. doctors who show an understanding of true human function and give attention to the fact that everything is connected. More holistic perspectives are needed, I believe.
3. efficient documentation systems that don't require patients to constantly have to repeat information each visit
4. doctors who really pay attention to how they obtain info. from patients, understanding how they are phrasing questions and how the patient is understanding the questions asked. The same goes for how information is shared.

I would like to be able to get blood tests when I am not sick. For example: At my last visit at the doctor's office I asked for a vitamin D test. They wouldn't do it, and gave me the RDA for vit D. So, I really don't know what my levels are and I live in the NW Washington State and I do supplement with Vit d3. That's one thing..I will probably think of more

Doctors are frequently nice people, but I rarely go to one because they simply don't have the answers. They have pills for symptoms. I wish they would try thinking outside the box a little more. Case in point, last summer I finally went to the doctor, because I had an infection on my shin that would not heal. The doc gave me antibiotics (of course) and took a culture. She then called me several days later and said I had MRSA, and proscribed a different antibiotic. Well, I took it dutifully, down to the last pill, and my infection had still not cleared up. I did not go back, because I knew their only response would be to put me on a super duper antibiotic, and I didn't want to create a super duper mrsa bug and have it kicking around my house. I had to figure out the answer myself, and what worked was applying a silver solution several times a day. Started healing in three days, and was fully healed in less than a week. Why can't doctors suggest an approach that doesn't involve a prescription medication?

I want a doctor who understands what my family wants and needs (ie our philosophy on healthcare - drugs, diets etc) I want a doctor who asks me the questions that I don't know to ask. I am not a doctor, so please educate me on how to be a healthier person. Advise me on which chiroproctors, massage therapists etc are the best in our community and provide me with a reference to these best practitioners in my area.

Be the champion of my health and my family's health (even though I am the primary advocate for my family - I need some backup sometimes).

I live in Canada - so my healthcare is free, I feel so sad hearing for all the talk of paying for tests and doctors visits especially the story of being sent away while pregnant - I think that it is shameful that such an advanced country makes their people pay for such a simple right. We all deserve the right to free and equal healthcare

My experience with doctors has been what I consider an "assembly line" treatment: they see patient after patient, quick as they can, and are so entrenched in the routine they forget to pause and look up and offer any real suggestions. I suppose my complaint equals a lot of the others on this thread: doctors don't offer their full attention and their treatment suggestions often turn out to be "take a pill."

The last doctor's visit I had, I complained about a specific pain (increasingly more painful menstrual cramps, which I used to never get) and asked the doc what the cause might be and how could I fix the problem. Instead of a solution, I was told that it is safe for me to take up to 8 Advil a day. That was her medical advise.

Dr. K, I have made an appt with a new doctor for early next week. Do you have any suggestions on questions I could ask him or tests I should request? I feel that the doctor/patient relationship is a two-way street and I want to make sure I am holding up my end of the conversation.

A doctor who's willing to listen to me is the highest on the list.

For instance, I have a low thyroid (pre-paleo, I've yet to get it tested after switching 2 months ago). I talked to my doctor about adding a T3 replacement (cytomel) in addition to the T4 I took at the time (synthroid, now levoxyl). He laughed at my efforts to lose weight, my miserable attitude, and what I could only assume was depression at the time.

I fired him after he decided that not only did I not need T3, but I should switch to a low fat high carb diet. I had tried that one before and it was miserable. I have a reasonable suspicion that even if I went back with an incredible lab result, and have lost weight, he would still assume that T3 and paleo would be stupid.

I found a new doctor (well, a naturopath). She takes the time to talk to me, to get me on the right dosages for my T3 (yay!) and T4 meds, and intelligently communicates to me why we should do something, rather than just writing a prescription for something.

Several things I like:

• knowledge of the endocrine system. Understood the problems I was having with the low thyroid and got me on the correct meds to fix it.

• Doesn't tell me that paleo is stupid. I'm not sure she understands why I like it, but she likes the results. I'm not sure I've gotten her off the hcg bandwagon, but I might if I can keep the results up. I look and feel better than most people on that diet.

• Willing to talk. I seriously spent 30 minutes with her one day, going over every detail of the lab results, what we should order next for labs, and how we needed to approach the problem if this didn't work. If I don't understand something, or disagree, she's willing to take the time to explain why she has a certain approach and either to get me to agree, or to find a different option.

• Willing to let me help run my care. If I know that I'm not feeling as well as I should, that something is not working, we're willing to work together to find a solution. More labs, more tests, and more brainstorming.

• Willing to order whatever I want for labs. My next one will have a bunch of stuff that's been discussed on here and other places in the paleosphere...sort of curious to see what it's going to be like.

The one major difference between the two docs, and why I switched?

My naturopath is willing to let me assume a bit more control of the patient/doctor relationship. She's willing to listen to my opinions, and appears to respect them. I am a bit leery of doctors, but I find the ones that earn my respect, money and time are the ones who are willing to work with me, instead of ordering me about. I don't want to be on a diet or pills that are killing the majority of americans (yeah, I'm looking at you, low fat/high carb).

Dr.K do you have a picture of your paleo results. Or some link to some writings of you. I get interesting who you are.

sorry for the crosspost..

Maybe the medical profession should take a look at how every other service in exchange for monetary compensation functions. You either clearly see in a window what you get and choose. Not an option with health or you get a detailed estimate with specifications and a commitment schedule. And what about guarantees? There should be something assurable in the medical profession. Perhaps the first easiest step would be humility, (as others mentioned) ask...then listen admit to lack of knowledge and perhaps this is where the guarantee should be.........if a doc even accepts the appointment after having read a description of the service needed............ he had better go find the answer... better even before the patient arrives, when possible. Nothing more irritating than explaining your situation very clearly (to any professional) then arriving to explain it yet again to hear.........I'll have to research that. A waste of time for everyone. Very good question by the way........yes time to revolutionize medicine. Of course all would depend on the kind of patient you want. Many I am sure want 'hand holding' not answers or solutions. Personally I think many problems lie with the patient's lack of assuming responsibility for their own health, which in turn feeds the frenzy of incompetent physicians willing to hand out crumbs (service). And isn't this a big part of the population. Government agencies have been telling us how to eat, tell us how to educate our kids, tell us how to drive........now the irresponsible want someone to tell them how to fix themselves. I would appreciate and trust a doctor much more who did not pretend that he can assume responsibility for my health, but will help me do so. Can you really trust another person with your life...your children's lives? Again as someone else mentioned.........advise on where to educate ourselves in regards to our problems..reading matter.

At 64 with multiple health disorders - I would like to have the entire profession with a firm grasp on nutrition (of course it would be biased, but at least there might be a knowledgable debate (patient vs MD) )! After 3 rheumatologists - not one discussing diet - it was my own investigation that unearthed the perils of nightshades - and only on paleo boards did I hear last month that cayenne might also be detrimental! My final rheumie - prescribed Enbrel (2 injections per wk) - this was the only med that worked for me - still had to use a cane - but after 4 yrs of intolerable pain and becoming "disabled" prematurely - it was paleo that finally leaves me med-free and although there are aches and pains in several joints (hips - one wrist - and one knee(osteo)), the difference in qol is night and day!!! Regarding diverticular disease (2 surgeries thus far) - a month prior to going on paleo - I was told to "up my fiber" due to diverticulosis - I said - "if I upped it any more I'd be a bran muffin"! That being said since I've been primarily vegetarian for the past 10-14 yrs (a decision made because of the severity of diverticulitis and a botched bowel resection)! My urologist, my 4th since my prostate cancer diagnosis (I suppose any guy who gets that particular cancer realizes his life will forever be one of a castrated bull - and the blame will forever lie with the deliverer of the news!), that said I don't give up easily - now I'm more or less satisfied with my urologist - who has listened to my complaints and is taking several diagnostic procedures that may eliminate what problems in that area I don't have! This approach is the first time in 4 years of my feeling I'm being listened to - and not dismissed with a "doctor knows best" attitude - and a certain degree of empathy as well!!! Hope these types of experiences can help bring about a few answers! Thanks for putting this out there! More credit to you!

This is what I currently LIKE in my doctor:

1. Much younger than me. Easy to treat him like the pipsqueak he is, easy for me to set boundaries with him.

2. He thinks the paleo stuff I talk about is interesting.

3. He tells me he searches the internet to find out more about the paleo diet.

4. He seems to have the budding capacity to put two and two together: all the really fat people at the hospital (nurses, doctors, patients, receptionists, etc. included) need an update (NEWS FLASH) about human nutrition. What I like about him is at least he's going, "Hmmmm."

5. He's thinking!

6. Gives me a bit more time to finish my ranting. See number 1.

Every easter before I go to sleep I pray for an MD who paid attention in statistics 101. I've found very few who talk in probabilities, rather they lean towards graphic descriptions of absurdly rare afflictions. And don't even get me started on MD inability to grasp the concept of false positive.

There have been a bunch of great answers here and I won't go and repeat them, but I agree with lots of what's been posted. Though, my biggest wish is that Doctors were actually "scientists" and not "technicians". I'm implying no disrespect to any of the Doctors out there who actually are scientists, but every time I've seen/talked to a doctor it was just a "diagnosis" of a problem just like when you take your car to a mechanic. There is definitely a place for that. Sometimes, I need to talk to a professional who understands base rates and symptoms and will tell me most likely what's wrong with me, but I also want to have available a doctor who understands things like measurement error, repeatability, statistics, biochemistry - you know, all of those things that they took as pre-meds and immediately forgot (I've taught a lot of pre-meds, I know what they should know).

For example, when ordering a test understand why you're ordering which tests and which are most likely to give you the most meaningful results (and what you'd do given the results of the tests). When the results come back, understand the error in the measurement, understand that the "number" isn't "good" or "bad", but a continuum.

Two examples from my life: I was really sick one time and the doctor wanted me to do a not-too-pleasant test (probably because the protocol was just to do this test). After going through the test it came back negative, but then I went and read up on it (I should have done it first, but I was sick and didn't feel like it), and found out for my specific condition this test had a 50% false positive rate and a 50% false negative rate, i.e., the results contained absolutely no information. (It was a pretty expensive test that my insurance probably didn't want to pay for - and it was wrong).

Second, I was kept in the hospital an extra day because the doctor didn't understand shot noise. I.e., counting error. When "the numbers" came back, they were just under his threshold for sending me home. So I asked him what the test was measuring, and how they counted what the counted from the sample of blood they took. As I back-calculated the numbers, it turns out that the lab tech counted 4 things in their microscope slide and then multiplied up to figure out how much was in me. With simple Poissonian stats, the counting error on N items is sqrt(N), so when counting 4 things, the error there is 50%. So I spent an extra night in the hospital rather than my bed at home.

In both cases, if I were feeling better I could have done a better job arguing and probably won. But I was sick at the time and had to defer to the authority who didn't understand.

So in short: we need lots of "technicians" for the simple stuff and we need good "scientists" for the hard stuff. But limited enrollment in medical school keeps the numbers down to keep the salaries high so everyone is overworked. A two-tier system of doctors would make things more efficient and provide better care to those that need it.

And most importantly, doctors should remember (and apply) biochemistry longer than just to pass their test and then forget it. Because if that were the case, then we'd have no health crisis now.

be clear about your approach to health up front. Web, blog, collection of articles in the lobby. Invite patients for health discussions/movie etc and think of it as improving your community through education. Stanf firm in what you believe and there will be a clear choice folks will realize.

I'm late to the party on this, but can't resist answering.

I want a doctor to be well-informed and up-to-date. When a doctor tells me to eat more carbs, or that a low-carb diet is dangerous and that whole grains are an important part of a balanced diet, that doctor instantly loses all crediblity with me. It's then awfully hard for me to trust that doctor with anything at all. Why should I go back? Clearly the doctor is uninformed or willfully ignorant.

I had a problem with shoulder, arm, and hand pain, and what the doctor recommended/prescribed did nothing. I had to figure out the answer to the problem myself and seek appropriate treatment. It's fine now, but no thanks to the doctor. I had debilitating knee pain - same thing. Medical advice turned out to be completely useless, so I had to hack that problem myself, too. It took me a while, but now I'm fine.

And now the diet thing! Sheesh. Why should I bother seeing a doctor at all, except for emergency cuts and things? I know there are good answers to this, but I find it difficult to go to doctors now. Why should some professional get paid for being useless when I can most often find better answers on my own? Yeah, I'm jaded. Yet I would so love to have a good doctor. For starters, I want a doctor who understands and supports the paleo diet.

So I would like a doctor to help restore my faith in physicians by being up-to-date. Nutrition and diet is an obvious starting point.

If I were a doctor I would have a library of recommended books right there in the waiting room, with books by Gary Taubes, Robb Wolf, and others on prominent display. There would be many copies of those, and patients would be encouraged to borrow them. Each patient would get a suggested reading list of books related to health, diet, fitness, etc. That would be a great start.

Now, Dr K, you have been a massive, massive help to me, and thank you so much for the fantastic content you put on your blog. I read and re-read it. Your advice works. I wish we had more doctors like you!

I've had some bad experiences with doctors. I'm 55 yr old female. Ten year ago went to my doctor repeatedly, I did not feel well. Headaches, muscle & joint pain, rashes, fatigue, etc... He ran simply CBC and prescribed a antidepressant. I didn't know better. Went back 60 days later, "doc, I still feel like crap". Answer, "women your age...blah, blah, blah, and prescribed a high blood pressure/diuretic med". A few months later, I'm back and he's stumped. Then he asks if maybe I need to be on an antidepressant! insert eye rolls here. I told him I felt like I couldn't get a good deep breath, and I was having shoulder pain. He sent me to a cardiologist. Cardiologist determined that I needed a camera threaded up my vein to make sure I wasn't experiencing a blockage = now! MD calls me and tells me I have developed hypothyroid and prescribes T4. Cardiologist has nurse give me 8 aspirin and 6 Plavix prior to procedure (no blockage) and gives me a head nod when I explain I just found out about thyroid Dx. Post procedure, nurse cannot get me to stop bleeding, then suddenly and quickly sends me home at shift change. That evening I am rushed to ER with a hematoma in my groin the size of a watermelon! One month follow up with my reg MD I mention that the T4 Rx didn't seem to be helping any of my symptoms. He asked if perhaps I needed an antidepressant. I never went back to see him.

The replacement doctor was hyperfocused on my blood pressure, which was a little high (140/100). She ran the regular tests but added VitD to the list. I was really low, so she gave me RX for the BP, the D, and Chantix to quit smoking. She was not concerned about the recurrent scalp infections (folliculitus?) I'd been going to the walk in clinic about, and had recently been given amoxcyllin for treatment. She thought maybe I should go see a dermatologist? She agreed I should schedule a colonoscop with a gastro doc, since there was colon cancer history in family. Two weeks after appt I called her office, something was not right, I was so tired and achey I couldn't function. I was getting fevers every night. Testing that day showed my RBC had tanked, I was severely anemic, and my bilirubin had increased quite a bit. She suggested I keep the appt with gastro doc and also sent me for ultrasounds which showed my liver and spleen were severely enlarged.

Gastro doc came in and told me he wasn't doing a colonoscopy on my because I was much too sick. From something in the tests, he knew it was a blood problem, not a liver problem. He sent me to a blood doc. The blood doc eventually figured out that I was having a severe drug reaction to the amoxcyllin antibiotic I'd been given 3 months earlier. My body was destroying my red blood cells and it would take months, maybe a year to fully recover.

Each doctor in the chain only focused on a small part of the big picture. Not a single one ever tried to get to the root of the problem, which was the recurrent infections. In my case, doctors are very harmful to my health, they don't care about anything but their narrow little focus, they aren't interesting in finding the cause only in treating the symptoms with pharmaceuticals that again, are harmful to my health. Last week I went for a past due yearly physical, and again the doc was hyperfocused on my blood pressure. I'd lost 40 lbs, but she didn't remark at all on that. I asked for a bunch of labs that she didn't think were "necessary" and when I insisted on a full thyroid panel, not just TSH, she got defensive and told me that doctors couldn't order every lab a patient wanted because that is what drives up health care costs. BS! I told her I pay for all my health care & I expect to be a part of the decision making process. She still wouldn't order all the labs I wanted. The only small satisfaction was the email I received the next day when she saw my lab results, which were, in a word: FANTASTIC. Except for the puzzling high blood pressure, my labs are better than they've been in 15 years!

Like some of the others, I'd like a doctor to take the time to explore what a problem may be before just prescribing drugs. The last time I took prescription drugs (allergies), the dosage was so high, it caused major side effects.

I would also like a physician to know some of the "non-medical" ways to treat ailments and conditions like arthritis (my grandfather's hand arthritis was finally controlled with a daily parafin wax treatment after all drugs were exhausted. He was in pain for months before they tried this). I realize this puts a burden on medical doctors to not only keep abreast of the latest developments, but to know and appreciate historic remedies and other health disciplines. At the same time, if the first part of being a doctor is to do no harm....

I also appreciate a doctor who thinks for his/herself rather than regurgitating whatever the AMA recommends, like my last internist did. BMI? I might by 4'11', but even when I was a size 8 and skin and bones for me I weighed over 110 lbs.

And I'd like an honest, decent answer on how much calcium a woman needs, especially once all the crappy grains and oils are out of the diet. I didn't even get that.

Well, I don't go to the doctor regularly but, I like it when clinics, doctors, etc have websites that provide a decent amount of information (e.g. credentials, specialties, prominent contact information, perhaps you could link things about paleo for your patients, maybe even free wellness calculators of some sort, or book suggestions- inform the patients ..., stuff like that).

I am horrified at the thought that a doctor might not do a treament or spend time the needed time with me based on my health insurance. Here's an idea. How about doc offices never assume anything about your finances. I have savings, I am willing to pay for anything to get better, up front. I want a doctor to plan out everything I need, then I go can go to work on the insurance and finances. I don't want my treatment limited,especially without running it by me. I just flat out want to know what needs to be done, and I will make it happen. (I might not be this uppity if I had cancer or something..). For example, if my situation required a two hour visit, just to get all the details, look over the tests, ect..but insurance would only pay one hour, then tell me, and I will pay for a second hour with cash. I know not everyone could do this, but its worth a try to be upfront with the patients. I am willing to pay for excellent care.
As a side note: I will never forget the look on the gastero docs face when I came in for a followup to a healthy endoscopy/colonscopy. 'Why are you here?' he asked me. I told him 'Because nothing has changed, I still feel like hell'. He was so confused!

I'd like a doctor who doesn't blindly follow FDA/NIH guidelines--medicine and health should be an INDIVIDUALIZED thing. I'd like one who actually READS and understands, then incorporates the latest findings, testing methods, and ways of calculating health, such as assessing cholesterol values, knowing the value of dietary fat, and ignoring the useless BMI chart.

As it is, we ALREADY HAVE government-run medicine--docs won't do anything that isn't FDA or NIH-sanctioned, and insurers won't cover stuff unless it follows those guidelines. Why push for universal healthcare coverage? To capture the only missing ingredient: money.

I think it's totally ironic that patients can be ahead of doctors when it comes to medical and health knowledge, leaving doctors to be the "mechanics" of their profession--almost like hooking us up to computerized diagnostic machines (just like cars) that spit out what's supposedly wrong.

If you look at what's considered "healthy" by today's FDA/NIH standards, you'll find cholesterol levels spurred lower by omitting meat/eggs from the diet, thyroids spurred lower by the encouraged use of soy, and havoc wreaked by encouraging the use of vegetable oils high in Omega-6.

Is this REALLY the picture of health? If so, then I want a word with the artist!

Great topic.

I want a dr that is under fire from government food police and CW profesional associations. The ability to see through the mass of nonsense in health care is top priority.

Bad experiences: Many! "Try this pill for 2 months and see if those trigs go down." "Take this pill and do weight watchers for 6 months, and then maybe we will order the cortisol test too." "High triglycerides have nothing to do with it." "WHAT are you eating!"

Best experience: "We will find it and we will fix it." -Dr Wayne Wightman (my dr at the Holtorf Clinic in Tortance, Ca.)

Well, for one thing, stop the BS about Canadians wanting their health care system to be more like the US's.

"40% of Canadians come to the US" ?????!!??? Now THERE is a lie that surpasses all the rest of the right-wing pro-big-insurance-company lies I have seen!

I wish I'd found the one I had sooner! Not only is she a fellow cyclist and bike commuter with a a sweet Bianchi, but when I showed interest, she gave be a blood test in everything, even Vitmain D! It was really interesting to pore through all the results when they came.