I saw Dr. Kruse through The Back Door at his office in Nashville for advice on degenerative disc issues and osteoarthritis in general. He zeroed in on hormonal and nutritional issues while specifically stating very early on that I did not have a leptin issue (despite having 15 stubborn pounds that do not want to come off).

Pros

Smart, it was clear he coukd glance at a stack of test results and see the big picture immediately. I felt like he was standing in my Krebs Cycle. Personable. Not an asshole. Very willing to take the time with me, spent more than an hour. Did not have all of the answers, recommended additional tests. Referred me to a local doctor in Atlanta for hormonal followup. Identified some very key issues that had been overlooked by 3 GPs, 1 sports medicine doc, 2 orthopedic surgeons, 1 neurosurgeon, 1 rheumatologist and 1 functional medicine doc. Is serious about wanting to prevent surgery, a pretty radical concept for a surgeon. Has been very responsive with emails and follow-up phone calls after the office visit. He is an MD so he can write prescriptions and order tests, something other non-MD gurus cannnot do.

Pro/Con

He is every bit as passionate and intense in person as he is online.

Cons

Appointment process is a bit complicated and confusing, especially if you want metabolic consult. Absolutely requires a physician's referral regardless of your insurance requirements. He only books 2 slots a week at his regular office for metabolic issues at the end of the day, but if you don't know this you could easily be booked incorrectly and not have the right amount of time. If you had driven 4 hours to get there and did not have sufficient time, it could be a problem. Not clear what he will do under insurance and what he won't, it appears optimization is 100% out of pocket, not sure about metabolic? Before becoming a patient, not particularly good at answering emails sent from his own web site, I suggest you CALL his office to request an appointment. Rattled off supplements and treatment recommendations verbally, I had to ask him to write it down for me. I suggest he structure his recommendations in a written treatment plan. Locating all of the supplements - I suggest a written handout for patients. Locating recommended tests was also diffcult, if possible get them done in Nashville, or walk out the door with a written prescription or have the exact name of the test and lab that performs it. In my case, bone density of the wrist was surprisingly difficult to obtain, as was the Omega 3:6 index as the local doc in Atlanta did not know where to send me for them.

Have my issues been improved? Yes, my daily need for NSAIDs has been eliminated. I still have occasional back pain but it is nowhere near as intense or frequent as before and I rarely resort to NSAIDs. H. Pylori that was identified has been resolved. It has been less than 6 months and I will be talking to him this week to review follow-up tests and revise the approach to address remaining cholesterol, gut issues, blood glucose and stubborn weight issues. For now, nobody needs to cut into my spine and I am very happy about that.

Would I go back again? Yes. Would I do a paid phone consultation if I was not within driving distance? Absolutely.

I have used Kresser and am very disappointed with his service, well lack of service is more like it. He will charge for labs that should have been included in the first fee. Office staff is not the friendliest. He talks a big talk of being an investigative health detective and the truth is he shows no interest in getting you better just in getting your money so he can concentrate on his blog..

Not in-the-flesh, but I did a virtual workshop with Melissa & Dallas of Whole9- I do think talking to an expert can be a useful tool for troubleshooting & fine-tuning; I didn't learn any earth-shaking new info but had a couple good "a-ha!" moments. I believe they do 1 on 1 phone sessions for $100 an hr.

I have consulted with Ray Peat via email for a nutritional consultation (and paid him, apparently most people don't). He isn't paleo per se -but is high protein, no grains. First time I have seen results for my health issue's (tummy, thyroid, adrenal) in 3 years of trying everything and everyone under the sun. His analysis is pretty basic, and he doesn't do any prescribing, testing, or digging. That is fine with me -I have a giant binder of medical tests. His recommendations were a 180 from past doctors, so I was worried about it at first. He always emails back with answers to my many questions. He does talk in scientist, so if you are not up for that, it can be a challenge. He isn't a medical doctor, but I am always willing to try most things once. As I said before -first time for improvement results, and its only been about 40 days!!

Im very interested in seeing Chris Kresser. I lost weight but since gained it back, and have upped my starches. I was working with Laurent Bannock and he had two masters degrees and he may have success with athletes and teams but when it comes to complex health issues he has no idea what he is doing, he also has two masters degrees. I was highly recommended by someone off of Marks Daily Apple forum and the same person recommended Chris Kresser.

unless you have some sort of disease or condition that requires a specific protocol, i'd say your money's better spent on a cow or something else that will help your well being

My husband and I had our first appointment with Dr. Lane Sebring after meeting him at Paleofx last month. We are scheduled to go back next week for our lab results/analysis. So far the experience has been good and bad.

Good: He is brilliant and confirmed a lot of things that I thought were were going on with myself and my husband. He took a lot of time with us and tried to relay as much information as possible. He also referred us to other doctors right away that he felt like could help us with some of our issues.

Bad: His office staff is very disorganized and didn't prepare us at all for what to expect during the visit or who much it would cost. (He doesn't take insurance, so it is out of pocket). My husband's appt. was at 2:15 and mine was at 3:00 and we did not get into an exam room until almost 4:00 and did not see the doctor until about 4:30. Then, the nurse who was supposed to take our blood didn't realize he was finished with us and left us in the room for an additional 30min, so I had to go ask her to take our blood. Also, we left kind of unsure of what the treatment plan was and we had lots of supplements, but no written instructions on how to take them.

I am looking forward to the next visit. Hopefully it will be more streamlined since we will have our lab results. I will keep you updated

I just started seeing a functional-medicine doctor in Massachusetts (where I live). She has an M.D. from a top medical school; not a degree in acupuncture or Chinese herbs. Most functional med MD's (including Paleo practioners) don't take insurance. They are basically concierge-based medicine, so, it's quite expensive.

My first visit (which lasted 90 minutes) was $750 and that did not include labs. The reason I use this kind of doctor is to be able to get blood, urine, saliva tests done that I cannot order myself (I live in Massachusetts, one of a handful of states that makes it ILLEGAL to order your own blood tests). And, to get compounded pharmacy prescriptions (thyroid, hormones).

The labs cost me an additional $1,200 at least. She uses Metamtrix (as I believe Kresser does) as well as others.

Soon, there will be a number of new solutions for people who want to get tests done periodically. For instance, the San Francisco based WellnessFX offers a new service that I'm on the waiting list for as soon as they open a branch in Massachusetts. You might want to check them out as they are in your area.

I do a lot of my own health research and really just want a doctor willing to test me and possibly tweak some prescription hormone supplements.

I would not use Chris Kresser. I cannot stand him. He sounds like an ass h**e. Selfish, uncaring. Whenever someone on his blogs writes something different to what his opinion is he will write some snarky response. It is quite pathetic actually. I think he suffers from low self esteem. Just google “Chris Kresser reviews”. Vast majority of them are negative.

My husband and I both consult with Chris Kresser. We are both grateful for his help. I have had sleep issues all of my life and right now I am sleeping better than I ever have before. I feel fantastic. His staff is efficient, pleasant and helpful.